How your PS4 and Xbox One games will work on PS5 and Series X

Enlarge / A tense standoff across the demilitarized zone. (credit: Barone Firenze | Shutterstock.com)

Console gamers looking at upgrading to a new system at the end of the year likely have a few major questions about how their existing game libraries will work across console generations, such as:

• Will I be able to play my current games on the new system?
• How will those games be improved when running on more powerful hardware?
• Will I have to buy another copy of the game to get those enhancements?

The answer to those questions varies greatly depending on the platform and publisher involved, and answers for some specific games are still unknown. That said, here's a handy guide to where various cross-generational game compatibility and upgrade plans stand at this point.

Backward compatibility

At a basic level, both Microsoft and Sony are taking steps to ensure that most (if not all) of your current-generation console game library will be playable on their new consoles.

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