Here are some important-to-know things, as well as questions that tend to be asked.
What does jailbreaking the PS3 allow me to do
- Use various homebrew (i.e. unofficial) apps and games.
- Play game backups and create backups of your discs.
- Play games from the internal HDD, external USB drive or network server, avoiding wearing down the optical drive.
- Backup store downloads, so you don't lose access even the store eventually shuts down.
- Backup saved games, including protected saves.
- Use emulators (e.g. RetroArch) to play retro games.
- Play PS2 games on models not officially backwards compatible with it (some games may experience issues though).
- Use game mods and cheats.
- Access the QA / debug menu on XMB.
- Make your console region-free for PS1 and PS2 games.
- Freely change the region for DVD and Blu-Ray movies, effectively making it region-free as well.
- Take better control of the system fans, reducing the risk of overheating and the dreaded yellow light of death (YLOD).
- Dump encryption keys, allowing you to decrypt the internal HDD on your computer and read it even if the console dies (CFW required).
- Overclock your PS3 for better game performance (CFW only; note that this increases the risk of overheating and YLOD).
- Downgrade your firmware (CFW required).
- Install Linux on your PS3, even if you have updated your firmware to a version that no longer officially supports it (CFW required).
- Develop your own homebrew (CFW required).
- Definitely more things that I forgot.
Are there any downsides to jailbreaking the PS3?
The only serious downside of jailbreaking is that if you're caught using a modded console on PSN you can be completely banned from PSN, and that means both the hardware is blacklisted and the account is closed.
There are certain safety guidelines that reduce this risk to a minimum, but it is still wise to use an alt account when playing on a modded PS3, especially if your main account also has a PS4 or a PS5.
Note that if you generally play single player games then it is perfectly safe - you cannot be detected or banned when you're not signed-in to PSN, even if you are connected to the Internet.
Which types of jailbreaks are available for the PS3?
Generally there are two ways to jailbreak the PS3, and you will hear those terms very often.
- Custom Firmware (CFW) - Firmware that has been modified to allow all of the things listed above. It replaces the official Sony firmware, is completely untethered and has unlimited access to the PS3 resources. It is considered superior to HEN (see description below) but it has a downside of not being supported on all PS3 models.
- Homebrew Enabler (HEN) - A partial jailbreak that allows most, but not all, of the listed above. It is partially tethered, meaning that you need to run it after each reboot, but running it is done simply by clicking an option in XMB so this is pretty easy. Unlike CFW, HEN is supported on all PS3 models, no exception.
What is the maximum firmware version that supports jailbreaking?
As of the time of writing this, all versions are exploitable. This is very unlikely to change in the future, both because the PS3 is too old for Sony to seriously invest time in, and because some of the vulnerabilities simply cannot be patched without replacing hardware components.
Which CFWs are available?
There used to be many groups that developed CFWs for the PS3. The most notable was team Rebug, but as the past tense suggests, most are no longer active.
The only CFW that is maintained and updated to this day is Evilnat. The latest version includes pretty much all the features that all previous CFWs ever had, so it's the most recommended method.
How can I tell whether my model is CFW compatible?
- If you have an original, fat model, then it is definitely compatible. All fat models support CFW.
- If you have a super-slim model, then it is definitely not compatible.
- If you have a slim model, it may or may not be compatible.
- One easy way of checking whether a slim unit is compatible is by checking the exact model number. It is located on a sticker on the back of the unit. It begins with the letters CECH, followed by a four digit number. The two first digits are the model number (the last two are the region code). If the first two digits are 20 or 21, then your PS3 is compatible. If they are 30, then it is not. Finally, if they are 25, then unfortunately you cannot know whether it is compatible just by looking at it (some the compatibility European units can somewhat be determined by the manufacturing date code but this is not 100% reliable).
- The easiest way of determining whether a 25xx unit is compatible is to just try to run the CFW installer (known as bgtoolset). The tool checks for the compatibility and notifies you before it does any changes to the system, so this is perfectly safe, even if the unit is not compatible.
So, how to I jailbreak my system?
- MrMario2011 makes excellent video guides on YouTube explaining how to do this step by step. Make sure you follow his guide to the letter if you don't want to risk bricking your PS3.
- First of all - If you have a unit that you haven't used for a while and it still happens to be on firmware version 3.55 or below, then you don't need to use hacks at all! Just download the latest CFW, put it on a USB disk and update from removable media like you would with official updates. If your current firmware version is 3.56 or above, you will need to use one of the following guides:
- Use this guide to install CFW on compatible models: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suM4dUAYUPE
- Use this guide to install HEN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGS_Ryx_7r8
- Note that you should make sure you have a genuine OEM PS3 controller at hand, in case you need to use recovery mode. 3rd party controllers will usually not work in recovery mode, and neither will PS4 and PS5 controllers.
How safe is it to jailbreak the system?
- Assuming you follow the video guide to the letter, it is very safe. The only brick risk is if you are unlucky enough to lose power at the exact moment where the firmware is being patched, so don't do it during a thunderstorm.
How do I revert back to an unmodded state?
- Simply download the official firmware (OFW) from Sony's website, put it on a USB disk and flash it twice.
- You will need to enter recovery mode to flash it the second time, so make sure you have a genuine OEM PS3 controller for that (see the note in the previous question).
- If you want to remove any trace of your console ever having been jailbroken you may also want to factory reset your console by reformatting the HDD. If you wish to do this you should flash OFW once, reformat the HDD, then flash OFW again.
- If you think you might ever want to switch back to CFW then you might want to consider using Dual Boot (DB) firmware instead. It is identical to OFW except that it allows the installation of CFW without having to go through the entire jailbreaking process again. DB unfortunately can only be installed on CFW compatible models.
- Note that if you have been banned from PSN for using hacks, reverting to OFW will not unban you.
The firmware file is not being recognized by the PS3.
- First of all, check if the USB disk is recognized by the PS3. If it is recognized, it should show up in the photos / music / videos tabs in XMB.
- If it does not show up:
- It might be formatted using a file system other than FAT32, which is the only file system natively supported by the PS3. This can be easily checked in Windows by right clicking the drive in the file explorer (This PC window) and selecting properties. The file system will be clearly indicated in the window that pops up.
- If the file system is not FAT32 you will need to reformat it to convert it to FAT32. Unfortunately Windows will not natively allow you to format disks larger than 32GB to FAT32, but there are third party tools that will allow you to do that. I recommend a small tool called Rufus. Note that reformatting the drive will erase all data on it, so make sure you backup any important data before proceeding.
- If it is FAT32 but still not recognized, it might be using the GPT partitioning scheme. The PS3 only supports the older MBR scheme. You can use Rufus to convert it (this will require reformatting and therefore will erase all data on the disk, so make sure you have backups).
- Finally, I've encountered some disks that would simply not work. Try another USB disk.
- If it does show up but the firmware is not recognized:
- Make sure the file is located and named properly. The root of the disk should have a folder named "PS3". Inside that folder there should be another folder named "UPDATE" and inside it should be the firmware file, named "PS3UPDAT.PUP".
- Make sure both the folder names and the file name are in all caps. In the case of the PS3, file names are case sensitive.
- Make sure you haven't misspelled the file name. It should be named "PS3UPDAT.PUP" and not "PS3UPDATE.PUP".
- If it still doesn't work, try installing it from recovery mode.
What should I do after jailbreaking?
- First of all, you would want to install a couple of useful homebrew tools.
- The first is called webMAN MOD. It is a plugin that runs in the background and allows you to perform actions remotely from your PC or phone using a browser. It also includes the dynamic fan control feature, which will help prevent the system from overheating (note that this is no replacement for proper maintenance).
- You will also want to install multiMAN or its successor IrisMan. While webMAN MOD will allow you to play game backups from the HDD, these tools are required to create those backups from the original discs. They also feature file managers, allowing easy access to the internal HDD.
- Other tools, games and emulators can be found at the homebrew store Brewology: https://store.brewology.com/
- If you use CFW, dump the ERK, copy it to a USB disk using multiMAN or IrisMan and keep it in a safe location. If your PS3 ever dies, this will allow you to decrypt and read the internal HDD on your PC.
- It is also recommended to dump and keep a copy of the IDPS and PSID (the unique ID numbers of the unit).
- On the latest Evilnat CFW versions, dumping those can be done from the CFW tools menu, which is located in the network tab of XMB.
- If you have any digital games downloaded from the PS3 store you will probably want to create a backup, which is done simply by copying the game files. You can use IrisMan to copy them to an exFAT formatted USB disk or webMAN MOD to pull them directly to your PC through the network using FTP. You will then need to use the CFW tools menu or a small utility called Apollo to export the game license files. This will allow you to reinstall the games even if the store is no longer available (note that reinstalling from the store is still the best option while it is still around).
- If you use CFW, you will want to enable the QA flag of the console. This will allow you to downgrade the firmware version should you ever wish to do so, and will also give you access to the debug / testing menu in XMB. There are no downsides so it's generally recommended to just keep it on. Unfortunately it is not possible to turn on the flag on HEN, which means that models not compatible with CFW cannot be downgraded. Fortunately, as of the time of writing this, the latest version (4.90) does not contain any undesired changes that would make you want to downgrade.
Can I still use PSN after jailbreaking?
- The answer is a cautious yes. It is possible to use PSN, but if Sony catches you using a modded console on PSN they might ban you.
- A ban means both the console is blacklisted, meaning that it can no longer access PSN, using any account, even if reverted back to OFW, and the account is completely closed, meaning it cannot be used on any console anymore, including PS4 and PS5.
- It is therefore extremely recommended to avoid using your main PSN account on modded consoles. Create a secondary account for that purpose.
- Still, by following the following safety precautions you can make your PSN experience relatively safe.
- Disable CFW syscalls before signing in to PSN. This will prevent certain homebrew software from running, but will make the CFW significantly more difficult to detect. On Evilnat this can be done through the CFW tools menu. If you have webMAN MOD installed you can do this by pressing R2+Triangle on your controller. Restoring syscalls is done by rebooting the PS3.
- The HEN equivalent is to reboot your console and not enable HEN at all.
- Disable automatic login to PSN, so you don't end up signed in to PSN without even realizing it.
- Don't cheat or use game mods online. The vast majority of people who get banned from PSN are banned for cheating. It should be a no brainer that cheating online is basically asking to get banned.
- Don't sync fake trophies. This is another common reason for people getting banned. Basically there are certain homebrew tools that allow you to just give yourself trophies without properly obtaining them through gameplay. Seriously, don't use those, and if you do then never sync trophies. Sony has heuristic methods on the server side allowing it to detect fake trophies and you will get banned for that. Since we don't know the exact algorithms running on PSN's servers we can't know whether a specific fake trophy will trigger a ban or not. Better just not risk it.
- Don't play pirated games online, especially not digital games.
- There are certain games that are notorious for scanning the console for any files related to homebrew and reporting to PSN if found, leading to bans. The most known case is CoD BO2/3 and all later games in the series. Other known examples include Destiny and GTA V (the latter is no longer playable online on PS3 so it doesn't matter anymore). There are certain anti-ban patches but they don't always work and are not always publicly available for free. Using DB firmware (see explanation above) is safe but since you have to reformat the HDD to remove all traces of homebrew it's not a viable alternative. Better just give up on those or keep a second, unmodded console for PSN.
- PSN generally requires you to be on the latest firmware version to sign in. Certain homebrew tools will allow you to spoof the reported firmware version and sign in on lower firmware. As of the time of writing this, there is absolutely no reason to do this, though. The latest CFW - Evilnat 4.90, is based on the latest official firmware, and will allow you to sign in without spoofing the version. As long as Evilnat is around and keeps porting his firmware to new OFW versions as they show up (usually takes him a few weeks at most) it's better to just wait when a new OFW is released until Evilnat's port is released. Version spoofs are just one more thing that can potentially be detected and lead to a ban (even if not very likely).
- Certain utilities will also allow you to spoof your IDPS - That's the identifier sent to PSN that uniquely identifies your unit. This is the only method to get back online on a console that has been previously banned. Unfortunately, obtaining a valid IDPS is difficult, as they can only be obtained from existing units. Usually they're pulled from dead units using hardware tools. They are not posted online, because if they were, many people would be using them at the same time, leading to them getting banned within minutes. You can find people selling them on eBay sometimes but not all sellers are reliable. Some sellers have been caught selling the same IDPS number to multiple people, leading it to be banned pretty quickly. Better look at reviews before buying.
