With the recent release of the PPPwn exploit, which targets PS4s up to Firmware 11.00 included, a small (but growing) number of people still do not have access to a PS4 Jailbreak. Namely, people who are on firmwares 11.02 and 11.50 (and anything that might or might not come after that).
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TL,DR: buying a used PS4 running Firmware 11.00 or lower is your best bet. Exploits exist for Firmwares 11.02 and 11.50 (such as M4stic0re) but are limited in scope. Downgrading (Reverting) your PS4 to a lower firmware is possible depending on your situation but difficult and not recommended. A new Jailbreak for 11.02/11.50 is unlikely to come any time soon.
PS4 Jailbreak – The current status
The latest and greatest PS4 Jailbreak is the PPPwn exploit, released in May 2024, which targets Firmwares up to 11.00 included (depending on your current firmware you might prefer to use older exploits, see here for details). A lot of tools and homebrew games have been made available already for this exploit, including popular custom Firmware goldHEN. Firmware 11.00 is recent enough that it’s still fairly easy to get an exploitable console at a reasonable price (see below).
But there’s a growing number of people stuck on recent firmwares 11.02 and 11.50, wondering what’s coming for them.
There is no publicly known kernel exploit for firmwares 11.02 and above, let alone discussions of a release. the best option for you if you’re looking to Jailbreak your PS4, is to buy a PS4 running firmware 11.00 or lower, at this point (eBay is your friend). I used to recommend bundles that might ship with specific PS4 Firmware versions, but at this point in the console’s lifespan, you will have better luck buying a used PS4 11.00, than trying to get a new model, as those have been out of stock for some time now. I have a full article here on how to find an exploitable PS4 for a reasonable price.
To restate, the PPPwn exploit is so fresh that I personally doubt we’ll see anything for 11.02 or 11.50 in months, more likely in years if history is any indicator.
With that being said, for recent firmwares, the Mast1c0re Exploit is an exploit that leverages a bug in PS2 remakes (such as Okage: shadow King), and that runs on the PS4. In theory this works on all firmwares up to 11.50 included (the latest firmware for now), although at the time of writing, the official github only has ports up to 10.50. That exploit isn’t a Kernel exploit and doesn’t constitute a Jailbreak, but lets you run PS2 Iso and PS2 Homebrew on the PS4. Details here.
We understand though that the limitations of Mast1c0re can be frustrating for those of you running firmwares 11.02/11.50 or above, and expecting a full fledged Jailbreak. For those of you who are stuck with a higher firmware and for some reason cannot buy a 11.00 PS4, there are two important rules you’ll need to follow: 1) patience, and 2) do not update your PS4.
What about PS4 11.02/11.50 Downgrade? (Firmware revert)
It is possible, but difficult, to revert a PS4 from its current firmware to the Firmware that was previously installed on it. This is a backup measure baked into the PS4 System, designed to revert to the previous firmware if an upgrade messes something up during installation. This means that if you’re on 11.02, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be able to to go back to 11.00 or lower. If you’re on 11.50 however, it basically depends if you installed 11.02 in between 11.00 and 11.50.
Such a revert process however is not for the faint of heart, and requires some hardware and soldering skills. As I’ve said before, unless you’re intrigued by the learning opportunity here, it will be cheaper to buy an exploitable console (see above). Nonetheless, if you’re interested, some details on this revert process can be found here. (Note: Revert of the PS4 to any other firmware is also possible if you’ve got the appropriate backup – acquiring that backup involves soldering – , but let’s just say that if you had such a backup in your possession, you wouldn’t be reading this article).
PS4 11.02/11.50 Jailbreak? Patience
Patience is key if you’re waiting for a PS4 Jailbreak. As I’ve mentioned before, the average time between two jailbreaks has been around 9 months. But it has been as low as 4 months, and as high as 2+ years in the past. The time between the 9.00 and 11.00 Jailbreaks was 2 years and a half! And there’s nothing guaranteeing this limit won’t be breached.
Without any significant news on the exploit front, nobody can really predict how long it’s going to take until the next one.
To “Jailbreak” a PS4, we typically need two exploits: First, a “usermode” exploit, which is an entry point to run unsigned code through data that you have control of, as a PS4 user. Second, a privilege escalation exploit, also known as kernel exploit, which gives you greater control of the device, allowing things such as Homebrew ENablers, or “in-RAM” Custom firmwares. (Notably, the PPPwn exploit for 11.00 went straight to the kernel exploit, but that is considered an exception)
PS4 11.02/11.50 Jailbreak status
Usermode exploit – Yellow
The good news for users stuck on higher firmwares is that we still know about at least one user exploit for these firmwares:
On all firmwares up to 11.50 included, the Mast1c0re exploit could be a very good entry point for future hacks. One big limitation though is that it requires you to have purchased the Okage Shadow King PS2 game through the PSN. In order to do so, you need to be on the latest firmware at the time you want to purchase, so it’s tricky to advise whether you should update or not. This is particularly true since it appears that the exploit hasn’t been ported beyond firmware 10.50 yet, to the best of my knowledge.
Kernel exploit – Red
There is no ongoing discussion on the scene about a “new” kernel exploit, for any firmware. None of the reputable hackers has shared a “hint” of anything that would be kept under wraps at the moment. Which doesn’t mean there isn’t anything happening under the hood, but certainly indicates that people should be patient.
In general, the hackers collectively try to “time” their releases in a way that they do not feel wasteful. This often means they will wait until a specific firmware patches the exploit, before releasing the exploit.
Waiting for a PS4 Jailbreak? Do not update
Unless a hardware vulnerability is found on the PS4, the PS4 Jailbreak world is going to remain a cat-and-mouse game between Sony and hackers. Kernel exploits will get patched as soon as they are released (and nowadays even before they are released), which means if you keep your PS4 up to date to the latest firmware, you’re pretty much guaranteed you’ll never be able to Jailbreak your console.
Keeping your PS4 on as low a firmware as you can is pretty much a prerequisite if you want a Jailbreak. It has several drawbacks such as the impossibility to access any online services on the device, including playing online. But it’s a choice.
Conclusion – PS4 11.50 Jailbreak ETA Wen?
Firmwares up to 11.50 remain vulnerable to one usermode vulnerability: the Mast1c0re exploit.
I personally have low hopes that we’ll see anything on the kernel side for 11.50 in a very long time.
Specifically, no kernel exploit is publicly being talked about (let alone discussions of a release) at the time of this writing, so the probability for a new PS4 Jailbreak “soon” is extremely low. People on these firmwares should expect to wait multiple months, or buy a second-hand 11.00 PS4.
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