In the days since Microsoft’s recent Inside Xbox presentation, much has been said about the company’s Smart Delivery system, which will enable Xbox users to buy a game on Xbox One and then upgrade to its Xbox Series X version for free. Now word on the street suggests that the PlayStation 5 could come with a similar feature.
This is all unverified information at this time, obviously, but it is in keeping with much of what’s been revealed about the next generation of consoles so far. With the PS5 especially, accessibility has been one of the console’s major selling points, with Sony stressing everything from the near elimination of load times thanks to the console’s SSD to backwards compatibility with most PS4 games as key ways its next console will provide a smoother user experience than ever before.
This convenience will allegedly extend to playing the same games on both PS4 and PS5, according to PSErebus on Twitter. They claim that “certain PlayStation 4 games releasing later this year” will let players upgrade to the PS5 versions at no extra cost once they become available, allowing them to play these games on both consoles with only a single purchase. Even if they don’t have a PS5 at launch, PSErebus said, they’ll still be able to “digitally redeem the code and install the game to a PS5 system in the future.”
As for which PS4 games will supposedly support this feature, PSErebus suggested many games will make use of it, but only named five of them “you know… because… PlayStation… 5.” Those games are FIFA 21, Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and Marvel's Avengers.
Considering their track record with earlier PS5-related claims, it’s possible PSErebus is incorrect about Sony’s version of Smart Delivery, so all this should be taken with a grain of salt for the time being. That said, the fact that many of the aforementioned games have been confirmed to support Smart Delivery on Xbox does make the possibility of them having a similar option on PlayStation more believable.
If there’s any weight to what they claim, fans will likely find out next month, as early June is when Sony will supposedly reveal both the PS5 and its launch date, according to one of PSErebus’ claims from earlier this week.
The PlayStation 5 is currently scheduled to launch this holiday season.