PS5 download stuck or queued? Check these fixes in order

Start with the symptom

A download that has not started, a download that stops halfway and a padlocked game are different problems. Note the exact message before changing anything. This guide covers PlayStation Store downloads on PS5, including PS5 Pro; it is not a disc-drive repair guide.

Our recommended approach is to change one thing, then check the same download again. Repeatedly cancelling every item makes it harder to tell whether the problem was the network, the queue or storage. Keep the error code and the time of the failed attempt.

If the download is queued but never starts

Press the PS button and open Downloads/Uploads. Select the affected item, pause it, then resume it. Check whether its downloaded amount changes.
If it still will not start, PlayStation recommends cancelling and deleting that queue item, then starting the download again from Game Library. This removes the incomplete download; it is not an instruction to delete saved progress.
Check the official PlayStation service-status page before repeating the download. During a reported outage, wait for service recovery.

A padlock points to ownership or licensing instead. Use our separate restore-licences guide rather than buying another copy. A game supplied by a subscription may also require a current entitlement.

If progress stops after downloading begins

Run Settings > Network > Connection Status > Test Internet Connection. Record the result. If the test fails, resolve the connection problem before cancelling a large download. If the service and connection both work but this one item remains stuck, continue with the checks below.

Compare symptoms across items you already own. One failing game and several working downloads is useful evidence for support; every download failing suggests a broader issue. This comparison is a diagnostic aid, not proof that a particular server or drive is faulty.

Check space and system software

Open Settings > Storage and inspect the destination you intend to use. Compare available space with the game’s stated minimum free-space requirement, rather than assuming the compressed transfer size is the entire storage requirement. Error CE-107872-5 specifically points to insufficient console-storage space.

Moving or deleting installed game files is different from removing saved data. Review each selection before confirming a storage action. Keep a backup of progress that matters to you, and avoid the saved-data deletion menus when you only intend to make room for an installation.

Check Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings. Use Sony’s official update process and allow it to finish; do not interrupt power during an update.

Use Safe Mode carefully if the earlier checks fail

Back up important data first and read Sony’s Safe Mode guide. Shut the console down fully.
With the console off, hold its power button until the second beep, around seven seconds after the first. Connect the controller by USB and press PS.
Use the Clear Cache and Rebuild Database menu and select the appropriate option described by PlayStation. Rebuild Database scans the drive and recreates the content database.
Restart normally and retry the original download. Do not select Reset PS5 or Reinstall System Software as a casual download fix; those options delete user data.

What to send support if it still fails

Prepare the game and edition, console model, exact error, destination storage, available space, connection-test result and the steps already tried. Add the date and time, plus your own photo or capture of the message. This makes the report more actionable than “downloads do not work.”

If a download completes but the game will not launch, stop repeating this queue procedure. That is a new symptom: check the installed edition, ownership and storage location. The linked installation and USB-storage guides explain those branches.