A new PS5 update finally tackles cross-gen confusion

Sony has added a notification to PlayStation 5 to help avoid confusion between different generational versions of games.

PS5’s handling of cross-gen releases has received some criticism since launch for it’s unclear signposting of different game versions. This has led to some players inadvertently playing the PS4 versions of next-gen games they own.

As noted by Twitter user Tidux, choosing to start a PS4 version of a game when a PS5 version is also present will now cause a message to appear, notifying users that they’re about to launch the last-generation game.

Previously, players had to click through various settings menus in order to check which version of a game was available or installed.

Unlike Xbox, Sony is not promoting a unified cross-generational upgrade program. Microsoft’s Smart Delivery is an initiative which means players “only have to purchase a title once in order to play the best available version for whichever Xbox console they choose to play on”.

Instead, Sony has left such upgrade programs to the discretion of third-party publishers, with many titles including Marvel’s Avengers, Cyberpunk 2077 and Destiny 2 choosing to offer pathways to their PS5 versions at no additional cost.

PlayStation also includes special branding on the boxes of cross-gen PS4 titles which offer a free upgrade to their PS5 versions.

Although Sony is not actively promoting a cross-gen program, its stance on third-party games is not unlike Xbox’s, which allows studios to decide for themselves whether to support Smart Delivery or not.

Some companies such as Electronic Arts are running their own upgrade initiatives. Current-gen owners of games including FIFA 21 and Madden 21 can upgrade to PS5 via EA‘s Dual Entitlement scheme.

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In a statement published last month, Sony suggested PS5 had enjoyed the biggest console launch in history after beating PS4’s record.

And market research firm the NPD Group said last week that PS5 recorded the highest launch month of any gaming hardware platform in US history in terms of both unit and dollar sales.

PS5 also enjoyed a record-breaking launch in the UK, which VGC understands saw it surpass the 250,000 consoles sold during PS4’s launch.

Sony has previously said it expects to sell over 7.6 million PS5 units by the end of its fiscal year on March 31, 2021, outperforming PS4’s launch for the same period.