Manufacturer Panic has urged all Playdate owners to ensure that the firmware on their hand-cranked handheld is updated ahead of October 15.

On that day, the Secure Certificate for older versions will expire, rendering them unable to connect to the Playdate servers.

"We have an urgent request!

On October 15th 2026, the secure certificate used by older versions of Playdate OS will expire. After that date, your Playdate will no longer be able to connect to our servers.

Don't worry. Updating your Playdate to the latest OS will fix it!"

Panic has issued the above PSA via email and social media ahead of Season 3's launch, which will bring a series of all-new titles to subscribers of the cutesy yellow console.

Panic notes that all Playdate owners must ensure their firmware is 3.05 or higher; otherwise, attempting to connect to the company's servers will be a much more complicated process once the deadline passes.

Recent Playdate purchases will likely have met these limitations out of the box. But if you have owned a Playdate for a few years and perhaps haven't fired it up in some time, then it would be a good idea to dig it out, charge it up, and ensure that its firmware is updated via the "Settings > Software Update" menu.

Playdate Season 3 begins today, bringing two new titles to the platform every week over the next four weeks.