After largely ignoring the feature for a couple generations, Sony is once again pushing backward compatibility for the upcoming PlayStation 5, but just how far back will it reach? Microsoft has promised Xbox Series X players will be able to play games dating all the way back to the original Xbox, so will the PS5 offer something similar? Don’t count on it.
Ubisoft Support recently posted a new page regarding PS5 upgrades and backward compatibility, and it seems to confirm playing PS1/PS2/PS3 games isn’t happening…
Backwards compatibility will be available for supported PlayStation 4 titles, but will not be possible for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, or PlayStation games.
Of course, Sony themselves haven’t commented on this, but their silence on the matter further hints PS5 backward compatibility is only going back one generation. That’s not exactly shocking, as Sony shunned backward compatibility this generation, while Microsoft got a head start and laid the groundwork for the XSX’s more robust approach. Sony has promised the “overwhelming majority” of the PS4’s 4000-game-plus library will be playable on PS5 at launch…
With all of the amazing games in PS4’s catalog, we’ve devoted significant efforts to enable our fans to play their favorites on PS5. We believe that the overwhelming majority of the 4,000+ PS4 titles will be playable on PS5. We’re expecting backward compatible titles will run at a boosted frequency on PS5 so that they can benefit from higher or more stable frame rates and potentially higher resolutions. We’re currently evaluating games on a title-by-title basis to spot any issues that need adjustment from the original software developers.
The PS5 launches sometime this year, with a mid-November release being rumored. What do you think? Would you be interested in playing games from earlier PlayStation generations on your PS5? Or is being able to play PS4 games good enough for you?
