Ubisoft details how players can upgrade games to next-gen versions
One of the biggest questions players have when it comes to next-gen consoles (besides, you know, little things like the release dates and how much they’re going to cost) is how they will be able to upgrade from current- to next-gen versions of launch window titles.
Thankfully, Ubisoft—which has two huge launch-window games coming out in the next few months in Watch Dogs: Legion and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Far Cry 6 in early 2021—has detailed its program for players who want to upgrade to next-gen, and it’s not complicated at all.
In short, there will be two different methods for upgrading eligible titles, depending on if you purchased a physical disc or a digital version of the game.
If you purchase an eligible game digitally on PlayStation 4, all you need to do when you upgrade to PlayStation 5 is download the PlayStation 5 version with the same PlayStation account. The same goes for upgrading from Xbox One to Xbox Series X.
If you own a physical copy of the current-gen version, you will have to insert the disc into the next-gen console and download the next-gen version. From that point forward, if you want to play the next-gen version, you must have the disc inserted. This means that if you want to upgrade with a physical copy, you a) won’t be able to play the next-gen version if you sell or lend out the current-gen disc, and b) you won’t be able to upgrade if you get the disc-free versions of either next-gen console.
It should go without saying that in order to upgrade to a next-gen version of the game, you must stay within the same console family, since these upgrades are tied to either your PlayStation or Microsoft accounts. That means if you want to upgrade from the PlayStation 4 version, you have to do it on PlayStation 5. Likewise if you’re going from Xbox One to Xbox Series X.
So far, the only eligible games that Ubisoft has listed are Watch Dogs: Legion, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Far Cry 6, though it will be interesting to see if this program will extend to games that are ostensibly launching later in 2021, like the mysterious Gods & Monsters and Rainbow Six Quarantine, both of which were delayed.
