The short version
- A jailbreak gets around a console's security so it runs code the maker didn't approve, like homebrew apps, mods or emulators.
- Most start with a userland bug inside one app or game, then move to the kernel, the core of the system software, for full control. Newer consoles add a hypervisor on top.
- A tethered hack has to be redone after every restart. Custom firmware that loads at boot is the end goal.
- Software bugs can be patched with an update. A bug in the console's boot chip usually can't, which is why the original Switch stayed hackable for good.
Why this is in the news
Both big consoles had jailbreak news in October. A developer called Gezine showed kernel access on PS5 firmware 14.10, the version Sony made mandatory for PSN, as covered in our PS5 firmware post. Then, on October 22, Kotaku and others reported the first software-only Switch 2 jailbreak, which lets people mod games and run homebrew without opening the console.
Both stories use the same jargon, so here's what it means.
Image: Zerocade
The layers
Picture a set of locked doors, one inside the other.
Userland is the outer one. It's where games and apps run, with limited permissions. A userland exploit is a bug in one program that lets someone run their own code inside it. Web browsers are a favourite target, because they handle complicated input from the internet. The PS5's Relapse jailbreak starts with a browser bug. The Switch 2 hack reportedly starts in SmileBASIC 4, a programming app for the original Switch that still runs on the Switch 2 through backwards compatibility.
The kernel is the next door. It controls memory, hardware access and which code is allowed to run. Get in here and the hacker can switch off many of the system's own checks.
The hypervisor sits above the kernel on modern consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series. It watches the kernel itself and protects the most sensitive parts, like the keys that decrypt games. That's why kernel access alone often isn't enough to dump or pirate games. Sony's firmware 14.00 shut down Byepervisor, a popular hypervisor bypass.
Boot is the innermost door: the code that runs first when you press power, often burned into the chip.
Image: Zerocade
Tethered vs custom firmware
A tethered jailbreak doesn't survive a restart. You run the exploit again each time you turn the console on, often by opening the same app or web page. Both the PS5 and Switch 2 hacks currently work like this.
Custom firmware, or CFW, is a modified system that loads every time the console starts. That usually needs a bug at the boot stage, or a modchip soldered to the board, which is why it's rarer and why Kotaku called Switch 2 CFW "a ways off".
Why some hacks are permanent
Software bugs can be fixed with a system update. That's why Sony and Nintendo push updates fast and make online play depend on them. Since October 15, PS5s reportedly can't sign in to PSN without firmware 14.10. GTA 6 is also reported to need it, which gives players a big reason to update.
Bugs in the boot chip are different. The original Switch is the famous example. In 2018, a flaw was found in the boot ROM of its Nvidia Tegra X1 chip. Code burned into the chip can't be changed with an update, so early Switch units stayed hackable for good. Nintendo could only fix it in newer hardware, which is why hackers still check a Switch's serial number before buying one.
AI is speeding things up
Hacking has sped up in 2026. Reports on the Switch 2 jailbreak say AI coding tools helped with the slow work of reverse engineering. Console makers are using the same tools on defence, so expect faster patches too.
What's at stake for players
Homebrew is legal in a lot of places, but jailbreaks also open the door to piracy, and that's what console makers fight. Our emulation legality guide covers where those lines sit. A modified console risks:
- An online ban, sometimes on the whole console, not just the account
- A lost warranty, which matters on a ₹50,000-plus console
- A bricked system if an exploit or update goes wrong
- Being stuck on old firmware, which can lock you out of new games
Jailbroken consoles can do surprising things, like running some Steam games on a PS5. But for most players, staying on the latest firmware is the safer choice.
The next thing to watch is Nintendo's response. Pulling SmileBASIC 4 from the eShop, or a firmware update, would be the usual first moves.
