PS5 will be backward compatible with 99% of PS4 games

With Sony finally revealing the price and release date of their latest next-gen console during their PlayStation 5 Showcase, the battle between PlayStation and Xbox has come in full swing as PlayStation5 will also challenge Xbox Series X in the realm of backward compatibility.

That the PlayStation 5 would offer backward compatibility has been known for some time now. Just how many PlayStation 4 games it would support, however, has been a mystery, until now. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has confirmed that the majority of PS4 titles will also be playable on PS5. Ryan even went as far as to claim that 99 percent of the said games from PS4 will benefit from PS5’s backward compatibility feature.

Jim Ryan also made mention of Sony’s continued support and updates for the PS4 even after the much-anticipated release of Sony’s next-generation console in November. Ryan stated the importance of this community and that updates and support will continue on for “three or four years”

“Many will transition to PS5, we hope if we do our job well, but tens of millions will still be engaged with the PS4,” Ryan added, explaining the importance of this transitionary period for both PlayStation and Sony.

There were, however, no announcements or hints made towards backward compatibility support for previous Sony consoles such as the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and the original PlayStation.

In comparison, Xbox’s backward compatibility feature differs for both Series X and Series S with Series X allowing up to 4K resolution of playing older games while it’s less expensive counterpart settling in for a 1440P resolution but allows backward compatibility to titles even dating back from the Xbox 360 era.

An in-depth discussion of Xbox’s Series X and Series S backward compatibility is linked below. (Read: Xbox Series S will not support Series X backwards compatibility enhancements)

PS4 game collection coming to PlayStation Plus owners on PS5

Sony has also announced a bundled collection of the PS4’s finest under the “PlayStation Plus Collection” for the PS5. Active PS Plus subscribers will be granted access to the collection which includes critically acclaimed titles including The Last of Us: Remastered, God of War and Bloodborne among many other titles.

Listed below are the titles included in the PlayStation Plus Collection as shown in their reveal trailer:

• God of War
• Bloodborne
• Monster Hunter World
• Final Fantasy XV
• Fallout 4
• Mortal Kombat X
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
• Ratchet and Clank
• Days Gone
• Until Dawn
• Detroit: Become Human
• Battlefield 1
• inFAMOUS: Second Son
• Batman Arkham Knight
• The Last Guardian
• The Last of Us: Remastered
• Persona 5
• Resident Evil: Biohazard

This collection of “generation-defining” games will be available to PS5 owners during its launch date on the 12th of November.

With this move, Sony seems to be looking to challenge to rival Xbox’s Game Pass after the latter made rounds on the internet with its xCloud gaming services and streaming feature on top of the massive 150-game roster.