[PS5] Very long loading times in party play (30–60+ seconds) after recent patches

I am experiencing very long loading times on PS5 when playing in a party and joining my friend.

Loading into zones often takes 30–60+ seconds, and sometimes over a minute. It can also happen when joining my friend’s instance or occasionally when opening/closing inventory. In some cases, even reaching the character screen can take much longer than normal.

During these long loading screens:
• Ambient audio continues playing
• The game does not crash
• Sometimes I can still move my character
• UI elements appear to load very slowly

This was not an issue when I first bought the game. The problem started after recent patches.

I have already tried the following troubleshooting steps:
• Reinstalled the game
• Moved it to PS5 console storage
• Cleared system cache (Safe Mode)
• Rebuilt database (Safe Mode)
• Restarted the console multiple times
• Tested both WiFi and LAN
• Tested different gateways (Auto and London)

None of this resolved the issue.

Other games on my PS5 run and load normally without any problems.

Is this a known PS5-related issue with party play or instance loading? Are there any upcoming fixes or optimizations planned?