Beta screenshots shared on X this week reveal that Sony is testing a significant overhaul of the PS5 Store, and the new layout looks closer to Netflix than anything PlayStation has shipped before.
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What the old store looked like versus what's coming
The current PS5 Store uses a relatively compact grid of game icons with limited context at a glance. You browse, you click, you read. It works, but discoverability has always been a weak point, especially for smaller titles that don't land on the front promotional banner.
The redesigned layout flips that approach entirely. Screenshots from the beta program, first posted by @Gaming_Bo3gg on X on April 11, show large game cards that dominate the screen. Each card includes a short description and, here's the part that changes the experience most, trailers that auto-play when you hover over a tile.
The redesigned PS5 Store is currently available only to select users enrolled in the beta program. No wider rollout date has been announced.
Genre tags and what they actually do for browsing
The new layout also adds specific genre and mood tags to each title. In the beta screenshots, Starfield carries labels like 'Open World', 'Story Rich', and 'Cinematic'. People of Note gets tags like 'Turn-Based Combat' and 'Stylised'.
These aren't just decorative. The key here is that combinable tags in a search or filter system could let players find exactly the type of game they want without scrolling through hundreds of unrelated titles. That's a meaningful shift from how the store currently handles browsing.
The redesign also appears to have two distinct tiers. Large Netflix-style tiles spotlight new and promoted releases at the top, while a more traditional icon-based ribbon labeled 'Browse By Mood or Genre' sits below. So the old format isn't gone entirely, it's just been pushed down the page.
Sony's discoverability problem, and why this redesign makes sense
This isn't the first time Sony has acknowledged that finding games on PlayStation platforms can be frustrating. The PS Store has gone through several iterations over the years, and the current PS5 version, while cleaner than the PS4 era storefront, still buries a lot of content behind menus.
The Netflix model works because it surfaces content based on what you're already interested in, and auto-playing trailers give you a quick read on whether something is worth your time before you commit to clicking through. Applying that logic to a game store is a reasonable bet.
The redesign is running alongside a broader PS5 UI refresh that Sony is currently beta testing, including a redesigned home menu that's already live for some users. The store overhaul appears to be part of the same wave of changes rather than a standalone update.
A poll of 593 readers found 62% saying they need to see more before forming an opinion, with 20% already on board and 18% opposed. That's a pretty typical split for a UI change that looks different on a screenshot than it might feel in actual use.
For PS5 owners, the practical test will be whether the auto-play trailers feel useful or intrusive at home on a TV. That's harder to judge from beta screenshots alone. Keep an eye on the latest gaming news as the beta expands and more users get hands-on time with the new layout.
