Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation 5 won’t be backwards compatible past the PlayStation 4. If you were hoping that, like Xbox, PlayStation had built up a back-catalogue of retro games you could play from day one of the PS5 launch, you’re sadly out of luck.
The news comes from PlayStation top dog, Jim Ryan, who recently confirmed that the next console will only be able to play PS4 and PS5 games.
Confirming the news to Famitsu [translated by Siliconera], Ryan admitted there’s no capability for PS5 to play PS1, PS2 or PS3 games.
“We keep in mind the engineering specialized for the PS5, as we produced the device,” Ryan told the publication.
“In the midst of that, the PS4 already has 100 million players; we thought they ought to want to play PS4 titles on the PlayStation 5 as well indeed, so we included compatibility with the PS4. While implementing that, we also focused our efforts on taking in the high-speed SSD and the new controller DualSense at the same time. So, unfortunately, we couldn’t reach the implementation of such compatibilities.”
While it’s definitely sad news, it’s good to see that PS4 support will remain in place. However, it’s still a blow considering that Xbox Series X will have games from all of is previous generations available from day one with Xbox Games Pass.
In related news, it’s been confirmed that next-gen games such as Horizon Forbidden West will even be available on PS4, giving gamers more breathing room when it comes to making the leap to next-gen.
Both editions of PS5 – the Digital Edition and the regular – will roll out in select markets including North America and Japan on November 12, followed by Europe and additional regions on November 19.
The PS5 Digital Edition will be available for a recommended retail price (RRP) of £359.99 GBP/$399.99 USD, and PS5 with an Ultra HD Blu-ray™ disc drive will be available for an RRP of £449.99 GBP/$499.99 USD.
Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games/Sony