The PlayStation 5's backward compatibility is one of the hottest features of Sony's next-generation console, which will be released in about a month's time on November 19. The company has now officially announced its position and revealed further details.
We have long known that PS5 backward compatibility will only be possible with the PS4 and that by the time of release, "thousands of PS4 titles" will be playable on the next-gen console. The official support website now reveals how this will work with PlayStation 5's backward compatibility and upgrades to its current titles. We've summarized all the information here.
PS5 Backward Compatibility: How it Works
According to the official homepage, the PlayStation 5 will be "backward compatible with the vast majority of games on PS4". Thousands of PS4 games are thus directly playable on the new hardware for the PS5 release on November 19.
But not all games: while many games will only be made to play on the new console generation afterward, there will also be titles that are not playable on PS5. These are:
- DWVR
- Afro Samurai 2 Revenge of Kuma Volume One
- TT Isle of Man - Ride on the Edge 2
- Just Deal With It!
- Shadow Complex Remastered
- Robinson: The Journey
- We Sing
- Hitman Go: Definitive Edition
- Shadwen
- Joe's Diner
In the PlayStation Store, PS4 games that do not run on PlayStation 5 are marked as "Playable on: PS4 only."
Selected PS4 titles will also benefit from PlayStation 5's hardware and may offer a higher resolution or smoother frame rate.
- READ MORE: The Most Anticipated PS5 Games
PlayStation 5 Next-Gen Upgrades
Of course, some PS4 games are optimized on the new hardware, for example, FIFA 21, Fortnite, Cyberpunk 2077, and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla.
Basically, the next-gen upgrades on PlayStation 5 seem possible if you own a PS4 game on disc or digital. In most cases, the upgrades are free of charge. However, various manufacturers ask you to pay for the upgrade (Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War for example).
Sony's website says as much:
To upgrade an eligible PS4 game on disc to the digital PS5 version, you will need a PS5 console with a disc drive. PS4 game discs cannot be used with PlayStation 5 Digital Edition.
The game hub on the PlayStation 5 main menu should then simply open the "Upgrade Offer" option to download the necessary files for the next-generation hardware. If you have a game for PS4 on a disc, the Blu-ray disc must be in the PlayStation 5 drive each time you play the game.
Next-gen upgrades for PS4 games are not possible with the PS5 Digital Edition, as it does not have a drive. Only digital PlayStation 4 games can be transferred to the PlayStation 5.
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