The launch of the PlayStation 5 comes with added excitement in the form of backward compatibility. All of the PS4 games you own will be playable on the PS5 without needing to pay for another copy of the game. However, there is, even more, to be excited about. A selection of PS4 games will be getting an upgrade to take advantage of the increased power that the PS5 has.
When the PS4 Pro launched, we saw several games get a patch that gave them increased performance to take advantage of the improved hardware. We will be seeing a similar approach with the PS5 but in some cases, we may end up seeing an entirely new download that will offer a new set of textures and assets to make the games you love look even better!
PS4 Games With Free PS5 Upgrades
Since the launch of the console is still down the road, we do not know for sure the exact implementation of the upgrades. We may get a patch that downloads automatically, we may get a downloadable DLC on the PS Store, similar to what we had for the HD texture pack with Borderlands. We may even see an entirely new game that is unlocked for free if you own the game on PS4 as we saw with the Minecraft upgrade for PS4.
The table below contains a list of PS4 games that will be getting an upgrade on the PS5. Owners of these games will be able to get the upgrade for free. There are a few games that have some terms and conditions applied to them in order to get the upgrade for free.
Note: I will update this table as new games are confirmed and as developers announce the performance metrics we will get for the various games on PS5. For the moment, you can expect 4k 60fps for the majority of PS4 games that are getting a PS5 upgrade.
| Game | PS5 | PS4 Pro | PS4 | Notes |
| Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | – | 30fps | 30fps | |
| Borderlands 3 | 4K 60fps | Full HD, Performance Mode 4K, 30fps | Full HD 30fps | |
| Control | – | 4K, HDR, 30fps | Full HD 30fps | Only free if you have purchased Control: Ultimate Edition |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | – | – | – | |
| Dead by Daylight | 4K, HDR, 60fps | – | – | |
| Destiny 2 | 4K, HDR, 60fps | 4K, HDR, 30fps | Full HD, HDR, 30fps | |
| DIRT 5 | 4K HDR 120fps | 4K, HDR, 60fps | Full HD, HDR, 60fps | |
| DOOM Eternal | – | 4K, HDR, 60fps | Full HD 60fps | |
| Far Cry 6 | – | – | – | |
| FIFA 21 | – | – | – | |
| Hitman 3 | – | – | – | Only applies to digital version |
| Horizon Forbidden West | – | – | – | |
| Immortals Fenyx Rising | – | – | – | |
| Kena: Bridge of Spirits | – | – | – | |
| Madden NFL 21 | – | – | – | |
| Maneater | 4K, 60fps | 30fps | 30fps | |
| Marvel’s Avengers | 4K, 30fps Dynamic 4K, 60fps | 30fps | 30fps | |
| Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales | – | – | – | |
| Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom | 4K 120fps | Full HD 60fps | Full HD 60fps | |
| NBA 2K21 | – | – | – | Requires you to have purchased the Mamba Forever Edition |
| Riders Republic | – | – | – | |
| Sackboy: A Big Adventure | – | – | – | |
| Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege | 4K HDR 120fps | 4K, HDR, 60fps | Full HD, HDR, 60fps | |
| The Elder Scrolls Online | – | 4K, HDR, 30fps | Full HD, HDR, 30fps | |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | – | 4K HDR 30fp | Full HD, HDR, 30fp | |
| Watch Dogs Legion | – | – | – | |
| WRC 9 | – | – | – | |
Note: Some of the games above are missing performance metrics on PS4 and PS5 because the games have not yet been released.
How Can I Access the PS5 Game Upgrades?
We do not have confirmation on this yet, however, we expect it to be different based on the game. In the past, we have seen 3 different methods of game upgrades and we suspect all of the PS4 games that are getting PS5 upgrades to get upgraded using one or more of the following methods.
- Upgrade Patch: A simple game patch that will download automatically for the game. This may add some additional configurable settings that allow the user to modify framerate and resolution. There may also be additional lighting and rendering techniques added.
- Texture DLC: Textures in the standard game may be limited to a certain size. We may get an HD texture pack that installs high-resolution textures for the game to improve the visual quality.
- New Game Download: In some cases, there may be a release of a game for PS4 and PS5. Anyone who purchases the PS4 version of the game will instantly gain access to the PS5 version of the game that they can download from the store. This version of the game will contain all of the high res textures and features to take advantage of the improved performance of the PlayStation 5.
Will PS4 Games Look Better On PS5 Without a Patch?
We saw a boost mode introduced with the PS4 Pro that would result in increased loading times, frame rate and other minor performance benefits for PS4 games that had not been given a patch for the PS4 Pro. We should see a similar thing introduced with the PS5 that will allow us to get some minor benefits from PS4 games when they are running on PS5.
Upscaling is something we often see where 1080p can be upscaled to 4k. The result is never as good as a game that gets an update and in some cases, it can look worse. This is another feature we may get on the PS5 to improve backward compatibility.
PS4 Games Getting a Paid Upgrade
As good as the list above is, it is not all good news. We have already gotten word of games that are going to be getting a PS5 upgrade that is not going to be free. The list below will contain a list of PS4 games that will be ported to the PS5 with improved performance and graphics but will not be done for free. This will be similar to those who purchased GTA 5 or Skyrim on previous generation consoles and still had to pay to get it again on the PS4.
- Marvel’s Spiderman
For the moment, we just have the one confirmed game that owners of the original game will need to repurchase.
Are Missing Games From The List?
If you know of a PS4 game that has a confirmed upgrade for the PS5 and we have not included it in the list above, please leave a comment below to let us know so the list can be updated.
