Nintendo, Xbox and PS5 Backwards Compatibility Guide
Published on 16th August 2023 by Jimmy Bennett
As we find ourselves deeper into the latest generation of consoles, we are being treated to a wealth of fantastic games. From next-generation entries in the God of War and Spider-Man series to the latest Call of Duty games, there have been some amazing new entries in the largest video game franchises.
However, there’s still a great library of games across the last generation of consoles, including the PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo consoles. With this in mind, backwards compatibility is a draw for gamers looking to upgrade to the newest consoles. In this guide, we’ll break down the Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo backwards compatibility so you have all the facts.
PS5 Backwards Compatibility
Can You Play PS4 Games on the PS5?
The good news is that the PS5 is backwards compatible with the vast majority of PS4 games. You can play PS4 discs on the PlayStation 5 Disc Edition console simply by loading them into the disc drive. An update may be required to download at this point. This means you can play all your favourite PS4 games on your PS5 console.
If you’ve downloaded games via the PlayStation Store before, these games will also be available for redownload onto the PlayStation 5 console. As long as you are logged in with the same account as you bought the games previously, they will appear in your library ready for download.
Can You Play PS3 Games on the PS5?
The PS5 will not allow you to play PS3 games via a disc on the new console. However, this doesn’t mean backwards compatibility is impossible. PS3 games can still be played provided you have a PS Plus Premium subscription. This service will allow you to stream a variety of PlayStation 3 games directly over the internet. You will require an internet connection in order to do this as the games will not be able to be downloaded directly onto the console.
Xbox Backwards Compatibility
Can You Play Xbox One Games on the Xbox Series S & X?
Xbox gamers will be pleased to hear that you can play Xbox One games on the Xbox Series S & X consoles via backwards compatibility. The overwhelming majority of Xbox One disc games can be inserted into the Xbox Series X disc drive and will play. Similarly, if you have previously bought games via the Microsoft Store and are using the same account on your new console, compatible games will appear in your games library.
The other benefit of playing Xbox One games through the backwards compatibility of the Xbox Series S & X is that games will often play with improved frame rates as well as noticeably quicker loading times.
Can You Play Xbox 360 Games on the Xbox Series S & X?
You can play many Xbox 360 games on the Xbox Series S and X through backwards compatibility. Any Xbox 360 discs that worked on the Xbox One will also work with the Xbox Series X when inserted into the disc drive. There are also many Xbox 360 games that can be downloaded via the Xbox Marketplace, and if you have done this on other consoles, you will be able to download them again from your library.
Not only will you be able to play many Xbox 360 games on the Xbox Series consoles, but many of these games will also perform better than on the original hardware. With faster frame rates and higher resolutions, the games will look and play at their very best through backwards compatibility.
Can You Play Original Xbox Games on the Xbox Series S & X?
There’s also backwards compatibility on the Xbox Series S & X for original Xbox games. Just like the Xbox 360 titles, compatible games can be played either by disc on the Xbox Series X or downloaded via the Xbox Marketplace on the Xbox Series S & X consoles.
Nintendo Backwards Compatibility
Is the Nintendo Switch Backwards Compatible?
The Nintendo Switch doesn’t allow backwards compatibility through cartridges, however, there are a number of games available through a Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) membership. This includes games from across the NES, SNES, and Gameboy. You can also get an expansion pack for NSO, which will give you access to plenty more games from the Gameboy Advance, Nintendo 64 and SEGA Mega Drive.
You can pick up an NSO + expansion pack membership from GAME.
Nintendo have also released a number of remastered versions of their games that were released on previous consoles.
