This One Particular Cutscene In Final Fantasy 16 Is Causing Overheating Issues On The PS5

Final Fantasy 16 is bringing quite the heat to PlayStation 5 players, but not in the way one would usually expect. As per various reports surfacing on social media platforms, such as Reddit and Twitter, it appears that many aspiring players are currently suffering a console overheating issue, no thanks to the game shutting down the PlayStation 5 during a particular cutscene. The situation is dire and certainly a cause for concern.

To find out what cutscene is causing things to escalate in this manner, check out the following post on Reddit. Please be advised that spoiler territory begins from here on out. Proceed at your own risk. 

PS5 force shutting down without an overheating warning
by u/Common_Judgment_9781 in FinalFantasy

Now, it bears noticing that the game isn’t crashing without a precursor set in motion. According to the folks who are currently trying their luck in Final Fantasy 16, those who are utilizing the “Quality mode” to play the title at heightened resolutions are likely to experience crashing on their end. The “Performance” mode, on the other hand, is a different story, prioritizing sheer gameplay over other metrics bar none. 

Same scene, still waiting for a statement from Square regarding the overheating issues. I bought a new PS5 but I still haven't had the courage to test the game on the new device. I think I'm traumatized. https://t.co/mptWEDQhan

— Alisson Pinho (@AlissonPinho_) June 29, 2023

The Reddit post’s OP dug a little deeper into the problem and discovered the following, 

I replayed this part of the game. Only in this cutscene (Knight of the Lasting Dark) is where the system fan goes overboard. Although I didn’t get a shutdown or warning this time, the PS5 would stress itself at this moment of the game for a couple seconds. If I play long enough, I could replicate the crashing but based on how loud the fan was blowing, it basically confirms that when this cutscene plays, it can cause problems. It’s weird.”  

At this point, it’s likely that players who couldn’t come across this irksome bother had the “Performance mode” toggled on, thereby effectively preventing their PlayStation 5 consoles from turning into a pit of molten lava. However, as per GamesRadar, this isn’t entirely accurate. The people over at the site experienced Final Fantasy 16 crashing with the “Performance mode,” so the latter’s counterpart isn’t the one to put the whole blame on.

Another plausible reason that your PlayStation 5 could bring overheating issues to its forefront pertains to more of a general scenario rather than a game-specific one. Players with relatively cleaner consoles that comprise little to no internal dust are less prone to seeing their PS5 crash. Again, this is not definitive and varies from console to console. In any case, you should certainly strive to keep your device as much dust-free as possible.  

The game is very demanding but my PS5 is normally quiet as well. People have reported that they received an overheating warning prompt when playing FFXVI though it’s a low percentage of reports. It depends how well maintained people treat their PS5. Mine is decently clean too. I’m just reporting on an odd behavior I’ve never seen before. That’s all,” wrote the original poster of the Reddit thread.  

Square Enix—both the developer and publisher of Final Fantasy 16—is yet to comment on the situation but is expected to release a statement acknowledging the problem many of the title’s enjoyers are presently facing. In other news, the latest iteration in the Final Fantasy franchise has had quite the hype to its name prior to its global launch.

The combat director of the game has stated in the past that the title is his “personal masterpiece,” not to mention the RPG’s producer saying that Final Fantasy 16 is like a “playable Hollywood blockbuster movie.” Have you tried the game out yet? Let us know in the comments below what you think of it so far.