Following recent updates to Destiny 2, To control, and the fantastic Nioh games, PlayStation 5 owners are in a golden era of cross-generation games. But if you’re not careful, you may well end up playing the PlayStation 4 version of a cross-gen game on your PS5. The horror!
Microsoft’s newest consoles, the Xbox Series X and S, provide the next generation version of a game (if it exists, and if the developer hasn’t closed behind a surcharge) through an automated process called “Smart Delivery” . This may sound like a non-special feature – a term coined in a Seattle boardroom filled with communications specialties – but it is actually very useful. You could reasonably argue that Smart Delivery is one of the defining features of Microsoft’s two next-generation consoles.
On PlayStation, however, the process does not happen automatically. It is very easy to download and launch the PlayStation 4 version of a game that has existed for generations (as Bugsnax, To control, or the newly renovated Nioh 2)
As a general rule, pay attention to the text below a game icon on the main panel. If “PS4” appears next to the title, you have downloaded the PS4 version. If there is an arrow next to “PS4”, it means that you I do not have downloaded the PS4 version, but can easily tap the “X” button very quickly. (Yes, you can have the PS4 and PS5 versions of a game installed on your console.) If it does not say “PS4”, it means that you have downloaded the PS5 version. Good job.
To switch to the PS5 version of, say, Bugsnax, simply hover your mouse over the game icon and press. You will see a three-point menu. Click on that. Then select “PS5 | Complete | Bugsnax. ”After downloading, you should be ready to go.
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The process is not always so smooth. Sometimes, with disc-based PS4 games, you may need to perform an extra set of steps. Last week, sony pushed an update which reportedly fixed a widespread problem in which the PS5 downloaded the PS4 version of a game – even if there was a PS5 version. After the update, this should no longer happen.
But what if that does?
Take along Nioh 2 for example, that many of us have been playing since the launch of The Nioh Collection sparked renewed interest in the series. Last November, Team Ninja announced a free update for both games, which supports 4K resolution, frame rates up to 120 fps and allows you to continue saving files. But, if you installed Nioh 2 on your PS5 via disc before last week’s system update, you still won’t automatically get that version of PS5. Here’s how to fix this:
- You should see a Nioh 2 icon on the PS5 main panel on the games page. (If an icon for it does not appear, go to your game library and start Nioh 2. You’ll only need to load it for a fraction of a second to create the icon on your panel.)
- Hover your mouse over the icon and scroll down to the three dot menu on the game page.
- Click on it and click on “View product”.
- You will be taken to Nioh 2PlayStation Store page. Opening the three-point menu should bring up a list of all available versions of the game: Nioh 2 – PS4, The Nioh Collection, Nioh 2 Remastered (PS5 update). Click on that last one.
- If your Nioh 2 disk is in the drive, you will see an option to download the free update.
PlayStation also brings an additional complication: a small set of next-generation games that have received PS5 updates, but have not received dedicated PS5 versions. For example, since the launch of the PS5, both Tsushima’s Ghost and God of War have been updated for PS5. Both now run at a lovely 60 fps frame rate on the PS5, but are still technically (extremely beautiful) PS4 games. The easiest way to discern exactly which versions of a particular game exist is to navigate to the PlayStation Store page to find a game you’re curious about. If you click on the three dot menu, you should see a list of all available versions. Only those with a specific version of the PS5 will show a version of the PS5 available for purchase.
The dull Xbox smart delivery feature is sounding great right now, right?
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