What is the PS5 Activities feature? A new console generation means new UI features to try out and wrap collective heads around, including the new Activities function of the PlayStation 5. The new Activities feature can be accessed via a tap of the PlayStation button on the DualSense controller, through the Control Center Cards at the bottom of the screen. Activities on the PS5 allow players to quickly access particular levels, challenges, and more.
What are PS5 Activities?
As revealed in the latest State of Play broadcast, the PS5 Activities feature is a new function of the PS5’s UI and a benefit of the console’s super-speed SSD architecture. Essentially, Activities allow players to quickly boot up sections of games from within the UI itself with a tap of the PlayStation button on the DualSense controller. It’s a new feature of the PS5 that should help players complete Trophy achievements and find areas of levels that they previously missed. It’s a feature that will be available on a number of backward-compatible PS4 games too, but definitely not these ones.
PS5 Activities let players quickly access full levels/sections of games from the Control Center. Cards will appear at the bottom of the screen when the PlayStation button is pressed on the DualSense controller. Players can scroll through these cards for individual levels, unlockables, and more while in-game. It is possible to put some Activity Cards in picture-in-picture mode, too.
The main PS5 Activity Cards on the Control Center are for game progress (the game a player is currently playing:
- Levels
- Information included in Levels Cards includes progress, how long it will take to complete, and objectives (potentially hidden unlockables)
- Small guides and videos available on some games with PS Plus for Objectives
- Some of these videos have picture-in-picture
Other Cards appear on the Control Center, too, however:
- Official News
- News for games a player is following
- Taken screenshots
- Trophy progress
- Individual Trophy progress (helping with the new Trophy rank rejig)
- Share Screen (friends playing games)
- Voice Chat and Parties
- Joinable online games
- Quickly join an online game with friends
It’s yet to be seen exactly how detailed the PS5 Activities experience will be, but, for now, it looks like early first-party games such as Sackboy: A Big Adventure will support Activities, at least.