When Will PS3 Games Work on PS5?

Ever since the PS5 console launched back in late 2020, one question has been bothering a lot of its loyal consumers and that is the question of PS5’s backward compatibility with the older PS3 games.

We know PS5 does NOT support PS3 games either in digital or in disc-based form. But seeing that PS5’s rival, the Xbox Series S/X, DO offer support for not just Xbox One, but also for the older Xbox 360 games, it makes PS players wonder “When will PS3 games work on PS5?”

Unfortunately, the answer to the question is PROBABLY NEVER. This has to do with the fact that there is a tremendous difference between PS5’s and PS3’s console architecture.

I know this isn’t the answer you came looking for, but there is SOME good news in the form of PS Now.

In the following article, I will explain why PS3 may never be supported on PS5 and how you can use PS Now to play some PS3 games out there.

PS5 and Its Backward Compatibility

When PS5 was released, many were expecting it to work with all of the older-gen console games, as has always been the case with its Xbox rival.

However, it came as a surprise to many when Sony stated:

The PlayStation®5 console is backward compatible with the overwhelming majority of PlayStation®4 games. – PlayStation.com

And

PS5 consoles do not support PlayStation®3 discs.

This unequivocal statement made it clear that PS3 games are NOT supported on PS5 consoles at all.

This suggests that PS5 is not a wholly backward-compatible console.

PS5 Has Updated Its Firmware Overtime

Things with gaming consoles are NOT hard and fast.

We have seen this case with PS5’s support for different displays and resolutions.

For instance, when PS5 was first released back in 2020, it did not have support for 1440P resolution.

However, in September of last year, we saw the much-coveted update that released support for native 1440P resolution.

Another follow-up example is that when 1440P resolution support was released, it did NOT support the VRR feature. However, this changed with another update in 2023 (update 7.0).

So does this give us some glimmer of hope that perhaps in the future PS5 may release support for PS3 games?

Well, unfortunately, I would not bet on it. Here’s why:

So When Will PS3 Games Work on PS5?

Probably never. While we cannot have a definitive answer for certain, we can see with a very high probability that native backward compatibility support for PS3 games on PS5 will never arrive.

Here are the reasons why:

1. PS4 is a Precedent

We know from the older PS4 generation that it was the first PS console that did not offer any backward compatibility at all.

PS4 was not compatible with PS3, or PS2 games.

And it stayed this way until its end.

Neither the original nor the subsequent version (PS4 Slim, PS4 Pro) offered support for PS3 games at all.

The only time they supported PS3 games was when developers actually made remastered versions of the same game on PS4. God of War 3 is an example.

So if we follow PS4’s precedence, we can be certain that PS5 will probably never release support for PS3.

2. PS3 Has a Completely Different Architecture

So the biggest reason why PS5 and PS4 did not offer support for PS3 is due to the huge architecture difference.

The underlying architecture of the PS3 is cited as the major reason Sony hasn’t pursue backwards compatibility in the PS4 and PS5 – Kotaku.com.au

Just as PS5 share a different architecture as compared to Window PC or Xbox, it shares a completely different architecture as compared to PS3.

Hence, both consoles are intrinsically incompatible.

3. It is Upto the Developers to Remaster Games

The only way PS3 games can be supported on PS5 natively is if the developers choose to remaster the game.

For this, the developer will certainly take the cost and profit into account. In the vast majority of cases, the monetary returns will not be sufficient for a remaster of a PS3 game on PS5.

Even if were sufficient, remasters often come out as standalone games that you would need to buy again.

So if you have a PS3 game, it will NOT automatically be transferred to the remastered version (if it were ever made); you’d have to buy the remastered version of the same game again.

You Can Play PS3 Games on PS Now

Fortunately, all is not lost.

If you can pay an extra few bucks for the PS Now subscription, you can get to enjoy the PS3 games on PS5.

Think of PS Now as the Netflix for PS5 games. It is a cloud-based gaming system whereby you can download games or stream directly from the cloud.

You can in fact play many PS3 games by streaming them directly from the cloud.

So while the games are not downloaded onto the console, you can still enjoy many older PS3 titles online.

The subscription costs:

• $9.99 per month
• $24.99 for every three months
• $59.99 per year

List of PS3 Games Available on PS5 Through PS Now

While there is only a fraction of PS3 games available on PS Now service, there are some great gems to be found. Some of the games include:

• 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 SuperHeroes
• 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

Final Words

So the simple answer to the question “When will PS3 games work on PS5?” which we can drive through the discussion above is never.

We will never get to see native PS3 game support on PS5.

However, we can expect the list of games PS3 games on PS Now to grow. Unfortunately, you will have to pay a monthly subscription fee to access the PS3 games on PS Now.