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How to fix PlayStation 4 infinite restart loop issue

Don't fall into an infinite cycle.

When your PlayStation 4 faces the crisis of consistently restarting, and it’s stuck in a loop, it is not the end of the world. You won’t have to run out to buy a brand new console. There are a few solutions to this situation that we’ve discovered over the years. Not all of them will work for your console, but they should assist in making it easier to figure what you need to do to stop this problem.

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You’ll know you’re facing the infinite restart loop when your PS4 console continues to turn off and on, going to the PlayStation logo on screen before immediately turning it off again.

How to fix the infinite restart loop on the PlayStation 4

Unplug the console

The first thing you should when facing the infinite restart loop with a PS4 is to remove all of the wires connected to the back of your console and wait for the system to cool off. You’ll want to have it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, ensuring the system does not face any overheating issues.

When you’ve waited the appropriate amount of time, you can plug all of the wires back into your console and then start it up in safe mode. You can activate safe mode by holding the power button on your PS4 for 10 seconds and then turning it on in safe mode.

Update your PlayStation 4

You might experience this problem if your console has not been updated for a long time. To update your console, you need to load it into safe mode. Much like for the previous step, you can enter safe mode while your console is turned off and holding the power button for 10 seconds to turn it on. This activates safe mode.

Look for the ‘System Software Update’ option in safe mode, and choose the ‘upgrade now’ choice. Your PlayStation 4 will update to the latest model, but you need to make sure your console is connected to the internet through an ethernet cable or wirelessly.

Initialize your PlayStation 4

If you’re still experiencing the infinite loop error with your PlayStation 4, the final resort will be to initialize your console. The downside to do this is it wipes all of the information saved on the console, although this final option typically fixes the problem. You can save your more important data to a flash drive. We highly recommend making sure your know the username, password, and security information for all of the profiles connected to your PS4.

To initialize your PS4, all you to do is go into the settings menu in safe mode and pick the initialize option. There will be a notification asking if you want to make this choice and a series of steps of what you need to do before initializing it. Once you’ve done that, it’ll be as if you had just picked that PlayStation 4, and you’ll have to update your profile. All of the profile information should still be there if it was saved to the PlayStation network. When you’ve added your profile back to the console, you’ll have to redownload all of your digital games.

These are the more common fixes to stopping the infinite loop for the PlayStation 4. If you continue to have more issues with your console, we highly recommend you reach out to PlayStation customer service to receive assistance from a Sony representative.


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Author
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Zack Palm
Zack Palm is the Senior Writer of Gamepur and has spent over five years covering video games, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Oregon State University. He spends his free time biking, running tabletop campaigns, and listening to heavy metal. His primary game beats are Pokémon Go, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and any newly released title, and he finds it difficult to pull away from any Star Wars game.