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PS3 games appearing on PS5 Store could signal backward compatibility, or a simple bug

By Matthew Liebl

COLOGNE, GERMANY - AUGUST 19: The newly presented Sony Playstation PS3 'Slim' is seen during the 'gamescom', Europe's biggest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment on August 19, 2009 in Cologne, Germany. The inaugural gamescom in Cologne is a five-day games expo for consumers and trade. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
COLOGNE, GERMANY - AUGUST 19: The newly presented Sony Playstation PS3 'Slim' is seen during the 'gamescom', Europe's biggest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment on August 19, 2009 in Cologne, Germany. The inaugural gamescom in Cologne is a five-day games expo for consumers and trade. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images) /
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Over the weekend, PlayStation 5 owners were greeted with a pleasant surprise — the listing of several PS3 games on the PS5 Store.

Although some PS3 games can be played on PS5 via the PlayStation Now streaming service, backwards compatibility on PS5 with older titles is largely lacking. Typically, PS3 games listed in the PS5 Store typically contain a PS Now badge and take you to a free trial page to PS Now; but, in this instance, they had an actual price.

Many jumped to speculation that this could lead to full-blown backwards compatibility with PlayStation 3 games on the PS5.  Coupled with speculation that Sony is working on a service to rival Xbox Game Pass with the inclusion of backward compatibility with old PlayStation games, it was speculated that this could be one of the first steps towards launching the rumored “Project Spartacus.”

But not so fast. As some have pointed out, it’s possible this was simply a visual bug. Twitter user Ryan Biniecki pointed out that the price is being pulled from when PS Now allowed you to rent games individually. It was noted that Prince of Persia used to be available on PlayStation Now, so it’s likely this new listing is reflective of the old rental price.

Full-blown backwards compatibility with PS3 games on the PS5 is one of the most-requested features but it’s easier said than done. The hardware jump between the seventh generation to eight generation was so different that many older PS3 games had to be reworked from the ground up in order to play on the PS4. It’s doubtful that Sony would be willing to dedicate the time and resources needed to get many of these lesser popular PS3 games to run on the PS4.

Next. PS5: Most anticipated PlayStation 5 games coming in 2022. dark

So while it was a nice little discovery over the weekend that certainly drummed up some conversation, it doesn’t seem worth getting too excited about just yet. In the meantime, what PS3 games would you want to see playable on PS5 right away?

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