New PS5 System Update Rolling Out in Beta But There's a Catch - PlayStation LifeStyle

Update: The beta codes work now. Enjoy!

Original story follows…

Sony is emailing out codes for a new PS5 system software update beta for February 2026, less than two weeks after the last firmware update. Players started receiving emails just before the weekend, but oddly, as far as we are aware, no one has been able to download the update.

February 2026’s PS5 system update beta patch notes released, but codes don’t work

Official patch notes for February 2026’s PS5 system update beta read:

• Unicode 17.0 emojis are now supported. You can use them in your messages.
• We’ve improved messages and usability on some screens.
• We’ve improved system software performance and stability.

These don’t look like major changes that would warrant a beta, but nevertheless, Sony has been sending emails out for it. However, the beta codes contained within the emails aren’t functional. We can confirm that at the time of this writing, the issue persists, as evidenced by comments on gaming forums and social media.

The patch notes above confirm that Unicode 17.0 emoji support is on its way for everyone. Unicode 16.0 emoji support was added in version 25.02-11.00.00.

We’ll update our readers when we have more information about this system software beta.