The PlayStation 5 is scheduled to release in the 2020 holiday season, and we couldn't be more excited. The rumors state that it will be backward compatible with the PlayStation 4, but it doesn't seem likely that it will play older titles from prior generations. The same can't be said about the Xbox Series X, as Microsoft claims that their console will be able to play games from the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox!
But if it turns out that the rumors aren't true and the PS5 is capable of playing older games, then we can't wait to give these classics a spin. Literally.
These are ten classic games we can't wait to play if the PS5 is backward compatible.
10 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The PS2 was the best time for the Grand Theft Auto series. That much is inarguable (well, in our opinion, anyway). You not only had the groundbreaking and influential masterpiece that was Grand Theft Auto III, but you also had the improved spin-offs Vice City and San Andreas. The latter is arguably the best of the bunch. It had a captivating story with some great guest actors, a fantastic map, and the most comprehensive gameplay elements of the series. It's probably dated as all heck today, but we wouldn't mind trying it out nonetheless. For old times' sake.
9 The Old God Of War Games
2018's God of War was a masterpiece, and it brilliant reinvigorated interest in the admittedly waning series. Experiencing it made us want to go back and play the old games, if for nothing else than to spend more time with Kratos and the Gods. The recent God of War is nothing like the old games, at least not in terms of gameplay mechanics. As such, we imagine returning to the original series will take a bit of getting used to. But putting aside the dated graphics and relatively simplistic gameplay, we're sure they're still a lot of fun.
8 Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 remains one of the greatest horror games ever made. Perhaps even the greatest. It was not only terrifying as a game, but it also explored deeper and more complex themes than most other video games, especially for its time.
It used a host of metaphors and symbolism to tell a mature story, and its atmosphere is simply unparalleled. Unfortunately, the Silent Hill HD Collection left a very sour taste in everyone's mouths, so we would love to return to Silent Hill 2 and again experience it how it was meant to be experienced.
7 TimeSplitters 2
It's a shame to see what happened to the TimeSplitters series. The games were never super popular, but they were endlessly acclaimed by critics and those who actually took the time to try it out. TimeSplitters 2 was a certified masterpiece, a 2002 release that rivaled even the best first-person shooter games on the market. It was probably the greatest split-screen shooter of its time. It's probably not as good now (in fact, we'd bet good money on it), but we think our nostalgia goggles will shield us from some of its worst moments.
6 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Now if you want to talk dated, let's talk about Tony Hawk's Pro Skater! These games surprised everyone when they were originally released, and they remain some of the highest-ranked games on Metacritic. Unfortunately, they were released twenty years ago, and technology has come a long, long way since then. We'd imagine that these games are borderline unplayable nowadays, but then again, we don't really know. Maybe they're like the classic arcade games - simplistic, yes, but forever fun.
5 NBA Street Vol. 2
Whatever happened to the NBA Street series? Seriously, these things were absolutely killer back in the day. Even if you didn't like basketball, you loved the NBA Street series, especially NBA Street Vol. 2. This was a cartoonish and more arcade-y version of the typical NBA games, so even those who didn't like basketball found enjoyment in the humor, excellent soundtrack, and fast-paced arcade action.
These types of games don't typically age, mostly because they are very simplistic and easily digestible by design. We would love to return to the streets. The horribly dated rosters might hurt things, though...
4 Jak And Daxter
The Jak and Daxter series was some of the most popular platformers of their day. That series, along with Ratchet & Clank, were big system sellers for the PlayStation 2, and they were both some of the greatest platformers of all time. And while Ratchet & Clank has been revived in recent years, the Jak and Daxter series has seemingly been left in the dust. It's a shame, because these games were very charming and very, very fun. We won't expect Ratchet & Clank 2016 or anything, but we're sure they're still a lot of fun.
3 Resident Evil
This is probably super controversial to say, but we wouldn't mind returning to the original Resident Evil. For old times' sake. Unfortunately, it's basically impossible to find the original game nowadays, as the remake is the only widely available version of the game. But forget that. We want the old tanky controls, the horrible and blocky graphics, and the meme-worthy dialogue and voice acting. We'd probably only play it for about thirty seconds before getting disgusted and throwing it out the window, but hey, those thirty seconds will active the ol' nostalgia.
2 Tekken
And speaking of nostalgia, how cool would it be to give Tekken another spin? The original Tekken was released for the PlayStation way back in November of 1995 to instant success. Unfortunately, nearly thirty years have passed since then, and virtually all of its mechanics have been improved upon in many significant ways. Returning to this game would be like returning to that Twinkie that's been stashed in your cupboard for the last five years. But still, we are morbidly curious, and we would love to give her one final spin.
1 Tomb Raider
Like the fighting genre as a whole, the Tomb Raider series has come a long way since its inception in 1996. The gameplay mechanics have been vastly improved, the controls have been smoothed out, and the graphics have obviously grown far more lifelike and realistic. Just looking at the Lara Croft from 1996 makes our eyes bleed, but still, it activates some long-dormant part of our brains. We loved this game, and even though we know it's terrible today, we can't help but wish to return to its comforts.