How to Change the Theme on PS5 (And What You Can Actually Customize)
If you've landed here expecting a straightforward settings toggle to swap between themes on your PS5 the way you could on PS4, the honest answer is: Sony removed traditional theme support when it launched the PS5. But that doesn't mean you're stuck with a completely static experience. There's more flexibility than most people realize — it just works differently than you might expect.
What Happened to PS5 Themes?
On the PS4, Sony sold downloadable themes through the PlayStation Store. These let you completely overhaul the UI with custom backgrounds, icons, sounds, and color palettes. It was a popular feature.
When the PS5 launched in November 2020, Sony made a deliberate design decision to strip themes out of the new interface. The PS5's UI — called the Control Center — was rebuilt from scratch with a dynamic, game-integrated design. Sony's intent was that the console's visual identity would shift automatically based on what game you're playing, pulling in artwork and ambient visuals from that game's library.
So right now, there are no purchasable or downloadable themes for PS5 in the traditional sense.
What You Can Customize on PS5 🎮
While full themes are off the table, Sony has added several customization options over time through system updates:
Console Accent Colors
Navigate to Settings → Accessories → Controllers to change your DualSense's color mapping in menus (this is tied more to controller lighting than the UI, but it affects the overall visual feel).
Profile Avatars and Banner Cards
Your PSN profile has a card-style layout with a customizable avatar and background banner. You can change these through:
Settings → Account Management → Profile
Sony periodically adds new avatar sets and profile banners — some free, some tied to PlayStation Stars rewards.
Game Art as Dynamic Backgrounds
When you highlight a game on the home screen, the background automatically shifts to that game's key art and ambient visuals. This isn't a theme in the traditional sense, but it means your visual experience does change depending on which title is selected. Some games have more elaborate ambient animations than others.
Notification Badges and UI Layout
You can control which items appear in your Game Library, pin frequently used apps, and adjust the order of your home screen tiles. It's not visual theming, but it does let you shape how the interface feels to use.
How System Updates Have Changed Things
Sony has gradually rolled out UI updates since launch. Some of these have added minor visual tweaks or new customization options. The pattern suggests Sony is aware that users want more control — but as of the current system software, no theme system has been officially reintroduced.
There are a few things worth knowing:
- PlayStation Stars (Sony's loyalty program) offers cosmetic profile items that can add personality to your card
- Avatar packs tied to games or promotions appear periodically on the PlayStation Store, many at no cost
- 3D audio and UI sound settings can be adjusted under Accessibility, which changes how the system feels to interact with even if not visually
How This Compares to Other Platforms
| Feature | PS5 | PS4 | Xbox Series X/S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full downloadable themes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Dynamic game-based backgrounds | ✅ Yes | Limited | ✅ Yes |
| Profile card customization | ✅ Yes | Basic | ✅ Yes |
| UI color accent options | Limited | Limited | ✅ Yes (multiple) |
| Paid theme marketplace | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Xbox Series X/S takes a different approach, offering UI accent color selection and dynamic backgrounds tied to Game Pass titles — not a theme marketplace, but more direct color control than PS5 currently offers.
Why Sony Made This Call
Sony's reasoning, communicated at launch, was that the new PS5 UI is meant to be game-forward — pulling players directly into content rather than into a decorated dashboard. The dynamic backgrounds tied to game selection are the design language replacing static themes.
Whether that trade-off is worth it depends heavily on how you used themes on PS4. For players who just picked a theme once and forgot about it, the loss is minimal. For players who actively cycled through themes and used them as a form of expression, the gap is real and hasn't been fully filled yet.
Variables That Affect Your Experience
How limiting this feels depends on a few personal factors:
- How heavily you customized your PS4 — if themes were a big part of your routine, the PS5 will feel stripped back
- Which games you play — titles with rich ambient artwork (open-world games, narrative RPGs) produce more visually interesting dynamic backgrounds than smaller indie titles with simpler key art
- Whether you're active in PlayStation Stars — users who engage with the loyalty program have more profile cosmetic options available
- Your system software version — Sony has added features over time, so a console that hasn't been updated in a while will have fewer options than one running current firmware
The PS5's customization story is still being written. Sony has incrementally added options since launch, and what's available today isn't necessarily the ceiling. Whether what currently exists matches your expectations — or whether the absence of traditional themes is a dealbreaker — comes down to what you were hoping to do with your setup in the first place.