A developer going by the name “Mihawk” has managed to get Windows 11 running on a PS5, and the project—dubbed Mihawk OS—may eventually let jailbroken PlayStation consoles run native PC games. That would be a significant milestone for the effort to run Windows games on PS5, which has long been a niche curiosity in the homebrew community.
This is the latest escalation in an increasingly capable PS5 modding scene, and it’s worth understanding what’s actually being attempted here, what’s been proven so far, and what it means if you own—or are tempted by—a jailbroken console.
What Mihawk OS actually is
According to posts by the developer on X, Mihawk OS is described as a Windows 11 clone built to run on the PS5. But the more ambitious goal is a translation layer that would let both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows games run directly on the console, without needing a separate Windows installation.
The work appears to be built on Proton, the open-source compatibility layer Valve developed to run Windows games on Linux. In practice, Proton translates Windows API calls into Linux-friendly equivalents on the fly, which is why it’s a natural foundation for this kind of cross-platform effort. In fact, an earlier incarnation of the project was being referred to as “PP (PS5 Proton)”—a homebrew app designed to run Windows games on PS5 before it grew into the larger Mihawk OS effort.
One important distinction: unlike many other PS5 mods currently circulating, Mihawk OS is not open source. The developer says progress is going well, but without publicly available code, independent developers can’t audit, verify, or improve the project.
What’s been demonstrated so far
To back up its claims, the developer has shown RetroArch running on the machine. RetroArch is a frontend that bundles a wide range of emulators, so getting it working suggests the underlying architecture is functional enough to run substantial, demanding software—not just a fleeting proof-of-concept demo.
Separately, footage appears to show the roguelike HADES running within Windows on the PS5. That’s a notable benchmark, since it would demonstrate that an actual commercial Windows title can operate through the translation layer rather than streaming from a cloud service.
How other titles perform—framerate, load times, visual fidelity, and stability—remains unknown. The developer hasn’t released detailed benchmarks, a public timeline, or documentation on which console models and firmware versions are supported.
What Windows games on PS5 would actually require
Running Windows games on PS5 requires a jailbroken console, which carries real tradeoffs. Jailbreaking typically voids the console’s warranty, blocks access to PlayStation Network servers, and can put your PlayStation account at risk of suspension or ban.
Because the project isn’t open source, the exact exploit chain used to jailbreak the machine also isn’t publicly auditable. That means buyers relying on third-party services to jailbreak their consoles have limited visibility into what they’re actually installing on their hardware.
The developer hasn’t confirmed whether the work applies to the standard PS5, the PS5 Pro, or specific firmware builds. Until that’s clarified, it stays firmly in the experimental category, and no one should assume it’s ready for daily use.
What this means for you
For most readers, this is a technical curiosity rather than something to act on. If you value online multiplayer, trophies, or a stable, supported platform, jailbreaking your PS5 would undermine all of that—and the payoff is still unproven.
That said, the broader trend is striking. The PS5 jailbreak scene has already produced Xbox 360 and original Xbox emulation running natively, plus homebrew that taps into Xbox Cloud Gaming. If native Windows gaming becomes genuinely viable, it could turn a discounted second-hand PS5 into a serious living-room PC—essentially the Steam Machine concept Valve abandoned years ago, but at a fraction of the original price.
How to follow the project
Since Mihawk OS isn’t open source, there’s no official repository to track. The developer posts updates on X under the handle Mihawk (mihawk9_9). Watch for progress reports and demonstration footage before drawing conclusions about real-world performance.
As a general note, jailbreaking isn’t illegal, but it isn’t recommended either—and if you ever do pursue it, purchasing the games you play or emulate (rather than pirating them) is the responsible approach.
Source: Latest from Windows Central
Over to you: Would you jailbreak a PS5 to run Windows games, or is the risk to your PlayStation account not worth it?
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