Backward compatibility is a major selling betoken of any video game panel, equally beingness able to play your old games on a new system increases its value. It'southward a good idea to know whether a system has this function before investing in information technology.

Thus, you might wonder if you can play PS3 games on the PS4. Let's answer this question and examine your options.

Can the PS4 Play PS3 Games?

The brusk reply is that no, the PlayStation four is not backward-compatible with PlayStation three games. Inserting a PS3 disc into the PS4 volition non work. And you cannot download digital versions of PS3 games from the PlayStation Store onto your PlayStation 4. This is the case with all editions of the PS4, including the slim PS4 and PS4 Pro.

The reason for this, like most backward compatibility situations, is that the PS3 and PS4 have different system architectures. PlayStation four consoles don't have the hardware of the PS3, and then they tin't run the older games natively. And Sony decided it wasn't worthwhile to build a software emulator to handle the older titles, leaving the PS4 only able to play PS4 games. The PS4 tin can't play PS2 or original PlayStation discs, either.

Thankfully, in that location are other means to play PS3 titles on your PS4, even without native astern compatibility.

Stream PS3 Titles on PS4 via PlayStation Now

PlayStation At present is Sony's cloud gaming service, available on the PS4, PS5, and Windows. It allows you to stream PS4, PS3, and PS2 games, so you can enjoy some of the all-time titles the family unit of consoles has seen over the years.

Thus, if you lot subscribe to PlayStation At present, you tin can play sure PS3 titles on your PS4 past streaming. At the time of writing, at that place are over 400 PS3 games available on the service, though the verbal number changes as titles are added and removed.

As long as you have a steady enough network connection and don't mind the price, PlayStation Now is the best way to play many PS3 games on your PS4. See our assay of PS Now'south pros and cons for more information. We've too picked out some of the best games on PlayStation At present equally a starting point.

Play Remasters and Remakes of PS3 Games

Thankfully, due to the huge number of video game remasters and remakes that launch these days, you can oft enjoy games fabricated for older systems with a fresh coat of paint on a current panel. Sometimes, these announced in compilations, so you get multiple games from a series in one package.

Below are a few examples of PS3 games you lot tin can play remastered on PS4:

  • Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is a remaster of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, along with loads of DLC.
  • The Last of United states of america Remastered is an enhanced version of the monumental PS3 title.
  • BioShock: The Collection bundles in remasters of BioShock, BioShock ii, and BioShock Infinite. ​​​​​​

While y'all're technically playing a PS4 game and non a PS3 title, these are effectively the same games with some small-scale enhancements. If you missed out on the best of the PS3 generation merely have a PS4, give these a effort.

Utilize Cross-Buy and Cross-Gen Offers

The simply other way to play PS3 titles on your PS4 is through cross-buy promotions. These give you lot access to a game on multiple systems when you buy it on one. For instance, if you bought Doki-Doki Universe on PS3, you automatically accept admission to the PS4 version at no extra cost.

Similarly, when the PS4 generation started, some cross-generational games also offered upgrades to the new system for a small fee. For instance, if you bought Battleground 4 on PS3, you could upgrade to the PS4 version for an additional $10. Physical copies of the games had a code within to activate the offering, while digital purchases automatically discounted the next-gen versions.

Bank check your game library on PS4 to see if yous have admission to any of these. Any codes accept probably expired past now, but digital offers could nevertheless be valid.

Workarounds to Play Your Favorite PS3 Games on PS4

While PS3 games don't work on PS4 directly, we've seen how to bask PS3 titles on your PS4 through other methods. Whether you subscribe to PS Now or check out the many remasters available, you'll find a way to play many of the PS3's summit games on your PS4.

Thankfully, the PS5 is astern-compatible with almost all PS4 games. However, information technology still can't play PS3 titles natively.

Is the PS5 Astern-Uniform?

Tin can yous play older titles on PlayStation v? Here, we look at whether the console supports by-generation games.

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Nigh The Author

Ben Stegner (1800 Articles Published)

Ben is the Editor in Principal at MakeUseOf. He left his Information technology job to write full-time in 2016 and has never looked back. He'due south been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more as a professional author for over viii years.

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