PlayStation is Done Giving Away Free PS4 to PS5 Game Upgrades
WithPlayStation 5Nearly a year later, consoles are still difficult to find. Many publishers offer free upgrades for their games. PS4 owners without a PS4 can get an upgrade for free.PS5But don’t be discouraged by buying cross-gen games. They can upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version after they get their next-generation console. Sony has offered a free upgrade path to many of its PS4 or PS5 cross-gen titles, but those days seem over.
Sony recently announced that the upgrade from the Horizon Forbidden West version on the PS4 would cost $10. This caused a significant backlash from many fans who are used to receiving free upgrades. Sony reversed its decision and confirmed that PS4 gamers could upgrade to Horizon Forbidden West on the PS5 for no cost. However, this reversal was accompanied by an important caveat.
PlayStation president Jim Ryan has confirmed that all first-party cross-gen PlayStation games moving forward will require a $10 fee to upgrade from PS4 to PS5. Ryan specifically mentioned the Gran Turismo 7 and the new God of War games as examples of titles that won’t offer free upgrades for PS4 owners who have not yet purchased a PS5. Third-party publishers still have the option to offer upgrades for free if they wish.
This is something that some PlayStation fans might have noticed before the Horizon Forbidden West controversy. Ghost Of Tsushima doesn’t offer a free upgrade from PS4 to PS5 and requires a $30 fee. This was the Director’s Cut version of Ghost of Tsushima. It included some significant new content, such as the Iki Islands expansion. However, there may not be much difference in content between the PS4 or PS5 versions of most games.
The PS4 and PS5 versions of most Sony games will almost be identical content-wise. Ryan mentioned the new God of War, Gran Turismo 7 and Gran Turismo 7 games. However, the PS5 versions will always have an advantage. DualSense controller support will be available on the PS5 version of these games. The decision on whether or not these features are worth the upgrade price will depend on players.
PS4 gamers can still enjoy their PS4 games on the new console, even if they don’t want to pay the upgrade fee to the PS5 version. This is thanks to PS5 being backwards compatible with PS4, though these BC versions won’t include the PS5-exclusive features.
