In just 2 months the new PlayStation 5 will celebrate its release. Many are looking forward not only to the new PS5 launch titles but also to some of their old favorites in new splendor. But what does it actually look like? Will all games really benefit from the new hardware?
Here’s what many are looking forward to: After Sony recently announced the release date and the price of the new PlayStation 5, and the PS5 could already be pre-ordered in 2 waves, for many the only important question remains: What will be played at release?
While some are looking forward to one or the other launch title, there are also players like our shooter expert Sven Galitzki, who are more excited for some of their old PS4 gems in fresh attire. But will all your previous favorites really look better on the PS5?
Which old PlayStation games can be played on the PS5?
Games via the PS5 backward compatibility: You will be able to enjoy old games on the PS5 through backward compatibility. Recently, Sony finally provided clarity regarding the backward compatibility feature of the PlayStation 5.
This means that the PS5 will be backward compatible with 99% of all PS4 games tested at launch. This applies to games on physical media as well as digital versions from the PS Store. However, we do not know exactly how many games have been tested so far.
Unfortunately, it looks bad for games from older PlayStation generations. The PS5 will not be backward compatible with the PS1, PS2, and PS3.
PS Plus Collection at the launch of the PS5: PS Plus subscribers who get a PlayStation 5 can look forward to a small bonus in the form of 18 PS4 gems right at the launch of Sony’s next-gen console: PlayStation Plus for PS5: These 18 games are available for free at launch
Do all old games look better on the PS5?
Even though the PS5 can boast a native 4K resolution as well as additional graphics power and a lightning-fast SSD – not everyone has a 4K TV or a 4K monitor. And not every old PS4 game will visibly benefit from all the new features compared to the PlayStation 4.
This is likely the case for the majority of old PS4 games: Many games will be running on the PS5 thanks to backward compatibility from day 1, but will remain at the technical standard of the best last-gen platform (except possibly for resolution). While there are likely to be fewer problems like frame rate drops, anyone expecting new graphics standards, high-resolution textures, or new effects everywhere will likely be disappointed.
Take The Division 2 as an example. The developers have already stated in a dev vlog that they do not plan to adjust The Division 2 specifically for next-gen (for now?). While the game will run on the PS5 from day 1 thanks to backward compatibility, it will only be at the best level of last-gen – that is, at the level of the PS4 Pro (or the Xbox One X at Microsoft).
And so it is likely to be the case for most of the thousands of old PS4 games that are supposed to run on the PS5, for which no explicit next-gen upgrades have been mentioned or announced so far.
These games will receive a free upgrade: However, there will also be games that will receive a next-gen upgrade either on day 1 or at a later time, thus additionally benefiting from the power of the new hardware.
For example, Destiny 2 will offer true 4K resolution and 60 FPS on the PS5 through the upgrade. Rainbow Six Siege will even offer 4K and 120 FPS. Numerous games will thus enjoy a higher native resolution, additional graphic effects, and a higher frame rate.
According to the current status, these PS4 games will receive a free next-gen upgrade on the PS5:
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- Atelier Ryza 2
- Borderlands 3
- Cyberpunk 2077 (a further, more robust update is also supposed to come later)
- Dead by Daylight
- Destiny 2
- DiRT 5
- Doom Eternal
- Far Cry 6
- FIFA 21 (before FIFA 22 is released)
- Fortnite
- For Honor
- Grounded
- Grand Theft Auto Online
- Hitman 3
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- Immortals Fenyx Rising
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Little Nightmares 2
- Madden NFL 21
- Maneater
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Outriders
- Planet Coaster: Console Edition
- Puyo-Puyo Tetris 2
- Riders Republic
- RIDE 4
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure
- Spider-Man Miles Morales
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
- Watch Dogs: Legion
- WRC 9
- Yakuza: Like A Dragon
(Last updated on: October 19, 2020)
More titles may be added before the launch. We will update the article then. By the way, if we have overlooked an announced free next-gen upgrade, feel free to let us know in the comments. We can still expand this list then.
And if you are buying new games for the PS4 as disc versions right before the PS5 release and want to know if they will receive a next-gen upgrade, look for the packaging. It will state “PS5 Upgrade available” for the corresponding titles.
For some upgrades, you will have to pay: However, there will also be games that will receive a next-gen upgrade but will have additional costs associated with it – such as
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Control (The upgrade is only available with the purchase of the Special Edition)
- NBA 2K21 (with the purchase of the Mamba Forever Edition)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man (the remaster is only available for buyers of Spider-Man Miles Morales)
Other games could also be added to this list before the PS5 launch. More about this can be found here: PS5: These PS4 games are charging you extra for next-gen upgrades
Also interesting – These are the launch titles of the PS5: While these games are not new, many players are already looking forward to them: These are all confirmed launch titles for the PlayStation 5 so far
And although the PS5 has already been extensively introduced, it has even been available for pre-order in two waves and is already sold out, many important questions about Sony’s new next-gen console are still unanswered. What questions are still on your mind regarding the PlayStation 5? Our shooter expert Sven Galitzki still wants answers to these 7 questions as soon as possible:
