While Sony has already made clear that the PlayStation 5 won"t be compatible with PS1, PS2, and PS3 games, we haven"t heard anything concrete about support for PS4 games, until now. The company has now published a support page detailing how backward compatibility for PS4 games will work on its next-gen console.
First up, almost all the 4000+ PS4 games will be supported on the PS5, although Sony has stated that some might have limited functionality and "exhibit errors or unexpected behavior" on its upcoming console. As such, the company has stated that before purchasing DLCs and add-ons for PS4 games, it is recommended that you boot up the game on the PS5 and see if you"re happy with the experience first.
Furthermore, Sony has also published a tentative list of PS4 games that are not playable at all on the PS5. These 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
It has also clarified that select PS4 games will take advantage of PS5"s "Game Boost" to run games at higher or smoother frame rates. It"s not yet clear which titles will take advantage of this capability of the console.
Digital games and their associated saves can be transferred to the PS5 over Wi-Fi and you can also pop in a PS4 game disc into the $499 console to play it. Moreover, the firm has detailed peripheral compatibility with the PS5. The highlights from that section are that both DualShock 4 and DualSense controllers can be used with PS4 games on PS5 but the former is recommended for the best experience. However, the DualShock 4 will not support PS5 games.
Lastly, here are some other limitations of PS4 backward compatibility on PS5:
- The SHARE menu cannot be displayed during PS4 gameplay on PS5 consoles. You can take screenshots and images by pressing the create button on your DualSense wireless controller to show the create menu. Additionally, you can use the button shortcuts to start/stop video recording or to save screenshots as follows:
- Single press the create (DualSense) or SHARE button (DualShock 4) to show the create menu
- Press and hold the create (DualSense) or SHARE button (DualShock 4) to take a screenshot
- Double press the create (DualSense) or SHARE button (DualShock 4) to start and stop video recording manually
- The HD Camera is not compatible with PS4 games – please connect a PlayStation Camera via a PlayStation®Camera adaptor.
- HDR is automatically switched on for PS5 consoles. To turn off HDR, go to Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > HDR and select SDR.
- The PS4 tournaments feature is not supported on PS5 consoles.
- In-Game Live from PlayStation is not supported on PS5 consoles.
- PS5 consoles do not support the PS4 Second Screen app or game companion apps.
You can find out more details by visiting the company"s knowledge article here.