Sony is facing a legal and public relations nightmare as a group of PS5 Pro owners has filed a class-action lawsuit claiming their consoles violently “exploded” during extended play sessions of Astro Bot, the critically acclaimed 2025 Game of the Year. The allegations, which surfaced in court documents this week, paint a chilling picture: three plaintiffs from California, New York, and Illinois say their $699 PS5 Pro units overheated to catastrophic levels, spewing sparks, smoke, and, in one case, flames that torched a living room. The plaintiffs are seeking $50 million in damages, accusing Sony of negligence and false advertising over the console’s touted “enhanced cooling system.” As the story explodes across social media, gamers are left wondering if their next Astro Bot marathon could end in disaster.
The PS5 Pro, launched in late 2024, was marketed as a powerhouse upgrade to the base model, boasting 8K capabilities and a beefier GPU to handle the most demanding titles. Astro Bot, Team Asobi’s 3D platformer that swept the BAFTA Game Awards in March 2025, became its unofficial poster child, dazzling players with its charm and pushing the hardware with vibrant visuals and intricate physics. But according to the lawsuit, that push may have gone too far. Lead plaintiff Michael Torres of San Diego alleges he was 48 hours into a weekend binge—chasing the game’s elusive platinum trophy—when his PS5 Pro “started buzzing like a jet engine.” Moments later, he claims, it “shot sparks across the room and melted my carpet” before shutting down permanently. Photos circulating on X show a charred console and a singed Astro Bot disc, fueling the outrage.
The other plaintiffs tell similar tales. In New York, Emily Chen says her unit erupted in smoke during a late-night session, triggering her apartment’s fire alarm and forcing an evacuation. In Illinois, James Carter claims his PS5 Pro ignited a small fire that destroyed his entertainment center, with damages topping $3,000. “I thought Sony built this thing to last,” Carter told a local news outlet, holding up a warped controller. “Instead, it’s a ticking time bomb.” All three point to Astro Bot’s marathon-friendly design—endless collectibles and replayable levels—as the catalyst, alleging the game’s relentless demands exposed fatal flaws in the console’s thermal management.
Sony’s engineers had bragged about the PS5 Pro’s liquid-cooled architecture, promising it could handle “extended high-performance gaming” without breaking a sweat. But early adopters have long grumbled about loud fans and occasional shutdowns, issues dismissed by the company as “isolated.” Now, with the lawsuit gaining traction, those complaints are under a microscope. An independent tech analyst, speaking anonymously, suggested the PS5 Pro’s compact design might be to blame. “They crammed bleeding-edge tech into a sleek shell, but heat dissipation’s a beast,” he said. “A game like Astro Bot, running at max settings for days, could push it past the brink.” X posts from other owners reporting “near-misses”—consoles overheating but not exploding—are piling on the pressure.
The gaming community is split. Some die-hard Astro Bot fans defend Sony, arguing the plaintiffs abused their systems with reckless playtime. “48 hours straight? That’s on you, not the hardware,” one X user scoffed. Others see a scandal brewing. “Sony sold us a Ferrari that blows up if you drive it too long,” another wrote, sharing a meme of Astro fleeing a fireball. Animal lovers chimed in too, with one viral post demanding to know if any pets were harmed—a nod to a recent Call of Duty glitch rumor. Sony’s stock dipped 4% as the news spread, and #PS5ProFail trended for hours.
In a statement, Sony called the incidents “extremely rare” and vowed to investigate. “Player safety is our top priority, and we’re cooperating fully with affected customers,” it read, sidestepping the explosion claims. Legal experts predict a messy battle ahead, with discovery potentially exposing internal test data. For now, the plaintiffs want more than money—they’re demanding a recall. “No one should lose their home over a video game,” Torres said in a press conference, his voice firm.
As the case unfolds, PS5 Pro owners are eyeing their consoles warily. Astro Bot remains a masterpiece, but its legacy might now include a cautionary tale: play too long, and the real adventure could be a trip to court—or the fire department.
