I’ve been an ardent Sony fangirl and a devoted PlayStation gamer since the first PS was released in the United States in 1995, and I want to be able to play as many of my old games on my new system as possible.
Sure, I’ll be able to load up certain PS4 games and play them, but what about my beloved PS3 titles? What about my beloved Skyrim, which I purchased for the PS3 when it first came out?
Is it possible to play PS3 games on a PS5? Will PS2 games run on the PS5? Is it possible to play PS3 games on a PS5 with PS Now?
These are things I’ve been dying to know, so I started looking into what my PS5 will and won’t be able to play.
Here’s what I discovered.
Is PS5 Backwards Compatible? [ANSWERED!]
PS4 games are currently backward compatible with Sony’s PS5. There are a few PS3 titles that can be accessed through the PlayStation Now service as well. Currently, any PS3 pick in the PS5 shop will take you to a PSN version of a game like Dead or Alive.
So, will I be able to play PS1 games on my PS5?
What is the extent of the PS5’s backward compatibility?
And how would the impending Spartacus – Sony’s new game streaming service – affect all of this?
Is it possible that this is merely a visual glitch? How many PSN games can you download instead of streaming? What does the future hold for PS5 compatibility?
Continue reading to learn more about what I uncovered during my study.
Is the PlayStation 5 backward compatible with the PlayStation 1?
Backward compatibility between the PS5 and the original PlayStation is not available.
While Microsoft provides a significant edge in terms of backward compatibility (with the Xbox Series X, which supports many Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles), the PS5 does not support any original PlayStation games.
The PS3 was the last PlayStation platform to have backward compatibility with PS1 games.
Is it possible to play PS2 games on a PS5?
Backward compatibility between the PS5 and the original PlayStation is not available.
While Microsoft provides a significant edge in terms of backward compatibility (with the Xbox Series X, which supports many Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles), the PS5 does not support any original PlayStation games.
The PS3 was the last PlayStation platform to have backward compatibility with PS1 games.
Is the PlayStation 5 backward compatible with the PlayStation 3?
The PlayStation 5 is not designed to be backward compatible with the PlayStation 3.
However, according to recent rumors, a few PS3 games have appeared on the PS5 shop.
These links currently only take users to the PlayStation Now versions of these games.
What’s the deal with PS3 games showing up on the PS5 store?
As of right now, you won’t be able to buy those PS3 games in the PS5 shop like you typically would.
A new patent from PS5 lead designer Mark Cerny, though, appears to be at the center of it all.
This appears to imply that gamers will be able to purchase PS3 games for use on the PS5.
What exactly is Spartacus?
Spartacus comes to mind as a result of this.
Sony began deleting its PS Now retail cards in January 2022, in preparation for the release of Spartacus, a game-buying system that would essentially combine PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus.
This positions it to compete with Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass.
Spartacus is said to be divided into three tiers: Essential, Extra, and Premium (whose names might be subject to change before Spartacus debuts).
Essential is reported to cost $10 per month and provides users with a modest selection of games to choose from each month.
Extra provides a larger selection of titles for $3 more, making it more similar to PSN.
Premium is reported to give users access to some vintage PlayStation games as well as free trials of brand new titles.
The monthly fee is fixed at $16.
As Sony progresses on this project, more information is expected to emerge around March 2022.
Is it possible to download games from PSN rather than needing to
broadcast them?
PlayStation Now was introduced in January of 2014, and it now has about 3.2 million subscribers from all over the world.
Unfortunately, PSN has been unable to compete with Microsoft in this area.
On PlayStation Now, there are roughly 800 titles to pick from, but the vast majority of them are only accessible to stream.
Only about 300 of these games are available for download.
These games are compatible with PS3 and PS5 consoles.
Is it possible that the appearance of PS3 games in the PS5 shop is genuine? Is this a visual glitch similar to those we’ve encountered in the store in the past? Only time will tell if this is true.
Closing Thoughts
Backward compatibility on the PS5 is currently limited to PS4 games.
Sure, we PlayStation gamers have had it rough, but with the future reforms promised by Spartacus, there is at least a ray of hope.
Sony will have to – ahem – boost their game if they want to compete with Microsoft.
That means allowing us to play all of our old favorites on a fresh platform.
After all, this is what we, the players, are searching for.
