After detailing the first-party PS5 launch lineup and the new PlayStation Plus Collection, we now have more details on PlayStation 5 backwards compatibility. While previous details from system architect Mark Cerny suggested “99%” of the PS4 library would end up playable on PlayStation 5, it looks like older PlayStation titles will not. More details below.
PlayStation 5 backwards compatibility
While the PlayStation Plus Collection offers its members loads of stellar on-demand PS4 games for PS5 starting day one, we are expecting much the PS4 library to be playable on PS5 (at some point anyway), according to system architect Mark Cerny. However, that still leaves one question. Or three really. What does all of this mean for PS3, PS2, and PS1 titles?
Well, don’t get your hopes up. While Microsoft is planning to have thousands of titles from the Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One eras available for Series X at launch, Sony is seemingly leaving its beloved legacy catalogs in the dust.
No PS1, PS2, or PS3 games?
In a recent interview with Famitsu, some new details regarding PlayStation 5 backwards compatibility have come to light. PlayStation executive Jim Ryan explained how important it was to the company to allow PS5 systems to run PS4 games, noting that millions of the brand’s gamers have been asking for this feature.
However, he went on to say that due to the energy the development team put into the high-speed SSD and the all-new DualSense controller (now available for pre-order), backward compatibility with older PlayStation systems could not be a reality. That means PlayStation 5 backwards compatibility will not support PS3, PS2, or PS1 games, at least in a traditional sense, if not at all. A previously posted Ubisoft support page suggested as much and now it appears to be confirmed.
9to5Toys’ Take
While compatibility with PS4 titles is great, not to mention the added access for PlayStation Plus members with the new Collection service, this is certainly disappointing news. Not quite as disappointing as the complete mess of a pre-order campaign Sony put together this year, but still disconcerting. While there is still hope for some kind of setup where these games might not get left behind, things aren’t looking good at this point. Clearly Sony didn’t build this functionality in during development, which might have a big misstep among its most hardcore fan base.
You can try your hands at the PS5 pre-order listings — all of which are organized on this page for you. Or just wait until next week when Xbox Series S/X pre-orders start as part of Microsoft’s neatly organized schedule you can review right here.
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