We know Sony’s PlayStation 5 will be capable of playing an “overwhelming majority” of PS4 titles. But on Friday, the company revealed which games work on the new console.
Fortunately, the list only includes 10 games—none of which are hugely popular on the PS4. They include:
- 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
The company published the list alongside a Friday blog post delving into details about the PS5’s backwards compatibility with PS4 games.
“We are focused on the huge catalog of games on PlayStation 4, and we’re pleased that more than 99 percent of PS4 games will be playable on PS5 on day one,” writs Sony Interactive Entertainment VP Hideaki Nishino.
As a result, PS5 owners will be able to enjoy over 4,000 PS4 titles on the new console when it arrives Nov. 12. If you own the standard PS5, which contains the Blu-ray disc drive, you can simply slot in a PS4 game disc into the system to play it.
For digital PS4 games, you can download them to the console via your account on the PlayStation Store. “When you sign in to PS5 with your account for PlayStation Network, you will automatically see your library of played PS4 content through the menu,” Nishino added.
There's a good reason to play your PS4 titles on the new console. In some cases, the faster hardware onboard is capable of rendering the old games with better performance. Which games will get the uplift wasn't revealed today, but Nishino said: “Select PS4 titles will see increased loading speeds on the PS5 console, and will also leverage Game Boost, offering improved or more stable frame rates. Some titles with unlocked frame rates or dynamic resolution up to 4K may see higher fidelity.”
One PS4 game to the get the uplift is Ghosts of Tsushima. The game's developer confirmed today that the PS5 will be able to render the samurai action-adventure title at 60 frames per second.
That said, the backwards compatibility on the PS5 won’t always be perfect. Sony says some PS4 titles “may exhibit errors or unexpected behavior” when running on the next-generation hardware. Certain functionalities in the game may also not be available when playing it on the PS5.
The other issue is your game saves. Nishino's blog post mentions a variety of ways you can transfer PS4 game saves to a PS5, including the option to simply bring them over using an external USB storage device. But he also notes: "The ability to transfer game saves between a PS4 version and a PS5 version of the same game is a developer decision, and will vary title by title for cross-generational games."
So don't be surprised if Sony still needs time to iron out the console's backwards compatibility. The company's support document on the feature is also advising users to first try out the PS4 game on a PS5 to see if they’re happy with the experience before making add-on purchases for the title.