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Why is my PS4 game not working?
If you get an unrecognized disc error, make sure it is actually a game for the PS4.
It is a PlayStation 4 game.
If you get unrecognized disc or no disc inserted, check to see if it is really scratched up.
That would be obvious if that was what was wrong.
See how dirty the disc is with finger prints, since that can cause unrecognized disc errors.
At least that I can clean with a microfiber cloth and maybe cleaners.
The same comes up if you have a dirty disc reader.
If the disc reader is so dirty that it can't see the disc, you have a major problem. And
I am sending it in for service if the laser is too weak for some other reason.
If you put the disc in upside down, it will say unrecognized and you can't play it.
I should only make that error once, and I don't think that's responsible for these errors.
If the PS4 tray is bent or the thing is on its side, the disc may not lay flat enough
to be read.
It sits on a pedestal, not at a weird angle over all the stuff stuffed on the shelf.
You may want to do an update of the PlayStation 4. For example, the 2.55 update caused it
to suddenly be unable to read discs.
That was back in 2015. I've updated it many times since then.
It doesn't mean the last update didn't cause the problem again.
If the problem is due to the last update, the solution is rebooting.
And if necessary, restoring to defaults to wipe out the update.
I'd love not to have to wait that long.
Try a different disc to see if you have a bad disc.
At least the system doesn't have the same bugs as 2.55 where you might have problems
ejecting the disc, too.
The suggestion from Sony for issues like this includes fully reboot it, shutting it down
if not unplugging it, and making sure you don't put it in rest mode instead.
Of course there's an if in doubt reboot solution.
I've also heard of PS4 being unable to play a game when it is overheating.
I'm not getting the red light of death.
It may not be able to read the discs or play the games until you download huge files you're
not using until it has enough memory.
That's at least something I can do that doesn't require trying to fix something.
Ditto for dusting off the cooling fans and dusting the game disc tray, since dirt and
grime can interfere with its performance.
As long as dusting it with compressed air doesn’t blow dirt into the components that
are even more sensitive.
I can't help you if it can't play games due to internal short circuits or malfunctioning
power supplies.
At least now I won't feel so bad for sending it in for service, only to have them fix it
by something I could do myself.