The electricity prices in Germany have risen sharply lately. Some passionate gamers may therefore justifiably wonder whether they should forgo screen time to save money. In this article, we will therefore deal with the question of how much electricity the PS5 consumes and what that costs you.
The saying: “Time is money” could hardly be more accurate for gamers at the moment. After all, electricity prices are currently rising sharply due to the energy crisis.
On the one hand, we certainly do not want to miss out on our favorite hobby, but on the other hand, every hour played really adds up more than ever before.
In a recent survey by MeinMMO, just under 50% of our readers reported that they game around 20 hours a week.
Therefore, in this article, we calculate the power consumption of the highly sought-after PS5 during this weekly gaming time, how it compares to the PS4, and what it is likely to cost at current electricity prices.
The PS5’s consumption compared to the PS4 Pro
How much electricity does the PS5 consume? Basically, it must be said that Sony has succeeded with the PlayStation 5, in direct comparison with the previous console – the PS4 Pro – not only in delivering clearly better performance but also in using energy more efficiently and sparingly.
Nevertheless, the actual consumption strongly depends on what you do with the console.
The PS5 obviously consumes the least electricity when it is turned off: namely 0.1 to 0.45 watts per hour (PS4 Pro: 1.5 watts).
And even in standby mode, the console’s energy requirement is just 1 to 1.5 watts per hour. Here too, the PS4 Pro definitely performs worse with 5 watts.
If you are just in the console’s menu, the consumption is already around 50 watts per hour (PS4 Pro: about 70 watts). During streaming, the power consumption of the PS5 can rise to up to 75 watts; this value is again clearly below the power requirement of the PS4 during streaming: up to 100 watts per hour.
You can learn why you should generally avoid streaming on the PS5 in this article:
The electricity consumption is of course highest for what it is used for the most: gaming.
In general, it can be said that the energy requirement of the PS5 while gaming is on average between 140 and 200 watts per hour. However, depending on which game you are playing, this can vary significantly.
For less graphically demanding or backward-compatible games, an hourly power consumption of 100 to 150 watts is the norm, while for games that are particularly demanding on the console’s hardware, it can even rise to peak values of up to 220 watts.
This means: The newer your game and the higher its resolution, the higher the energy consumption.
In direct comparison with the PS4 Pro (on average 177 watts), the PS5 is therefore also clearly below the consumption of the PS4 Pro with older games. Only for next-gen games does the tables turn, meaning Sony’s jewel has a higher requirement than its predecessor.
Here are the average consumption values in comparison
| Status | Ø PS5 | Ø PS4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Off | 0.1 – 0.45 watts | 1.5 watts |
| Standby | 1-1.5 watts | 5 watts |
| Menu | 50 watts | 70 watts |
| Stream | 75 watts | 100 watts |
| Gaming | 100-220 watts | 177 watts |
But: Not every PS5 consumes the same amount of electricity
Can we therefore generally conclude: “The newer the console, the cheaper it is”? All values given for the PS5 refer to the launch model of the console (CFI-1000). However, it is also interesting to see how the power consumption of the PS5 has changed over the two newer models.
For the model from 2021 (CFI-1100), the consumption when gaming is even higher than the original version of the PS5, averaging 229 watts per hour.
However, the latest revision has managed to significantly reduce power consumption and now consumes on average “only” 201 watts per game hour.
This new model (CFI-1200) is currently only available in Japan and Australia but is expected to be sold in Europe soon.
At least a small consolation for those who still haven’t been able to buy the PS5 and thus older models of the coveted console.
How much does electricity cost on average right now
How expensive is electricity these days? This fundamentally depends on a number of factors such as your location and provider. On average, the current electricity price, according to the comparison portal Verifox, is about 51 cents per kilowatt hour – and thus as high as never before in Germany (via verifix.de).
| Year | Electricity price per kWh |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 39.92 ct/kWh |
| 2021 | 30.73 ct/kWh |
| 2020 | 29.36 ct/kWh |
| 2019 | 29.51 ct/kWh |
| 2018 | 27.82 ct/kWh |
If we assume a worst-case scenario and take the maximum measured consumption of 220 watts on the PS5 with a next-gen title and calculate it with the weekly gaming time of 20 hours, it results in an electricity consumption of:
- daily: 0.63 kWh
- weekly: 4.40 kWh
- monthly: 17.56 kWh
- yearly: 228.23 kWh
This corresponds to costs of approximately:
- daily: €0.32
- weekly: €2.24
- monthly: €8.95
- yearly: €116.40
Conclusion
The sought-after console will not drive you into financial ruin if you play your 20 hours a week. Nevertheless, due to the current situation, it is certainly advisable to be a little more mindful with your screen time and to keep an eye on future electricity price developments.
Don’t have a PS5 yet? If you don’t have a PS5 yet, then be sure to check out our ticker. Here we keep you updated daily and explain how to get your hands on a PS5 and show you drops regarding the coveted console.
There are regularly PS5 offers at various retailers. If you keep an eye on our live ticker, the chances of not missing out on the popular console decrease.
