PS5 Backwards Compatibility: Can You Play PS4 Games on PlayStation 5?

Being able to play all my playstation games on one console would be great no need to have my PS2 PS3 or PS4 wasting space when I can play everything on the ps5

Give me at least back to PS3 and PS5 will be sold for me. If I can buy PS5 and then box up my PS3 and PS4, as well as play new PS5 games all on one system, that'd be stellar!

But throw in PS1 and PS2 games and I might just lose my mind in happiness!

Hopefully the new APU will give the PS5 the grunt it needs to emulate the PS3's odd architecture.
PS1 and PS2 emulation should be a breeze for the PS4 never mind the 5.
Given the architecture evolution, I'm expecting the PS5 to be more PS4 Pro levels of BC with the enhanced graphics options.

I hope Sony would consider having backward compatibility otherwise I would not buy the console and It was my hope of the PS4 that it would have backwards compatibility but my dreams was crushed by Sony.

I hope for a stronger focus on ps2 and ps3. With the x86 architecture ps4 won't be a huge problem and ps1 can be emulated on practically everything these days.

I’d love to see the PS2 get supported. PS3 is still recent enough.

Also, PS2 is arguably Sony’s best console outside of the PS4 and the back catalogue is huge obviously

PS2 and PS3 emulation is incredibly CPU intensive. Even with my 8086k running at 5ghz in all cores with HT there are plenty of small issues (and some large) with most games on both PS2 and 3 emus. These kinds of issues would not be acceptable in a consumer product. IPC data is not available for these chips yet but the clock frequencies don’t seem fast enough. Maybe I’m wrong, but if they had it working for launch they’d be shouting about it right now. Possibly they would have to do the BC on a game by game basis, like PS2 classics and Xbox BC.

Regarding this.
Sony has said that PlayStation VR will be fully backwards compatible with the PS5, meaning that you’ll be able to plug your current headset into the next-gen console and experience virtual reality.

Will the original PSVR have any improvements as it is plug in to the PS5 or basically no change?

Could you add 6 more PS5 games like Rayman M remaster, Mortal Kombat 12, A new Sonic 30th anniversary game, The Simpsons Hit and Run, The Sims 5 and a new Power Rangers open world adventure game, please?

@scottdevine48 ???

PS5 is to fast for PS4 games...PS6 will be to slow for PS5 games..PS3 to dificult to emulate...PS1/PS2 games who wants to play that right?!

Make it complete PS4 BC. Don't care about old PS game.

You know Sony messed up when a gaming website explains their features better than they themselves can.

PS3 disaster reveal vibes i'm getting from Sony right now.

This article is misleading.

He was very clear - he hoped that the top 100 would be playable and most should be - to claim many more would work at launch hasn’t even been suggested. Please don’t mislead people.

Best case scenario for launch is the top 100 ps4 games

@Boucho11 this. I’ve just bought a ps2 slim and quite a few games - some brilliant games that stand up today. Especially arcade style games. They just don’t have decent ones on PS4

Apologies if this has already been mentioned somewhere, but will we be able to use our PS4 controllers to play PS4 games on PS5?

PS that's a lot of PSs in one sentence

It would be great if it's BC all the way back, but Sony are blatantly having one eye on future sales whereby they release further remastered versions of old games etc. I think PS3 and PS4 should be essential because, if anything, you would then be able to download ALL games on PS Now. The connection on that service makes streaming unplayable a lot of the time, which means half the service is worthless. If you could download ALL the games then it's value would be so much better. Not bothered about PS1 or PS2 personally (as long as they release a remastered THPS3 of course)!

Why is Backwards Compatibility so important? I can't wait to see what new games are planned that will utilize the power of PS5. Why would you want to play PS1 PS2 and PS3 games on the PS5? Surely you better off buying the consoles for that purpose and you'd be having alot of money. I'll be happy with playing PS4 games on the PS5 but I'm not dying for it.

Well Mark Cery was only talking about Hardware in his presentation. So if there is software emulation of PS1 Ps2 and PS3 that might be annouced later. 🤷🏾‍♂️

@Stocksy He said most of the top 100 worked when tested which is slightly different. The problem with backwards compatibility between PS4 and PS5 is that the PS5 CPU may complete tasks in a different order to a PS4 CPU even at the same clock rate. This doesn’t appear to cause a problem for most PS4 games and therefore most will run without further work.

Since the introduction of the Zen architecture in the PC and Microsoft requiring Xbox One developers to code in a way that doesn’t cause a problem for it after the introduction of play anywhere it’s likely that recent cross-platform releases will all work anyway.

I think we can be optimistic that all PS4 games with this problem will be fixable by patches. Some as early Xbox One games would’ve originally had the same problem but the Microsoft‘s backwards compatibility team has already fixed them all. Microsoft had a head start as they did the work required for games like sunset overdrive for their play anywhere initiative so didn’t need to do it for Xbox Series X backwards compatibility.

@sanderson72
If my i5 laptop can run RPCS3 emulator with almost no glitches, I'm sure sony engineers can do at very least the same especially when they do not need to reverse engineer the hardware. 😉😉

Sony seems to be going backwards on BC...

PS3 supported virtually all PS1 games though emulation.

Then they stopped that support inexplicably on PS4 (due to greed?).

PS5 could easily emulate PS1 & PS2, which would be amazing.

If Sony won't do that, I'd rather spend the $500 on a Home Theater PC.

That way I can emulate my retro game collection and play off discs.

@GamerDad66 I'm sure Sony will be fine with the few who want b/c that bad. If b/c matters more to you than simply playing new games(which is what a new console is for), then just get that PC. Your expectations from where I sit, are quite high.

@Averagewriter the ps3 was tough as nails.i had my xbox 360 repaired 4 times before i gave up on the thing and bought a ps3 which never failed.i will admit freely at being very disappointed with a lot of game ports but first party games were pretty much spot on.to say the ps3 was a fragile console is not an accurate statement really as it was and still is a sturdy bit of engineering...operating system flakey as hell...

my ps3 is still running just fine,nice and quiet too...great little machine...i want a killzone 2 remake/upgrade..loved that game...

Im not a huge Sony guy, but if PS5 ended up being backwards compatible all the way back to PS1 gen, I would HAVE to buy it. There would simply be no choice.

I can understand why Ps3 bc wouldn't be feasible because of it's architecture.
Support for Ps1 & 2 discs should surely be easy at this point however. I guess they'd rather sell the titles to you again though.

I really hope Sony won't let us charge again with "remaster" treatment to benefit both 4K/60 at least especially from PlayStation Studio games. It's odd if we want to play Ghost of Tsushima in 4K/60 in PS5 without a "free upgrade" even if we have the PS4 version already. Microsoft is already doing this via Smart Delivery, best example of it is Gears 5 running in 4K/60 via free update without having to pay again to benefit those features.

Good call reminding people that a ps4 disk will not work on PS5DE no matter how hard they try 🤓 haha Tom Warren dumb tweets confusing gelly brains again.

@InsertUsername I don't think offering simple emulation of PS1/2 on an extremely powerful computer from a billion dollar company is high expectations.

Now I wanted a fully BC PS5, with even PS3 support. That's high expectations. But still, the marketing and sales opportunities (for digital at least) would be a big deal. Being able to sell the "ultimate" PlayStation, would grab the attention of everyone that's ever played a PS in the last 25 years.

I still have my PS2 game collection, so BC as far back as PS2 would be a big plus.

Sony hasn’t confirmed anything yet, only that they are testing games and they ‘expect them’ to work, not they will definitely work. I have no doubt games will work but be careful and mindful of the language Sony are using here.

@GamerDad66 Yes, like with the PS3 the first batch of the top end model had the physical PS2 chip in it, then they moved to software emulation, then they scrapped it entirely. Sony’s BC history is almost non existent to say the least.

BC beyond PS4 won't happen, there's little to no money in it for Sony, and it would add to the manufacturing cost and ticket price. PS4 BC is vital for getting people to move over, but let's be honest, 98% of people wouldn't use PS1-3 BC anyway.

I'm happy with my launch PS3 that has BC with the previous 2 gens.

I'd like them to add lots more streamable PS1-3 back catalogue to PS Now, though.

I want the true original vision of PlayStation to come back which is full backwards compatibility of all previous PlayStation games like "The Father" intended, "PlayStation".

Is it to much to ask for to play The Suffering on the PS5? Wish it wasn't...

Will there be a way to some how exchange a disc for a digital copy, like maybe a code or something?

As long as PS4 titles work on PS5 I'm happy. Anything else is a bonus.

I would prefer the PS5 operate like it is supposed to. If I want to play old games, I'll plug in an old system. If you're not buying a PS5 over backwards compatibility issues, you're an idiot.

I really hope that ps5 is backwards compatible with PS 2 and 3 games I have a ton of games for those consoles but both are now broken

Personally I don't care to go backwards but it is what it is!

Personally I don't care and Never have cared about "Backwards compatibility" on any "Console".
I "Keep" my previous "Consoles" and finish ongoing games, play the ones I Bought and haven't played do to lack of "Time" in my life, I have a Job, wife & 3 children, so Not much gaming time, LOL
Still use my old systems/consoles to this day, personally rather play it as it "Was" when it "Was"... I'm sure it's for "Some Gamers" just not me.
Sure it would be nice to have one "System/Console" to emulate/play All previous software, instead of having Multiple devices all setup etc.
I just "Love" the feeling & nostalgia of actually "Reliving/Playing" said game/software that I experienced before.
Just like "Unpausing" a game, continue the journey!

Maybe they'll have backwards compatibility all the way back to the Commodore 64!!
Impossible Mission, International Karate +, Emlyn Hughes Soccer, Winter Games, all on the PS5!!!
Brilliant!

@Wormold hi made an account just to tell you to shut the ***** up.

To be honest what Sony have said so far is vague and up for interpretation. Until it’s released or they put a definitive statement out it’s guess work.

“Top 100 played“ over the gen will be a lot of COD and FIFA and Madden - whole thing is a mess right now. BC works when you can play the games you want. Not the most popular.

I hope I can stick in games people slept on and them work.

The dream of ps1,ps2 and 3 and all the rumours seem a distant memory right now I am just hoping ps4 games work

I have around 20 PS4 games all brought digitally over the last few years. I am hopeful I can play them on PS5 day one as I plan on trading in my current gen consoles. I don't mind if they perform the same as long as I'm not locked into my ps4 to play them.

@Gremio108 yeah sony said it will work for ps4 games on the ps5 the dual shock 4 that is

@SenseRabit PS5 IS FULLY BC WITH 99% PS4 GAMES.

@Darylb88 PS5 WILL PLAY 99% OF PS4 GAMES via BC so if on ps4 disc just insert it will play better version if have digital games just download on ps5 all ya ps4 games regardless if own or from ps plus can just download simples.

@rjc-32 It could probably work like the 3DS where it’s a Sandbox for PS3/2 games.

@GamerDad66 I think they stopped PS1 backwards compatibility because the PS4 cannot read CDs (and maybe neither the PS5).

Does anyone know if I'll have access to a digital ps5 version of my ps4 disc games? I've got digital ps5 and now worry I've lost access to my ps4 titles

Not long after posting I saw an faq on the PS5 website confirming that it's not possible. I really only want BF4 and hitman 2 which are my fav disc ones but they are also both on PS now so all might not be lost. Looking forward to Gran Turismo and Hitman 3 the most. What about you?

Compared to Xbox series X sounds like Sony has stuffed up the whole ps4 on ps5 compatibility thing... as if during development they decided against backward compatibility then changed their mind and patched it in later.
What a stuff up!

Smite is probably going to be patch or a ps5 version is coming,
Most of the game are from same developer! So most likely a engine relate issues,! They just need to crack that issue

What about things like the Logitech G29 wheel?

Let's be real here - nobody plays PS2 games anymore, most are pretty poor by today's standards.

@Kidfunkadelic83
I heard it'll work with PS5

@tinCAT-zero there are many great ps2 that hold up better than current games. Silent hill 2 and 3 for a start. Sony should start to realise gamers are now getting older and still want to play their favourite games.

I actually have Silent hill HD collection on PS3 still to play. I also download the PS1 Silent hill to my PS3. I don't agree that PS2 games hold up better.

Gamers are getting older but this is being blown way out of proportion. It's a vocal minority who all claim to have a big PS2 collection of games and don't want the inconvenience of popping them in an old PS2. One guy here even said that Sony has crushed his dreams. Older gamer don't talk like that. This self entitlement and moaning about everything is putting a dampener on an amazing moment in gaming history. The PS5 is the future not the past.

I have owned so many gaming machines Magnavox Odyssey to PC's pretty much gamed on them all. Each was amazing at its time! They each gave me life long experience's that I still cherish today. My priority is to build that same experience on PS5. I have always felt the best device is the current device to game on.

I hope that the PS5 will improve the experience for SW fallen order. Awesome game

Ok, thorough article. Now can we stop hearing about this for at least 10 hours now please?

can you play Nintendo Switch games ... mediocre website

I have a few games on the errors list. Guess that puts the ps5 on the waitlist for me.

It will be interesting to see what issues will crop up on the error list games. Was tempted to get Sleeping Dogs in the recent sale, but I think I'll hold off.

I don't care much about the games that might have glitches, except Hellblade. That one makes me sad.

@tinCAT-zer

Its just another console launch not an amazing moment in gaming history.

Ah well Xbox won this next generation as far as backwards compatibility is concerned. I do play old games a lot when I get in to them.

Need for Speed 2015? Noooooooo!

Ugh. Actually quite a few games I own. I guess I still need to Keep my PS4 around for a while then
I hope Sony are learning from Microsoft and trying to fix some of them! I doubt it but there's some first party games on there so there's no excuse!

Assassin's creed Syndicate: you have Shadow issues on the world.
Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash: you have some shader issues on characters BUT only on certain Stages like Peach Beach (Night)
Modern Warfare (2019): Refuses to work when you own the Disc version. will tell you to reinstall the game every time you restart the console. only fix is to download the game to the SSD and keep it there. moving the game to the SSD when it's already installed does not work

@Wormold
I give it one or two years before they stop offering ps4 version for newer games. Not every studios will offer free next gen upgrades for the next two years

If they were to bring back the PS Classics offerings from the PS3 store that would be a big move in piquing my interest for the system again.

One of the biggest disappointments about the PS4 was with how they eliminated that.

Does anyone know if the ps5 version of Borderlands 3 is like waaaaay better than PS4 version on the ps5? I am tempted to use PS4 version because ps5 version only seems to import PS4 characters but not the trophies.

Hi Everyone. Just thought i would share what PS support have told me regarding if you want someone else in your house to have access to your old PS4 on the same PSN as yours. If you are using the same PSN you can't play PS4 games at the same time on both the PS4 and PS5! And even if you have a sub account under your PSN (like a chid account for your kid) then YES you can both play PS4 games on both consoles at the same time BUT your kid will lose all the gamesave data and any progress in games like Fall Guys or Fortnite. So in effect they will start the games from scratch! Not ideal. At times like these i miss the old memory cards from the PS1...

how can i transfer the games i was playing on PS4 to PS5 (the games was on the console not CDs)

The last of Us remastered is whack on PS5 that definitely should be on the list. It crashes and there's mad bugs.playing these games on the PS5 even worse than the original two games played on their corresponding systems. The last of Us part 2 has zero problems on the PS5.

@get2sammyb Shadow Complex remastered physical version from LRG is still not playable. Thought it might be because I'm using the same external hard drive that I was using with the PS4. I removed the external hard drive and tried to install directly to the PS5 but no luck. It says the game is the latest version, but it is version 1.01 instead of 1.02. I would also like to comment that using the same external hard drive that I've been using with the PS4 doesn't work as flawlessly as Sony claim. In the PS5 notifications, I had about 20 games that said they weren't able to copy over and 10 different errors. Unfortunately most of the games and errors said "No title" so I didn't know which games had issues. Luckily I went back to my PS4 and the notifications there told showed me exactly which games were "paused" during copying so they weren't installed all of the way and even which games had errors. I deleted those from the external hard drive on the PS4 and then reconnected the external hard drive to the PS5 before reinstalling them. Now all of my games besides Shadow Complex works. I just wanted to pass along in case others have the same issue.

Not sure if it is a coincidence, but Tuesday when I wrote everything above I also emailed Epic and Chair about the LRG physical version of Shadow Complex not finding the latest update. Today when I got up and turned the PS5 on it notified me that it was downloading an update for Shadow Complex. The physical version works now.

PS5 plays games? Holy cow!

Sony needs to up their game. My son has the Series X and Far Cry 5 and several other game from last gen run at 60fps and look like totally new games. I wish they would implement something similar on the PS5. Far Cry 5 as an example looks the same on the PS5 as it does on the PS4 Pro but on Series X looks like a new game. Hopefully that changes in the next few months if not sooner.

Just ps4 what you forget where you came from. Us gamers built your PlayStation brand on the ps1 ps2 and ps3. Can you not show loyalty to us by giving us an emulation engine to play our ps1/2 and 3 discs on ps5 not just ps4 give us our games back on to the latest console. Its just software!