January 5, 2024 Steve Porter

PS4 & PS5 Console Roach Infested Problems

Cockroaches in PS4

Back in 2014 when we were first getting started in the console repair business we found that many people were having problems with cockroaches getting into their game machines. As you probably already know, Sony will not warranty any consoles that have any type of bugs or insects in them. If you send your PS4 or PS5 in for a Sony warranty repair they will simply send it right back to you and tell you that they won't fix it since it has insects in it. There aren't many repair shops that will fix insect infested consoles either so often the only option is to try to fix it yourself.

With it being so difficult to find someone to clean or repair an insect infested console, it's important to understand why consoles get infested in the first place and what you can do to keep your console from getting infested.

Main Problems Insects Cause In Game Consoles

The main problem that cockroaches, ants, spiders, etc. cause is that they get into the consoles and start living there. They eat, sleep and leave feces all throughout the system. All this makes a mess inside of the console and can also make it smell bad when the console is on and the fan is blowing.

But the more concerning issue is that, at some point after they move in, they will likely crawl around on some of the circuitry inside the console and cause two points to connect that are not meant to connect. This causes power to go through that connection and blow out components and circuits along that path.

We've seen this problem happen most often in game console power supplies, usually breaking the power supply and then the game console won't start up any more. Damage can also happen on the mother board or other circuit boards and then you will notice other things not working. It will just depend on what has been damaged.

Once vital components have been damaged, the damaged component(s) must be repaired or replaced for the console to work correctly again, or at all.

Why Cockroaches Love Living in Game Consoles

Cockroach Infested PS4

Cockroaches and other insects love game consoles because they are dark and warm. PlayStation and Xbox consoles are the perfect homes for insects because they provide warmth and shelter. And if there is a good food supply not too far away from the game console, it's basically the ideal set up for them. Because game consoles are such great homes for cockroaches and other insects they can create colonies that grow quite large.

How to Keep Roaches and Other Insects Out of Your Game Consoles

Keep Them Out of Your Home. The best way to stop or prevent this problem is to keep your home or apartment pest free in the first place. Because if your home has problematic insects like roaches and ants in it, they will likely find your electronics.
Keep Them Out of Your Console. Sometimes it's not possible to keep your home pest free, especially if you live in an area with large populations of troublesome insects present pretty much everywhere. If that's the case, the next best way to prevent problems is to protect your console specifically. Basically this means that when you're not actively playing your console you turn it off, unplug the cables, and place the console in a sealed plastic container.
Keep Your Console Higher Up. If you can't keep your console in a sealed, plastic container when not in use, another option is to keep your console up off the ground. This is not as effective as keeping it in a container because most problem insects can climb so, even with your console up off the ground, they will still find it and try to move in. However, keeping it up higher should help keep your console cleaner in general and slow down insect problems.

Resources for Cleaning Your Consoles

If you haven't been able to keep roaches and other pests from moving into your game console, the next thing to do is to clean them out. This is also super important to do if you're planning to move so you don't move the pests with you.

Below are our cleaning videos for the various game consoles that are most bothered by pest infestations.

PlayStation Consoles

Xbox Consoles

About the Author

Jessica Porter Pic of Jessica Porter is a digital strategist, video editor, and writer for TronicsFix who uses her love of all things internet to spread more information about fixing electronics. In her off time you will find her enjoying time with her family, exploring various hobbies, and getting plenty of screen time.