How PS3 Games Might Soon be Playable on the PS5

It's in the old pots…

We have often read that it was ultimately not that important, however, each rumor concerning the backward compatibility of games from an old console on a more recent machine ignites the Internet. Even if Sony adds ports of “old” PlayStation games in the PS Plus Premium catalog, there is still no solution to launch your PS1, PS2, PS3, or even PSP and Vita titles, on the latest hardware released by the Japanese manufacturer.

On the Xbox side, since the days of the Xbox One, it has been possible to launch a small portion of Xbox games (Original) and a comfortable selection of Xbox 360 titles. Despite persistent rumors in 2020 predicting almost total backward compatibility with software from old PlayStations, the PlayStation 5 ultimately does not allow us to put our PS3 Blu-Rays to replay old games that we own. Maybe this could change soon.

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The future in retro

The latest rumors circulating on the Internet, taken up by Gamer, want Sony's latest console to soon be able to play PS3 games. The rumor comes from Shpeshal_Nick, a well-known insider who has often been right about future Sony announcements. Recently, he revealed almost all the content of a Sony Direct. In an episode of the XboxEra podcast, he claims that the Japanese group is working on backward compatibility of PS3 games on PS5.

According to what is said, the manufacturer would have planned to do like Microsoft and would offer a “selection” of hand-picked PS3 titles compatible with the PS5. How could this play out? Could there be successive waves of titles added every month? Could the software in question benefit from technical improvements thanks to the power of the console? “I didn't get any more details than that. Will there be an improvement in refresh rate? I've no idea” replies Shpeshal_Nick. “All I've heard is that Sony is working on selective backwards compatibility with the PlayStation 3” he said. We will now have to wait for clarification from Sony. But who knows? Maybe with a little luck, you'll soon be able to (re)play Killzone 2, Resistance or even Metal Gear Solid 4 on your PlayStation 5.