Starting in July, all new PS4 games must be playable on PS5, too

It’s a mandate sent down from the top: If you’re a developer who wants your new PlayStation 4 game to be certified, it must also be forward compatible with the PlayStation 5.

According to Eurogamer, Sony has contacted PlayStation 4 game developers to let them know that their games must be able to run their codes on the PS5 in order for their games to be certified for the PS4 if they submit for certification on or after July 13th.

Certification is the process in which Sony tests and approves a game to be released on its platforms. A game that’s certified before July 13th does not have to be forward compatible with PlayStation 5 hardware, though it “strongly” recommends that any new patches for games certified before July 13th be compatible with PlayStation 5. The report states that Sony plans to reach out to individual developers to help them test PS5 compatibility if need be.

Sony has stated that the “overwhelming majority” of PS4 games will be playable on PS5, though it’s unclear if Sony will have a system similar to Microsoft’s Smart Delivery program that allows publishers to determine whether consumers who purchase their games on current-gen consoles can also play the next-gen versions of those games on the new consoles.

What it sounds like is that Sony doesn’t want any lingering PlayStation 4 exclusives when the PlayStation 5 hits store shelves this holiday season. If it’s going to make a push towards backwards compatibility after a somewhat lackluster offering compared to Xbox’s extensive program this current gen, then it’s going to want to make sure that no PS4 game is left behind.

We’ll probably find out more about the PlayStation 5’s backwards compatibility on June 4th when Sony hosts its “Future of Gaming” digital event.