PS5 Pro backward compatibility, explained

It’s official—the highly anticipated PS5 Pro will release later this year. It will come with a hefty price tag and some notable performance boosts over its predecessor. Sony has also hinted at how backward compatibility might function in the new PS5 model.

With PS5 lead architect Mark Cerny dubbing it “the most powerful console we’ve ever built,” the $699 PS5 Pro comes with features like an upgraded GPU that boosts game rendering by up to 45 percent as well as Advanced Ray Tracing and AI Upscaling for super sharp images. But do these features benefit backward compatibility for PS4 (and older) games? Let’s find out.

Does the PS5 Pro have backward compatibility?

Yes, the PS5 Pro has backward compatibility, as confirmed on the official PlayStation Blog. In his blog post, CEO Hideaki Nishino talked about the PS5 Pro Game Boost feature, “which can apply to more than 8,500 backward compatible PS4 games” that will be available on the console.

He added that “this feature may stabilize or improve the performance of supported PS4 and PS5 games.” So, while the addition of PS5 Pro Game Boost seems like an exciting prospect for players wanting to experience older-generation games with better performance, Nishino’s “may” heavily weigh down the possibilities of the feature.

However, we have a list of games that will take advantage of the latest technology that comes with the PS5 Pro. “These games,” as Nishino puts it, “can be identified with a PS5 Pro Enhanced label within their title. Some games you can look forward to include blockbuster hits from PlayStation Studios and our third-party partners, such as Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Demon’s Souls, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gran Turismo 7, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, The Crew Motorfest, The First Descendant, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and more.”

Another boon for backward compatibility with the PS5 Pro is Enhanced Image Quality, which is a feature being introduced for PS4 games. According to Nishino, this feature “is available to improve the resolution on select PS4 games.” 

While only time will tell which games are supported by and benefit from these two features, they have incredible potential and can improve the PlayStation experience for players who upgrade to the PS5 Pro and want to play older titles as well.