PS5 backwards compatibility may require updates to support more PS4 games

(Image credit: Insomniac Games)

The PS5's backwards compatibility feature may require system updates to enable users to play more PS4 games, according to a now-deleted post by PlayStation Iceland.

Spotted on Reddit (via GamesRadar), PlayStation Iceland's official PS5 page was recently updated and stated that players will be able to "play a back catalog of supported PS4 games with [a] system update".

However, this sentence has since been removed, suggesting that either the information wasn't meant to be shared quite yet, or that it was a mistake altogether.

PS5 backwards compatibility: what we know so far

(Image credit: Sony)

We already knew that the PS5 will be backwards-compatible with "almost all" of the top 100 PS4 games at launch, but PS5 backwards compatibility will not end there. According to the company, an "overwhelming majority" of the more than 4,000 PS4 games available will also be playable on the PS5.

The deleted sentence suggests that, while those 100 PS4 games will be available at launch, system updates will need to be introduced to expand the PS5 backwards-compatibility library - possibly over time. This means that we could see more PS4 games becoming playable on the PS5 every few weeks, a similar approach to that which Microsoft took with the Xbox One.

Microsoft recently shared details of how Xbox Series X backwards compatibility will work. In an Xbox Wire post, Jason Ronald, director of program management for Xbox Series X, revealed that the new Xbox will launch with thousands of games, across four generations of Xbox.

Not only that, but these games will "play better than ever before" thanks to Microsoft's new HDR reconstruction technique and the Xbox Series X's Quick Resume feature. In addition, the Xbox Series X's powerful specs will enable select backwards-compatible titles to run at higher resolutions or double the frame rate.

Meanwhile, it doesn't seem like the PS5 is backwards compatible with PS3, PS2 or PlayStation - only PS4.

Hopefully we'll find out more during Sony's rumored PS5 games reveal event on June 3.

Vic Hood
Associate Editor, TechRadar Gaming

Vic is TechRadar Gaming's Associate Editor. An award-winning games journalist, Vic brings experience from IGN, Eurogamer and more to the TechRadar table. You may have even heard her on the radio or speaking on a panel. Not only is Vic passionate about games, but she's also an avid mental health advocate who has appeared on both panels and podcasts to discuss mental health awareness. Make sure to follow her on Twitter for more.