Returnal Studio Recommends Turning Off PS5 Auto-Updates Before Patch

Returnal is getting its first big patch tomorrow, May 5. But ahead of that happening, developer Housemarque is warning players to turn off auto-update, one of the PS5's convenience features, so they don't lose progress. The patch is scheduled to go live at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET.

The studio issued the warning in a tweet, telling players to turn off the feature and linking to a Sony support page for the how-to. It makes sense. If your PS5 is in suspend mode when the update goes live, it will automatically quit the game to apply the patch. If you were mid-run when that happened, that progress will be lost.

To turn off auto-updates, you can go to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Automatic Updates. There you can toggle auto-download and auto-install when the console is in Rest Mode.

Rest Mode is one way that Returnal players can take a break from a run, since the game doesn't allow mid-run saves. That has led to some fans requesting the studio patch in a save feature, though some have argued that's contrary to the point of the game. Either way, losing progress could seriously slow you down, and the game is pretty long anyway.

Returnal has gotten a warm reception from critics, including in GameSpot's own 9/10 Returnal review. It's notoriously a challenge, so if you need a hand, be sure to check out our essential beginner guide, guide to every boss fight, and one key piece of info the game doesn't explain.