Fans have been waiting for Returnal for quite some time now. Since the game was revealed back in June 2020, it has captured the attention of fans with its vivid, grotesque visuals and contrasting high-speed gameplay. When it was delayed out of its initial March release, fans were told they'd have to wait until the end of April, and now that time is finally here. Even so, many players still haven't managed to get their hands on a PS5 thanks to supply shortages, scalpers, and online stores being unable to handle so many visitors all at once. Those still playing on PS4 are likely wondering whether the game will be available for that console at some point.
Returnal is going to be the first major PS5 exclusive of 2021, and by definition that means it isn't coming to PS4, at least not yet. There's really no way to know if Housemarque will opt to create a port at some point in the future, but at the very least fans can say with certainty that its April 30th launch will not include a PS4 version.
There are a number of reasons why this may be the case, but the biggest thing is technical limitations. Returnal offers huge, three dimensional environments that are filled to the brim with enemies, bullets, and other objects. The base PS4 would have a difficult time rendering all of this, and most developers shy away from making a game that could only run well on the PS4 Pro. The big thing here is loading speeds, though, as Returnal uses the PS5's SSD for instantaneous respawns.
There's also something to be said for the challenges of developing a game for more than one console. While the PS4 and PS5 are similar, they are different enough to make the extra work difficult to justify, especially if the game would be a subpar experience on the old hardware. This likely wasn't an easy decision to make, however, as Housemarque must have known that it would be limiting its potential players by only releasing a PS5 version.
While it is technically impossible to rule out a PS4 port of Returnal at some point in the future, fans really shouldn't get their hopes up for it. Even if one did eventually release, it would be missing many of the things that make the game as amazing as it is. The PS4 would undoubtedly run the game at a lower fps and resolution, loading times would interrupt the flow, and that's not even mentioning the differences between the DualSense and DualShock controllers. For now players will need to get a PS5 if they want to play Returnal.
Returnal releases on April 30th for PS5.