The PlayStation 4 is developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. This is a device that acts as a game console. Many professional gamers buy this to play games in the most realistic environment and best quality. This version of the PlayStation was improved by adding many new features such as Remote Play whose main function is improving and increasing social interactions among the users.

Other great features of the PS4 include the advanced hand console which had better buttons, joysticks and integrated touchpad in the console. The PS4 is also known to be compatible with 4K resolution multimedia monitors.

Despite these amazing features and smooth functioning of the PS4, some users faced some issues with its working as well. One of the main issues PS4 had to face was the Lagging and slow functioning.

Ways to Know the PS4 is Lagging

If you are a new user or gamer and have brought your first PS4, then there might come a time when you don’t even realize that the problem that is disturbing your game so much is lagging. In such cases, following are some of the points you can notice which give definite proof that the PS4 is running slow.

• Normal at the Beginning but Lags Later

This is one of the unexpected situations that a player has to face. In this case, he has loaded and is playing the game normally with no issues whatsoever. However, in the middle of the game all of a sudden the game starts giving problems such as the console not working the way it is supposed to, the game being stuck in the middle or the response time being slow. This means that the issue is due to lagging.

• Installing Game Data and Files Takes Longer than Expected

 There are some times when you install a new game, load the data or copy the files and it takes a lot of time. However, the reason might not always be PS4 lagging, there might be other reasons. In such cases, investigating the real reason properly or taking the PS4 to a technician might be a good option.

• Loading Process is Slow

If after opening the game, the loading or the booting process is taking forever, some people might think that there is an issue with the game itself but it is not true. Slow loading process is one of the sure signs that the issue arising is with PS4 as it is lagging and slowing down.

• PS4 Lags Only During Playing Games

In some cases, the gamer might be playing the game normally but while playing the game, the game starts lagging and causes issues. If the game you’re playing is online and such an issue arises, then the issue might be with the internet connection. However, if the same issue is coming during both online and offline state, then it is a sign that the PS4 has some issues that need to be fixed.

Main Reasons of PS4 Lagging

Knowing that your PS4 is lagging is entirely different from knowing the reason why your PS4 is lagging. Some of the main reasons why PS4 might slow down are given as below.

• Malfunctioning PS4 Equipment

There are many kinds of equipment other than the internal and external hard drives that help in the smooth running of the PS4. If the lagging occurs, then you should check your equipment such as motherboard, RAM or CPU to see if there are any issues. These issues can only be solved by an experienced technician. If there is no issue in these equipment, then you can check the hard drive.

• Malfunctioning External Storage Device

Sometimes, rather than using the internal hard drive, players add an external hard drive that helps in storing the extra media files, screenshots and downloaded files. You can also use the external drive for processing the game as well, if the internal hard drive is not fulfilling your requirements. If the issues with the game arise while you are playing through the external drive, it means that the problem lies there. Completely formatting the drive or changing the hard drive can be an efficient solution for this issue.

• Installation Problems with the PS4 System

Sometimes the issue with the PS4 lagging may be that the system software installation has caused some issues. The issues involve poor internet connection during installation or issue with the PS4 hardware. The corrupted data results in the PS4 slowing down and lagging down. You might want to reinstall the system software to fix this issue.

• No Space in PS4 Hard Drive

when you continue to save games, downloaded files, media files, screenshots etc., in your PS4, it fills up the hard drive. Other than this, the temporary and boot files and updates also take up space in the hard drive. It has been estimated that if the hard drive is full up to 95 percent, the speed of the PS4 decreases to almost half its original speed. This is because there is no space that would save the boot files. In such cases, the game doesn’t run properly and becomes slow.

• Installation Problems with the Game

There are some times when the game is actually the problem. It may be corrupted or is not compatible with the PS4. There also might have been some issues during installation or update. This causes lagging during the game. In such cases, reinstalling the game is the best option.

• Malfunctioning Internal Hard Drive

this is one of the most common reasons for the PS4 lagging and slowing down. The internal hard drive is one of the main components of PS4 since all the data that is received from the CPU is stored and processed here. So if any issue comes with the hard drive, it affects the speed of PS4 and causes slowing down and lagging issues.

• Issues with Internet Connection

this is one of the more common and simple reasons for the PS4 lagging. If the issue of the games freezing and slowing down is occurring only with online games, then you should check your internet connection. Mostly the slow speed is the cause of that.

How to Fix the Lagging Issue in PS4

The lagging issue may be an irritating experience for gamers but that doesn’t mean that you always have to send your PS4 to the technician for repairs. There are some solutions that you can try at home before taking the drastic step. Some of the common and easy ones are as follows.

Restarting the System: the first thing that you can try in restarting the PS4 system. For this you can

• Go to the CPU settings and uncheck the PS4 connection option.
• Shutdown the system and unplug the PS4.
• Wait for a few minutes, then replug the PS4 and restart the system.
• In many cases, this refreshes the system and solves the issue of lagging easily. Booting the system mostly does the trick.

Clearing up Disk Space: While playing games, you save a lot of media files on the drive. There is also cache or temporary data present for easily loading the games. This might cause the disk space to be filled up. In such cases, deleting some of the cache files is the best option. For this,

• Go to Settings and then select the System Storage Management option.
• It will show you many options such as Themes, Application Saved Data, Capture Gallery and Application.
• You can select the one from where to delete the content and click on Delete.
• Restart the system and the issue would have been resolved.

Examining the Internal and External Hard Drive: Mostly the issue arises due to issues with the hard drive. To check if the hard drive is damaged or connected properly, you should first securely remove the hard drive.

• Completely shut down the PS4 and disconnect it from the console.
• Remove the hard drive and check if it is securely attached with the motherboard.
• Restart the PS4 and run again.
• If the issue persists, try using another hard drive. That might solve the issue.

Reconstruction of the Database: When you keep on storing data in the database, the database might become corrupted. In such cases, reconstructing the database is the best option. For reconstructing,

• Shut down the PS4 and then restart it in Safe Mode.
• Select the Rebuild Database option which will fill the data in a new database and your issue will be resolved.

Reconnection with the Internet: Lagging during online games is mostly because of poor internet connection. For this you can.

• Move closer to the router.
• Try reconnecting with the internet.
• Use wired connection.

Updating the PS4 System: sometimes using an older version of the software also causes the system to lag. To update the system software,

• Get a USB with 400MB space and create a folder called Update.
• Download the update from the official site of PlayStation and copy it there.
• Shutdown the PS4 and restart it in Safe Mode.
• From there, select the Update System Software option. After a few steps, the software would be updated and the issue would be resolved.

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