When the PlayStation 5 arrives at retail next month, it’ll come with a cavalcade of spectacular games to choose from, including Demon’s Souls Remake, Spider-Man: Miles Morales and a new Sackboy game, amongst other third party releases. But for those that just can’t let go of their PlayStation 4 library, good news — you don’t really have to.
In a recent blog post, the company confirmed that a majority of the PS4 library will be playable on the new system. Granted, there are a few titles that won’t make the cut, and obviously you won’t be able to play physical PS4 games on your digital PlayStation 5 model since there’s no disc drive. But everything else, for the most part, is fair game.
So what can players expect from this PS4-to-PS5 experience? Well, there won’t be too big a leap in technical achievement, but the good times await.
99 percent compatible
In its blog post, Sony confirmed that 99 percent of its PS4 game library will be playable on the new system at launch, including favorites like God of War, Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part II. Older titles will also be supported, including Killzone: Shadow Fall, for those that really feel like going back a few years.
As for the titles that aren’t supported, there’s only a handful, such as obscure titles like the delisted Afro Samurai 2 and Joe’s Diner. In fact, the biggest titles that won’t make the cut are Hitman Go! and Shadow Complex Remastered – and there’s a chance down the road that they could be supported with an update.
So that means a majority of your older favorites – even sports titles like NBA Live 14, if you’re into that sort of thing – will be playable on the system. That’s great news for those that have amassed a strong physical or digital library. And even better news for those that are looking to upgrade. Just make sure you have that storage solution figured out though. PS5 games will only run on the hard drive and not an external drive, so save that space for your PS4 library.
What improvements will be made?
Although not every title has been tested just yet, the PlayStation 4 experience should be “even better on PS5,” according to the publisher. This includes better loading times for titles that usually require a greater amount. In addition, Game Boost will also play a part, stabilizing frame rates in certain games. This is good news for those that have ever wanted to see something like Ghost of Tsushima running at 60 frames per second. Depending on updates, you just might get your wish.
There are also various UX features that will take advantage of classic PS4 games. Sony didn’t detail what these are just yet, but we’ll learn more closer to the system’s launch. One thing’s for sure – it could make certain experiences feel new again, even with older favorites like, say, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
PlayStation VR games will also work, and players can continue to use Remote Play from their PS4 if they see fit, with a majority of titles supported. Just remember that using this doesn’t mean Game Boost will work – only direct game experiences will take advantage of that.
Don’t forget the Essentials
Now, let’s say you don’t have a massive PS4 library, but still want to see what the experience is all about on the new system. There’s a program for that, as part of Sony’s PlayStation Plus membership. Titled the PlayStation Plus Collection, this offers a number of older favorites from the previous generation that are fully downloadable and playable on the PlayStation 5, for no additional cost. The program features over 20 titles thus far, with more possibly set to be added in the months ahead.
These include a number of third party favorites, along with Sony-produced titles. The full list
(thus far) is below:
-
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- Battlefield 1
- Bloodborn
- Days Gone
- Detroit: Become Human
- Fallout 4
- Final Fantasy XV
- God of War
- Infamous Second Son
- Monster Hunter World
- Mortal Kombat X
- Persona 5
- Ratchet and Clank
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- The Last Guardian
- The Last of Us Remastered
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
- Until Dawn
That’s not too shabby, to say the least. And keep in mind this is a free perk for PlayStation Plus, without any additional cost.
Needless to say, Sony has the PS4 backward compatibility tab covered with its PlayStation 5.
While it would’ve been nice to have some PS3, PS2 and PS1 support as well, this certainly beats nothing. We’ll see how the program fares when the system debuts on November 12!