Editing Softmod (section)

===PlayStation 2===
The [[PlayStation 2]] has various methods of achieving a softmod.

Disc swapping was used early on to bypass the PlayStation 2 copy protection, by taking advantage of certain trigger discs such as ''007: Agent Under Fire'' or Swap Magic, homebrew could be loaded. This was done by inserting the trigger disc, blocking the lid open sensor then hotswapping with a homebrew disc. Although difficult to execute correctly, the universality of the method was often used in order to softmod.

One of the earliest softmods developed — the Independence Exploit — allows the PlayStation 2 to run homebrew by exploiting a buffer overflow in the BIOS code responsible for loading original PlayStation games. This method, however, only works on models V10 and lower, excluding the PlayStation 2 slim, while still requiring a disc to be burned.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/109289|title=How to make your own Memory Card Exploit using the Independence Installer|accessdate=April 24, 2013}}</ref>

FreeMcBoot is an exploit that works on all models except the SCPH-9000x series with BIOS v2.30 and up.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=PS2 Softmod Install Tutorial|url=http://freemcboot.info/ps2%20ohje/indexe.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321045221/http://freemcboot.info/ps2%20ohje/indexe.html|archive-date=March 21, 2013|accessdate=April 24, 2013|website=}}</ref> It requires no trigger disc and is able to directly load ELFs from the memory card.

Fortuna, Funtuna, and Opentuna are another form of memory card exploit. Unlike FreeMcBoot, they will work on the SCPH-9000x model, and they are compatible with third-party memory cards that do not support [[MagicGate]].

[[HD Loader]] is an exploit for PS2 models with the hard drive peripheral.

FreeDVDBoot is an exploit discovered in 2020 that requires burning a disc image loaded with a payload onto a DVD-R. It is compatible with a range of PlayStation 2 models and works by exploiting a buffer overflow in the PS2's DVD video functionality.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Orland|first=Kyle|date=2020-06-29|title=New hack runs homebrew code from DVD-R on unmodified PlayStation 2|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/06/new-hack-runs-homebrew-code-from-dvd-r-on-unmodified-playstation-2/|access-date=2020-12-29|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us}}</ref>

MechaPwn<ref>{{cite web |title=MechaPwn |url=https://github.com/MechaResearch/MechaPwn |website=Github |access-date=12 March 2023}}</ref> is an exploit that permanently unlocks the DVD drive of the slim PS2 (and some later revisions of the fat PS2), allowing PS1 and PS2 discs from any region to be booted. PS1 CD-R copies can be booted directly from the PS2's built-in menu; PS2 CD-R/DVD-R copies require additional software to bypass the PlayStation 2 logo check.

In August 2024, a savegame exploit affecting multiple consoles and generations called ''TonyHawksProStrcpy''<ref name="TonyHawksProStrcpy">{{cite web|title=grimdoomer/TonyHawksProStrcpy|website=[[GitHub]]|url=https://github.com/grimdoomer/TonyHawksProStrcpy|accessdate=3 September 2024}}</ref> was released, which is present in multiple [[Tony Hawk's]] titles for the PlayStation 2. It can be used to execute unsigned code.