The PlayStation 5 remains a powerful and productive console nearly four years after its launch in 2020. Sony’s current generation console has sold nearly 60 million units and remains well ahead of its Microsoft competitor, the Xbox Series S/X consoles. The PS5 boasts a robust library of games, but when it comes to backwards compatibility, the console falls short of the Xbox. Sony, however, seems keen to close the gap, with new rumors suggesting that parent company PlayStation is still working on making PS3 games backwards compatible with the PS5.
PS3 backwards compatibility with PS5
The PS5 runs PS4 games in addition to the games available on the current-gen console without any issues. A rich library of PS4 games, many of which have been updated to perform better on the PS5, has helped to increase the catalog of games available on Sony’s console.
However, the PS5 still doesn’t support PS3 games. Its lack of full backwards compatibility sticks out, especially since the Xbox Series S/X can run compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games without any issues. Sony has long been rumored to be working on a PS3 emulation that would allow users to play PS3-era games on modern consoles. Those rumors gained momentum on Monday when journalist and industry insider Jeff Grubb said that Sony has indeed been working on PS3 emulation for “quite a long time.”
Commenting on the rumors on Giant Bomb’s Game Mess Mornings podcast, Grubb said that a PS3 emulator capable of running PS3-era games on the PS5 has been in the works for a long time. “That’s what I heard. They worked on it for quite a long time. I thought it was going to be revealed earlier this year when I first heard about it. That clearly didn’t happen,” Grubb said on the podcast.
“But that doesn’t mean it will never happen. Perhaps it is so,” he added. The journalist also discussed possible ways to play classic PS3 games on PS5. “Really the easiest way is the backwards compatibility level on the PS5 that Sony has built so it can work on the PS5 if you put in a (PS3) disc, or maybe you can buy it again or something like that. .. we will see.”
Classic PS Plus catalog
Sony hasn’t revealed any plans for an official PS3 emulation tool on the PS5. However, the current-gen console supports select PS3 games through the Classics catalog. PS5 users must subscribe to PS Plus Deluxe/Premium to access the classic catalog. It’s also worth noting that PS3-era games in the catalog cannot be played on the PS5, but are streamed over an Internet connection.
