PlayStation 5 will officially release worldwide during the holiday season at the end of the year and while Sony is yet to confirm the launch lineup, know that the included games will not have cross-generation support. Hence, next-generation buyers will have to choose from PlayStation 5-only games that will not be compatible with the then previous-generation PlayStation 4 console.
The confirmation comes through well-known (and reliable) journalist Jason Schreier who stated so in the latest podcast (around the 29:00 mark) of Kotaku Splitscreen. His sources have always proven to be on point and hence, for the time being, you can forget about any of the PlayStation 5 launch games running on PlayStation 4 or even older models for that matter.
Take note that the cross-generation support will only cover next-generation exclusives. Games inbound by third-party developers and publishers like Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 6 should still run on PlayStation 4. However, the next God of War for example, will apparently release for PlayStation 5 only.
On that note, competitor Microsoft is going for a completely opposite approach by having as many games on as many devices as possible. Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, recently stated that Xbox Series X exclusives will be cross-generation-supported for at least the first year.
Microsoft is not interested in locking down its player-base or forcing players to choose between generations. Games included in the launch lineup, as well as those arriving down the road, will run fine on both Xbox Series X and Xbox One. There will obviously be some difference in performance based on how much power the next generation will be bringing. However, players wanting to stick with their older-generation console will still be able to play the new and upcoming games, which will naturally be highly appreciated.
Like PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X will also release worldwide during the holiday season at the end of the year. Microsoft has already confirmed a few next-generation games like Halo Infinite and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. Sony only recently confirmed Godfall by Counterplay Games exclusively for PlayStation 5. The game is pegged to be revealed around March at the earliest and where the developer will be detailing the gameplay, which mixes drop-in co-op with loot-based melee-focused combat.
