A plain-English look at what rest mode really does on modern consoles, from overnight downloads to standby power draw, plus the settings worth checking first.
Quick hits
- Rest mode is a low-power state that finishes downloads, applies updates and saves your spot in a game so play can start instantly.
- Measured standby draw ranges from 0.4 watts on a Wii U to 15.7 watts on an Xbox One, and the Xbox Energy-saving mode cuts standby use by 98 percent.
- The PS5 draws 160 to over 200 watts playing the latest games, more than most 60-inch TVs, but uses significantly less power running older PS4 titles.
- Newer Xbox consoles default to the higher-draw Instant On setting, so switching to energy saver manually can drop standby use below 1 watt.
- Never unplug a console while its power indicator is lit or blinking, because Sony warns this can cause data loss or damage.
Press the power button on a PlayStation or Xbox and the console probably slides into rest mode rather than shutting off. That default is useful: rest mode finishes downloads, applies updates and holds your place in a game so you can pick up right where you left off. It also keeps the console drawing power every hour of the day, which makes the settings behind it worth a few minutes of your time.
What Rest Mode Actually Does
PlayStation and Xbox consoles have three power states: on, rest mode and off. Rest mode is a low-powered state. The screen goes dark and most of the hardware stops working, but the console stays connected to your network and keeps a handful of background jobs running. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, players use standby because it saves their spot in a game, applies updates and completes long downloads, so play can start instantly instead of waiting through all of that after power-up.
A few details are easy to miss. When a PS4 or PS5 enters rest mode or turns off, the paired controller turns off with it. PlayStation 5 consoles ship from the factory set to enter rest mode automatically after a period of inactivity, so some owners land in rest mode without ever choosing it. On Xbox, the equivalent setting is called standby, and newer Xbox consoles default to an Instant On mode that uses more energy than the alternative. Microsoft does not change that for you, so it is worth a look in the settings.
Downloads and Updates While Your Console Rests
The most practical reason to use rest mode is that big downloads finish while you do something else. Start a large game download in the evening, leave the console in rest mode overnight, and it is ready the next day. System updates and game patches behave the same way, which is handy for anyone with a slow connection or a data cap.
If overnight downloads keep stalling, the network connection is usually the problem rather than rest mode itself. Our guide to why a console won’t connect to Wi-Fi covers the common causes and fixes.
How Much Power Rest Mode Really Uses
Standby draw looks tiny in watts, but it runs around the clock. Measured figures show how much it varies by console:
| Console | Measured standby draw |
|---|---|
| Wii U | 0.4 watts |
| PS3 | 1.1 watts |
| Xbox 360 | 2.2 watts |
| PS4 | 8.5 watts |
| Xbox One | 15.7 watts |
As an illustration of how it adds up across a year: the Natural Resources Defense Council measured the PS3’s average energy use at 64 kilowatt-hours per year, and the PS4’s at 181 kilowatt-hours, double that. Standby power accounts for an outsize share of the total energy consoles consume, which is real electricity spent while nothing is on screen.
Gameplay draws far more. The PS5 uses anywhere from 160 to over 200 watts playing the latest games, more power than most 60-inch TVs, while a PS4 measured 137 watts in use. One bright spot: the PS5 uses significantly less energy running older PS4 titles than it does running games built for it.
Settings change these numbers dramatically. Configuring the Energy-saving power mode on an Xbox One cuts its standby power use by 98 percent. The Xbox Series S and Series X can draw less than 1 watt in energy saver mode, compared with Instant On, though Instant On is the default. On the PS4, Sony’s System Software 2.0 update drops power consumption by more than 65 percent once connected controllers finish charging in rest mode, because the USB ports then drop to a much lower power state. Across all the consoles in American homes, ENERGY STAR estimates that consoles running every feature at maximum can consume as much energy as all the homes in Houston combined, the equivalent of four power plants.
There is also pressure from regulators. Consoles sold in the European Union have been covered by six tiers of power caps since an industry agreement was recognized in 2015, along with requirements such as automatic power down, and manufacturers now publish typical yearly energy figures for each model.
Suspending Games and Picking Up Where You Left Off
Rest mode doubles as a bookmark. Because the console saves your spot in a game before dropping into standby, waking it drops you straight back into the action. On a PS5 in rest mode, pressing the PS button on a paired controller brings the console back to life, and the power indicator lights up white once it is fully on.
PS5 owners also get a separate option called Power Saver for Games. Turn it on for supported titles and performance scales back as needed to reduce power consumption during play. Two caveats: VR mode is unavailable while Power Saver is active, and some other gameplay features may be limited. A Power Saver icon appears next to the game in the control center’s Switcher when it is in effect, and you can choose whether a notification tells you that a game supports it.
Settings and Security Options to Check First
A short checklist before you rely on rest mode:
- Automatic power down. Enable it so the console shuts itself off after a period of inactivity. On a PS4 with software updates installed, the console enters low-power rest mode after one hour of inactivity by default, and you can shorten that window to save more.
- USB charging limits. The PS4 lets you set time limits for controller charging over USB while in rest mode, which stops the ports drawing power all night.
- Controller auto-off. The PS4 can turn controllers off on their own after 10, 30 or 60 minutes, depending on your habits.
- Xbox power mode. Switch from Instant On to Energy-saving if instant wake-up is not worth the extra standby draw.
- Power Saver for Games. On PS5, select Power Saving, then Power Saver for Games, and choose which supported titles use it.
- Unneeded accessories. An Xbox Kinect accessory can draw up to 14 watts while the console is in use, so disconnect it if voice and motion control are not part of your setup.
Rest mode also keeps the console connected to your network, so account security applies even when you are not playing. Two-factor authentication and a strong, unique password matter as much as any power setting; our guide to protecting your gaming accounts covers the steps.
Watch out
Never unplug a console’s power cord while the power indicator is lit or blinking. Sony warns that doing so can cause data loss, corruption or damage to the console. Shut it down or wait until the indicator goes dark first.
When You Should Fully Power Down Instead
Rest mode earns its keep when downloads, updates or a suspended game are waiting. The rest of the time, a full shutdown costs a few extra seconds at startup and eliminates the standby draw entirely. Shutting down makes sense before leaving home for several days, and after big downloads finish, since there is nothing left for rest mode to do.
One hardware habit matters too. Plugging a cable TV set-top box through the console forces the console to consume power even when you are not gaming, almost as much as the television itself. ENERGY STAR recommends plugging the set-top box directly into the TV’s first HDMI port and giving the console a secondary port instead. For the same reason, a dedicated streaming device is a better choice than the console for binge-watching shows.
Finally, remember that standby electricity is a running cost on top of the console’s price. Our guide to the real cost of a new gaming console breaks down what else adds up in the first year, from subscriptions to storage.
Player questions
Does rest mode use a lot of electricity?
It depends on the console and the settings. Measured standby draw runs from 0.4 watts on a Wii U to 15.7 watts on an Xbox One, and switching a newer Xbox from Instant On to energy saver drops standby use below 1 watt.
Do downloads continue while the console is in rest mode?
Yes. Finishing long downloads and applying updates while the console rests is one of the main reasons the mode exists, so a game started downloading in the evening can be ready the next day.
Can I pick up a game where I left off after rest mode?
Yes. Standby saves your spot in a game, and pressing the PS button on a paired controller wakes a PS5 straight back to the action.
Is it safe to unplug my console during a trip?
Shut the console down fully first and wait until the power indicator is dark. Unplugging the power cord while the indicator is lit or blinking can cause data loss, corruption or damage.
Games, platforms and settings change with updates, so check the official help pages for your platform if something looks different.