One of the big selling points of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X is the large number of games that will be backwards compatible. Recently, Rockstar Games, the publisher of such hits as Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, outlined how backwards compatibility will work with their titles.
Both Sony and Microsoft have been working hard to reassure gamers that their collections of video games won't be left behind when they upgrade to next-gen consoles. Microsoft for instance, unveiled their program Smart Delivery, where games that bought for the Xbox One will automatically be replaced (for free) with any existing Xbox Series X versions when the player upgrades to the new console. Sony, meanwhile, has claimed that 99% of PS4 titles will work on PS5, though that claim has come with some caveats in recent days, as when Ubisoft announced which titles wouldn't be coming to PS5.
Rockstar has confirmed which games are backwards compatible and laid out how players can transfer their games as painlessly as possible. Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto 5, and the "most recent versions" of L.A. Noire will all be backwards compatible on the Xbox Series X|S and PS5. Players with digital versions of games tied to their PlayStation Network or Xbox Live Accounts will simply go to their digital libraries and begin downloads. Players who have disc-based versions of the games will be able to insert the disc into a PS5 or Xbox Series X and continue playing off the disc. Players who opted for the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition or Xbox Series X will not be able to continue with a disc, as these consoles do not have disc drives. Save files can be transferred via cloud saves (if previously activated on the PS4 or Xbox One) or through LAN cables or USB storage.
Which Rockstar Games Are Backwards Compatible on PS5 & Xbox Series X?
Rockstar also confirmed that all titles that were previously backwards compatible on the Xbox One will be backwards compatible on the Xbox Series X. That list includes:
- Bully: Scholarship Edition
- Grand Theft Auto 4
- Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Midnight Club: Los Angeles
- Red Dead Redemption
- Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis
The PlayStation 5 will similarly support PS2 titles that were backwards compatible on the PS4. Those games include:
- Bully
- Grand Theft Auto 3
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Manhunt
- Max Payne
- Red Read Revolver
- The Warriors
Players of GTA Online will also continue to receive the monthly PlayStation Plus perk of GTA$1,000,00 for their PS4 version of the game - at least until a new standalone version of GTA Online for the PS5 goes live in 2021.
In short, if a game worked on the Xbox One or PS4, it should work on the Xbox Series X or PS5. Owners of digital copies of the games should have a fairly seamless transition and be able to pick up where they left off as soon as the game finishes downloading on their new console.
Source: Rockstar