Sony's PlayStation console is now in its fifth generation, and during the past 30 years, we've seen 3D gaming evolve into offering unprecedented levels of realism, online connectivity become the norm and digital downloads dominate the sales charts.
One thing that hasn't improved all that much is boot time—and by that, we mean the time it takes for your PlayStation console to boot up from a cold start.
On one hand, this is understandable—modern-day consoles are doing so much more behind the scenes than their decades-old counterparts, so it stands to reason that they might need a little longer to warm up—plus they offer 'sleep' modes which allow them to boot pretty quickly, getting you into the game as fast as possible.
Even so, it's amazing to note that the PS2—Sony's second PlayStation, which launched all the way back in 2000—comes out on top when it comes to how rapidly it can be switched on. It boots in a rapid 11.05 seconds.
Next up, amazingly, is the original PlayStation, which boots in 11.13 seconds. Not bad at all in the context of 2025, but it's amusing to recall that, for a generation raised on instant-loading cartridges, this will have felt a long time back in 1995.
Next is the PS5, which is ready to play in 20 seconds from start-up. It is followed by the PS4 Pro, which takes a little longer to boot at 20.24 seconds.
At the back of the pack, we have the standard PS4 (22.24 seconds) and the PS3 (25.07 seconds).