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PS5's PS4 Backward Compatibility Detailed, Including 10 Games That Will Not Run
posted on by Adriana Hazra
Sony detailed the specifics of PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5 backwards compatibility on its PlayStation Blog on Saturday. The post stated that while disc-based PS4 games will not be playable on the PS5 Digital Edition console, digital versions of compatible PS4 games that players have purchased or plan to purchase on the PlayStation Store or PlayStation mobile app will be compatible with PS5. Both digital and physical versions of compatible PS4 games will be playable on PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc drive. It will also be possible to transfer digital games, game data, and game saves from a PS4 console to a PS5 console using LAN cables or through WiFi. Backward compatible PS4 games included in PS Plus or PS Now will be playable on PS5.
Additionally, games that are only playable on PS4 will be marked with a "PS4 only" label in the PlayStation Store. Sony listed the titles that are compatible with only PS4 on its website:
- 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
The company also stated that "the ability to transfer game saves between a PS4 version and a PS5 version of the same game is a developer decision, and will vary title by title for cross-generational games."
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan confirmed in an interview with Famitsu on September 18 that the PlayStation 5 console will not have backward compatibility for the PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 console games. He had revealed in an interview with The Washington Post on September 17 that "99 percent" of PlayStation 4 games will be backward compatible with the upcoming PS5.
The CEO stated that Sony took into consideration that the PS4 currently has 100 million players, and directed resources toward adding backward compatibility of PS4 games to the PS5. He added that Sony also had to devote resources to developing a high-speed SSD and the new controller DualSense, and as a result the company could not add backward compatibility for the three previous generations of consoles to the PS5.
Sony has stated that backward compatible titles will run at a boosted frequency on PS5, which may result in higher or more stable frame rates and higher resolutions. The company has evaluated and tested hundreds of games to find issues that need adjustment, and it is planning to test thousands more before the console's launch.
The PS5 will launch on November 12 in the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. The console will launch in the rest of the world on November 19. The PS5 will retail for US$499.99, and the PS5 Digital Edition (which does not include the disc slot) will retail for US$399.99.
Source: PlayStation Blog (Hideaki Nishino)
