As fun as it is to play video games with friends, sometimes you want to enjoy a game in peace without getting invites from others. That’s when appearing online—being online on your system, but not showing as such—becomes useful.

We’ll show you how to appear offline on a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 so you can game without pressure.

How to Appear Offline on PS5

To hide your online status on a PS5, follow these steps:

  1. From your PS5’s home screen, select your profile icon in the top-right.
  2. In the menu that appears, select Online Status.
  3. Select Appear Offline from the list.
PS5 Appear Offline

You’ll know that you’re appearing offline by the circle outline that appears next to your profile picture. When you’re showing as online, this is a green circle instead.

There’s another option on this list: Busy. This lets others know that you’re offline but don’t want to join games. Whether to use it is up to you, as not everyone will honor it.

If you don’t have the option to automatically log into your PS5 enabled, then you can also log in with an offline status. To do this, select your account from the PS5’s login menu, then hit the Options button and choose Appear Offline there. This lets you start a session offline, saving a step.

How to Appear Offline on PS4

The process on PS4 is similar. Here’s what to do to appear offline on your PS4:

  1. On the PS4’s home screen, select your player avatar from the top bar.
  2. When you see your profile page, choose the Set Online Status button.
  3. In the menu that appears, choose Appear Offline.

This is the long way, however. For a faster method, you can also hold the PS Button on your controller to open the Quick Menu, then choose Online Status > Appear Offline.

PS4 Appear Offline

There is no Busy status on PS4. Like on PS5, you can also log in offline from the user select menu by pressing the Options button while your account is highlighted.

How to Appear Offline Using the PlayStation App

For both PS5 and PS4, you can set yourself to appear offline using the PS app. This is useful, since it will apply the status upon your next login. That way, friends who have set up PlayStation friend alerts won’t get a ping that you’re online.

To set yourself as offline using the PS app, perform the following:

  1. Open the PS app and tap the Gear icon on the Play screen.
  2. Scroll down to the Console Management section and tap Online Status.
  3. Choose Online, Busy, or Appear Offline as you desire.

As the app states, this will update your status on both your PS5 and PS4. If you’re not currently using your consoles, your selection will apply when you log in. And while utilizing the benefits the PS app on your phone, you won't show as online to others.

Appear Offline for Stealthy Gaming

Now you know how to hide your online status by appearing offline on PlayStation. It’s a useful tool for when you want to play without friends sending you an invite to another game. Instead of feeling bad because you’re ignoring their invites, they won’t even know you’re available to play.

Keep in mind that other players will know you’re online if they come across you in an online game. You won’t appear online in friends lists and the like, but will still encounter other people online.

If you found this helpful, there are other PS5 tips worth checking out, too.