The gaming industry is slowly gearing up for the release of next-gen systems, the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Sony has opted for a slow-and-steady approach with information, meaning there's a lot still unknown about the PS5.

This leaves many fans with some burning questions about the upcoming console and its features. Of course, one of the biggest questions for any console is backward compatibility, as players want to carry over any games they might own.

Sony has briefly commented on the PS5 being backward compatible, but there's still a fair amount that's unknown. With that in mind, some consumers are wondering if the PS5 will play PS3 games.

Will PS5 Be Backward Compatible?


Sony has revealed that the PS5 will be backward compatible in some way, but fans shouldn't hold their breath for older generations. An article on the PlayStation blog in March confirmed that the PS5 will be compatible with most PS4 games. Here's Sony's statement,

A quick update on backward compatibility – With all of the amazing games in PS4’s catalog, we’ve devoted significant efforts to enable our fans to play their favorites on PS5. We believe that the overwhelming majority of the 4,000+ PS4 titles will be playable on PS5.
Said blog post made no mention of older generations past the PS4, and even then it sounds like not every single PS4 game will play on the system. It's unlikely that the PS5 will be able to play PS3 games in any way, especially considering the PS4 never saw backward compatibility of any kind. The best thing to hope for would be some kind of improved system for PS Now or some other digital distribution of PS3 titles. Sony is approaching PS4 titles on a case-by-case basis for backward compatibility, which is already a massive undertaking. Adding PS3 games on top of that would be a considerable amount of work, and it's likely just not in the cards for the launch of the PS5.

PS5 is scheduled to release Holiday 2020.