Pause… the only button players used quickly to escape either from a horror game or a daunting antagonist in games like Elden Ring. However, Sony Interactive Entertainment has completely revolutionized the pause mechanics with their new patent! Published in February 2026, Sony will now offer Soft Pause for PlayStation players who are stuck between dire situations.  Let’s dive quickly into today’s hotline to excavate more about the brand-new Soft Pause mechanics by Sony.

What is Soft Pause all About?

“A method for performing a Soft Pause of a  video game is provided, including: executing a game by a game mechanic; receiving a trigger event; responsive to the trigger event, then changing the execution of the video game from normal mode to a soft pause mode of execution, wherein the soft pause mode is configured to continue the execution of the video game with one or more changes to the execution that reduced an Intensity of a gameplay for a player of the video game.”

 

An official statement from Sony’s patent application. For my beloved gamers who are still confused, Sony’s “Soft Pause” is a gameplay mechanic that acts like a pause but is different from a traditional one. From now on, PlayStation gamers can leave their games if they are stuck in a serious situation (housework). Sony’s Soft Pause is a mechanism that will slow down the game’s intensity rather than halting it completely. A new feature that will enhance modern-age gaming. 

How will Soft Pause Work?

You don’t need to fill some application for this feature… all you need to do is stop playin’. Well, according to the official statement mentioned above, Soft Pause will operate on trigger effects. You can still press the pause button if you want to, but the game will dive deep into the new mechanism and will lower the intensity of the game! The mechanism will instantly take action if you receive incoming calls, texts, or messages through in-game events. Once activated, the game will act as a sloth: time slows down, difficulty decreases, and AI takes over your player while assisting him with the directions for the dedicated ongoing mission.

Will Soft Pause Work in Co-op Games?

An interesting question after all? Will Sony change multiplayer dynamics for the sake of implementing Soft Pause? Traditionally, multiplayer games do not offer pause mechanics as the game runs in an actual timeline. Still, if someone stops playing a co-op game like “Valorant” for a couple of minutes, the in-game player goes AFK, and the gamer will receive a penalty or warning for being AFK. Now, this might become a difficult situation for Sony Interactive Entertainment with its Soft Pause implementation in multiplayer games. If they persuade Co-op Games to implement this futuristic function in their live-time gameplay, the game would instantly become dull with a lobby full of AI bots! 

Wrapping Up

Sony has yet to reveal the implementation date for Soft Pause mechanics in PlayStation games. According to me, this upcoming feature is dope as it will help tons of gamers to leave their current spot while the game continues on a low intensity!