Prepare to pay a God of War 2 and Gran Turismo 7 PS5 upgrade fee
BOY! Set aside a few extra notes for next-gen God of War
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
If you’re a PS4-owning Kratos fan looking forward to the upcomingGod of War: Ragnaroksequel, you might want to put that Leviathan axe out of reach – this might not be the news you want to hear. Likewise,Gran Turismo 7fans might want to hit the brakes.
Following the outcry aroundHorizon: Forbidden West’sPS4-to-PS5upgrade path, which has seenSonybacktrack on a paid-for upgrade in favor of its originally-suggested free offer, the company has moved to clarify its future upgrade options.
Admitting that Sony “missed the mark” on its messaging around Horizon, Sony president Jim Ryan did clarify that “moving forward, PlayStation first-party exclusive cross-gen titles will offer a $10 digital upgrade option from PS4 to PS5.”
In other words, any Sony-owned game going forward scheduled to land on both PS4 and PS5 will require players on the last generation of consoles to pay a fee to get next-gen features, with Ryan specifically namecheckingGod of Warand Gran Turismo as examples.
Horizon, it seems, has been spared the fee as it was originally slated as a launch window title for the PS5, and games in that bracket were promised a free upgrade, despite Forbidden West now slipping to a 2022 release date.
As for games from third party developers, it will remain their choice as to whether or not to charge an upgrade fee.
Analysis: A tale of two systems
Sony finds itself in an unfortunate position here. With previous console generations, if a game was made for two different console eras, say PS3 and PS4, it was the norm to sell both as full-priced titles.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
But with the PS5 being backwards compatible with PS4 titles, the lines have been blurred. You can buy a PS4 title and in some cases benefit from a 60fps upgrade for free, raising the question as to how much a PS5 upgrade is worth for what is essentially a souped-up version of the same game.
Things become even more complicated when you look at the competition. PC gamers have always been able to eke out better performance from older titles if they improve their components, and haven’t needed to buy a new version of a game to do so (though remastered re-releases of course exist).
And then there’s the latest Xbox machines, with theirSmart Deliverysystems – the real competition for Sony in this regard. Xbox has set a consumer-friendly precedent by stating that all its first party games will get free next-gen upgrades, as it’s committed to supporting last-gen gamers well into the future. Smart Delivery will simply download the most appropriate version of a game for your console, be that anXbox One,Xbox Series XorXbox Series S.
All platforms are in a predicament – there are huge last-gen install bases to cater to, and still limited stock of the next-gen consoles to sate appetites. There’s no easy way for developers to recoup costs with spiralling development bills but, so far at least,Microsoft’s approach with Xbox seems the most consumer-friendly.
Gerald is Editor-in-Chief of iMore.com. Previously he was the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site’s home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves gaming, but don’t expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. Before TechRadar, Gerald was Editor of Gizmodo UK. He is also the author of ‘Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future’, published by Aurum Press.
I reviewed the PS5 Pro and recommend these 7 enhanced games to try first
Lords of the Fallen is the latest game to get confirmed PS5 Pro enhancements and support
Anker Nebula Mars 3 review: A powerful and truly portable projector
