Sony Details PS5 Backwards Compatibility

Over on the PlayStation Blog, Sony has detailed exactly how backwards compatibility will work when the PlayStation 5 is finally out in the wild. The subject of backwards compatibility has been a big question for gamers looking to purchase the PS5 ever since Mark Cerny briefly talked about it during his “Road To PS5” presentation earlier this year, so it’s great to finally get some answers.

The PS5 will only be backwards compatible with the PS4, and according to Sony, more than 99% of the 4000+ titles that are available on the PS4 can be played on the PS5. Any games that are not playable on the PS5 will be marked as “Playable on: PS4 only” on the PlayStation Store. A support page that provides some more details about backwards compatibility on the PS5 has a list of the games that will be PS4 only. They are:

• 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

While these are the only games listed, Sony notes that the list is subject to change and excludes demos, media, and non-game applications.

Some of your PS4 games will also get a boost from the PS5 hardware. Sony says that select titles will receive increased load times and take advantage of Game Boost, a feature that will improve or stabilize frame rates. In addition, some games with dynamic resolution up to 4K will have better visuals. PS4 games will also be able to take advantage of the features that the PS5’s user experience will provide, though Sony says details regarding that will come at a later date. Sucker Punch has stated that Ghost of Tsushima will take advantage of Game Boost, allowing the game to reach 60fps and have even faster load times. Any game that you play through streaming over Remote Play or PS Now will not take advantage of Game Boost though.

When it comes to your bringing your games over, things are actually pretty simple. If you have the PS5 Digital Edition, you’ll be able to play your PS4 digital purchases on the new console. If you have the PS5 with a disk drive, you can play both your physical and digital games on the PS5, though if you want to play a game you own physically, you need to have the disc in the system while you are playing it. And you also don’t have to worry if you have any games that you got through PS Plus or PS Now, as any that are backwards compatible on PS5 will work with no issue.

PSVR games will be playable on PS5 as well. Doing so will require having a PSVR, a DualShock 4 controller or PS Move controllers, and a PS Camera for PS4. The new PS HD Camera that’s releasing alongside the PS5 will not work with PSVR, so you must use the PS Camera and its adapter in order to use PSVR on the PS5.

You’ll also be able to easily transfer any of your digital games and your game saves over to the PS5. This can be done either through the internet, or by using an external storage device. PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to bring any cloud saves they have over to the PS5 too. Sony notes that the decision to transfer save files from PS4 to PS5 is a developer one, so it’s not a guarantee that every game will allow you to transfer your saves to the PS5.

Earlier this week we got a teardown of the system, revealing exactly why Sony designed the PS5 the way they did. With backwards compatibility being broken down for us, all that remains is to see the new UI and UX that the PS5 will offer players. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer to get that last piece of the puzzle.