Can You Still Use the PS4 Web Browser in 2026? What Works, What Breaks and What Is Safe
The PlayStation 4 is a positively ancient console by the standards of modern tech, and yet it’s also still surprisingly capable in a range of contexts, including for browsing the web. So while gaming might be its primary use case, there are plenty of people who’ll still get online with their PS4 as a convenient livingroom-focused portal to the web. The question is, what’s the experience of browsing in 2026 actually like, and is there anything you need to be aware of before you go in all guns blazing?
What Works
The PS4’s browser uses a WebKit-based engine, so it has decent underpinnings that are still reliable enough for basic tasks, like accessing text-based pages and search engines. If you’re researching a topic on Wikipedia or visiting your favorite forum, you should be fine.
Even HTML5-powered functions should be relatively well-supported, so long as they’re not overly demanding. Visiting a news site that’s overloaded with video ads and popups, on the other hand, isn’t advised, as even if the content is still supported, it simply won’t be well optimized for the PS4’s browser.
What Doesn’t
If you’re hoping to stream video through the PS4’s browser, don’t hold out much hope. Sites like YouTube and Netflix have left its now-archaic architecture behind, and you’ll struggle to load anything. The good news is that there are still fully functional native apps for most major streaming services, so using these will get you the experience you need.
The same goes for sites that combine video streaming with interactive elements, like Canada live casino sites, which are best accessed via a desktop or laptop browser rather than Sony’s venerable console. Part of the problem here is that many modern sites have modern security protocol requirements that simply won’t be able to negotiate a connection with the PS4, or will have integrated apps that aren’t compatible, creating plenty of potential failure points.
What’s Safe
Because the PS4 runs on a sandboxed, BSD-based operating system rather than Windows or Android, standard PC viruses and malware cannot infect your console. That doesn’t mean the risks are zero, of course, and there are plenty of exploits and issues that malicious third parties could throw at you if you’re not careful. Similarly, the browser won’t stop you from visiting phishing sites designed to steal your data, so you have to keep your wits about you, as you do when browsing the web from any device.
Put simply, there’s still life in the PS4 as a web browsing machine, but it’s really only appropriate if you’re doing super lightweight tasks like reading text and searching. Anything more complex, from online gaming and video streaming to purchasing products via e-commerce sites, should be left to a more modern device and software setup.
Also, the safety of browsing on PS4 will change over time, as Sony will eventually discontinue support altogether, and security vulnerabilities will undoubtedly be found and exploited as a result. Keep your ear to the ground regarding this, rather than browsing heedlessly for the rest of your console ownership.