Sony is planning cross-generation gameplay between PS4 and PS5

By Charles Singletary Jr. June 6, 2019

PS5 PS4 cross generation gen gameplay online multiplayer the last of us — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sony is gearing up to reveal the PlayStation 5 (not the official name yet) but it looks like the company wants to make the transition to the platform to be a slow and deliberate one. PlayStation CEO and 25-year Sony vet Jim Ryan spoke with CNET and expressed that the plan is for cross-generational gameplay between the PS5 and PS4.

Sony has a massive PS4 user base and it makes sense for the company to do anything it can to transition those players over to PS5. Home consoles, unlike PC, have to start at zero with each generation of hardware. All of the success of the previous generation can help encourage new purchases but it’s not an automatic ticket to cash in.

It was already revealed that the PS5 will be backward compatible with PS4 games but Sony is planning to take things a bit further than that. The plan is to have an experience where gamers can jump from PS4 to the new console and go back. Ideally, players on both will be able to continue online experiences together.

“Whether it’s backward compatibility or the possibility of cross-generational play, we’ll be able to transition that community to next-gen,” Ryan told the publication. “It won’t be a binary choice about whether you have to be either on PlayStation 4 or next-gen to continue your friendship.”

PS5 PS4 cross generation gen gameplay online multiplayer playstation CEO jim ryan — Sony PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan – Source: Sony Image used with permission by copyright holder

The transition from PS3 to PS4 wasn’t handled as gracefully as a cross-generational experience could be. Exclusives released late in the PS3 lifecycle like The Last of Us appeared on the next console in visually upgraded collections but the multiplayer community was still kept separate. The PS3 servers for that game and the Uncharted titles are being shut down in September but what if their servers were the same as PS4? Non-exclusives like Destiny, at the time, did the same between the PS3 and PS4 or Xbox 360 and Xbox One but the next PlayStation console could usher in a reality more accommodating to consumers of all kinds.

We know that the next PlayStation won’t be releasing this year, a reveal could come later this year. Sony skipped E3 2019 and the PlayStation Experience for 2018 but a PSX at the end of 2019 could be the perfect platform to kick open the door for a next-gen launch at the end of 2020.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Charles Singletary Jr.

I'm a Birmingham, AL raised author, journalist, and gaming enthusiast currently residing in San Antonio, TX. My work has…

Gaming

3 underrated PS Plus games you should play this weekend (May 3-5)

The main character of Tales of Kenzera: Zau stands with two elemental items.

PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra have been around for almost two years, and during that time the subscription service has established itself as an ample competitor to Xbox Game Pass. That means there is a wealth of great games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners to check out if they're looking for something to play this weekend. I think PS Plus subscribers should be looking toward some of the more underrated games in the subscription service this weekend too.

I have three particular picks in mind. The first is an enjoyable Metroidvania that came to PS Plus' game catalog when it launched just a couple of weeks ago and deserves a lot more attention than it's getting. After that, there's an action-platformer that pays homage to series like Ninja Gaiden that you should check out before it leaves the catalog. Finally, there's a PS2-era Star Wars game that fills the niche a recently canceled game would have.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Gaming

All upcoming PS5 games: 2024 and beyond

A furnace golem looms in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

The PlayStation 5 has been out for some time now, and its reception has been mostly positive. It includes lots of quality-of-life improvements over its predecessor, the PlayStation 4, such as faster load times, a solid-state drive (SSD) instead of a regular hard disk drive (HDD), and an improved controller in the form of the new DualSense. However, a console is only as good as the games available on it, and thankfully, the PS5 has you covered on that front as well.

While the machine already has a worthy library of great PS5 games, there are even more to look forward to, with some releasing as soon as this month, while others are still years away. In the video game world, it's not uncommon to be aware of games that are still several years out from release. It's also normal for a new game to be revealed and launched within just a couple of months. In this comprehensive list, we'll go through the major PS5 releases scheduled for 2023 and speculate on future games.

Gaming

Is Stardew Valley cross-platform?

Stardew Valley Multiplayer Fishing

Stardew Valley is a game made by just one person, but it has seen more success than most games made by dozens, or even hundreds, of people. It's even one of Digital Trends' top 50 video games of all time. Since its release in 2016, the game has been updated regularly with new features and content to keep its avid fans coming back. This includes an online multiplayer component that allows you and up to three friends to hang out on each other's farms. And with the recent trend of games allowing players on different platforms to join together, you may wonder if Stardew Valley offers cross-platform functionality. Here's everything we know about cross-platform support in Stardew Valley.
Is Stardew Valley cross-platform?
Stardew Valley does not offer cross-platform support, meaning you can't play online multiplayer between any of the systems the game is on. So if you want to team up with some friends, make sure you all are playing on the same platform, such as the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, or PC. Also be aware that whoever starts a multiplayer game is saving that shared world locally, meaning no one else can reenter that world without the host present.

The sad fact of the matter is there doesn't seem to be any indication that crossplay will come to Stardew Valley. The game's official Reddit still lists it as not being supported, and there was only one mention of it by the developer on Twitter back in 2018, when he responded to a question asking if crossplay would come to the game. He replied, "Unfortunately, there will not be crossplay. Apparently, the technical barriers are very high. It's still something I really want to add and I promise to look into it more closely, but first priority is getting the update out there." This was many years ago, and there has been no further information about cross-platform play since, so it seems very unlikely that we will see support for this functionality come to Stardew Valley.