Atif Qazi
The question of backward compatibility is one that often comes up when you want to enjoy your favorite older titles on newer-gen consoles.
If you are planning on buying a PS5, one of the burning questions for those with the desire to relive their old adventures is “Can you play PS3 games on PS5?”
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is a no, generally speaking. In other words, if you have a disc-based PS3 game, it will NOT work on PS5 at all.
However, there is a possibility that you may still be able to play PS3 games on PS5 through the PS Now service.
In the following text, I will shed some more light on the concept of backward compatibility on PS5.
How Does Backward Compatibility on PS5 Work?
As far as the official notice goes, PS5 is ONLY fully backward compatible with PS4 games.
The PlayStation®5 console is backward compatible with the overwhelming majority of PlayStation®4 games. – PlayStation.com
This means that if you were to insert a PS4 disc into PS5, it will work.
Similarly, if you have a digital version of PS4 games, you should be able to play it on PS5 by downloading it via your PSN account.
Things, however, get unfortunate when you look into the prospects of playing PS3 games on PS5.
So Can You Play PS3 Games on PS5?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is a no, generally speaking.
Meaning if you have PS3 disc-based games, you cannot simply insert the disc in PS5 and expect it to work.
However, there are two ways that you could be able to enjoy your old favorite titles:
1. Playing Remasters
One of the ways you can still enjoy your old PS3 games is to get their PS4 remasters.
Many popular games of PS3 were remastered and re-released for PS4 with improved graphics.
Take for instance the God of War III remastered. This was originally a PS3 game that was re-released on PS4 with improved graphics as a standalone game.
And since PS4 disc-based games CAN work on PS5, the PS3 remasters for PS4 will certainly work on PS5 too.
2. Gettings the PlayStation Now Subscription
PlayStation Now is Sony’s answer to the growing trend of cloud gaming.
This subscription allows you to stream or download games that are made available to the vast library available on this service.
As such, there are many older titles such as those from PS3 and PS2 generation available on this subscription as well.
For instance, the entire God of War series is available on PSNow that you can play on PS5.
You do, however, have to pay for the subscription. It costs:
- $9.99 per month
- $24.99 for every three months
- $59.99 per year
You also get a 7-day trial.
Note that this is an additional cost to your PlayStation Plus subscription. In other words, PS Plus and PSNow are not the same services.
Once you have bought the subscription:
- Head over to PlayStation Now on PS5 through Home Screen
- Head over to “Collections”
- Select PS3 Games
It should be noted that PS2 games and PS3 games on this service CANNOT be downloaded.
They can ONLY be streamed.
The only downloadable titles are the PS4 games.
The Internet Connection Must be Very Stable
It is worth noting that since PS3 games can ONLY be streamed on PS5, your internet connection will have to be excellent.
If you do not have a consistent internet connection or if you have a slow download speed, then the gameplay will suffer from stutters and low-quality resolution.
And of course, this also entails that you CANNOT play PS3 games on PS5 offline.
List of PS3 Games on PS5 Through PS Now
Here is a list of a few popular titles from PS4 that you can play on PS5 through the PSNow Subscription:
- Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution
- Siren: Blood Curse
- Batman Arkham Origins
- Resistance 3
- Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
- Bionic Commando Rearmed
- Devil May Cry HD Collection
- Tokyo Jungle
- Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack
- Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate
- Saints Row 2
- LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
- Fallout 3
- XCOM: Enemy Within
- Darkstalkers Resurrection
- inFAMOUS 2
- God of War Collection
- Resident Evil 4 HD
- Red Dead Redemption
- The Last of Us
- Bioshock
- Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
- Yakuza 5
Can You Download PS3 Games on PS5?
Again, as mentioned earlier, PS3 games available on PS5 via the PS Now subscription can ONLY be streamed.
As such, they cannot be downloaded.
Save Files from PS3 on PS5
It is also worth pointing out here that you can bring your saved files from PS3 to PSNow by using the PS Plus cloud storage service.
So basically you will need to save your PS3 data on to the cloud storage via the PS Plus service.
The saved files will now be accessible when you play the same PS3 game via the PS Now streaming service.
Also Read: When Will PS3 Games Work on PS5?
Final Words
The answer to the question “Can you play PS3 games on PS5?” is typically a no. This is because physical PS3 copies are not supported on PS5.
However, if you are adamant or reliving the past adventures of your favorite PS3 game, then you can try your luck using the PS Now subscription.
Just know that there are only a handful of PS3 games available for you to stream on PS5 via the PSNow service.
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