PS5 Game Boost teases better backwards compatibility is coming

News
By Shabana Arif
published

Will we see the Game Boost logo on box art going forward?

God of War has a PS5 boost
(Image credit: Santa Monica Studio)

Sony may not have been as vocal a proponent of backwards compatibility as Microsoft in recent years, but it's pulled a 180 on that front. The latest efforts can be seen in the new dedicated advertisement for the PS5 Game Boost feature.

Game Boost uses the power of the PS5 to run PS4 games with an improved frame rate and resolution — more so than what's possible on the PS4 hardware. So titles like Ghost of Tsushima and God of War look even better, thanks to the console's GPU and CPU. 

The new ad showcases a selection of PS4 games that benefit from the Game Boost feature, including Ghost of Tsushima and God of War. Interestingly, Shadow of the Colossus has also been included, but titles like Days Gone, and Ratchet & Clank are nowhere to be seen.  

Game Boost also appears to have a shiny new logo, not dissimilar to Microsoft's Smart Delivery and Optimised for Xbox Series X|S branding. The logo has been added to game boxes that are optimised for the consoles so you can see at a glance if they'll benefit from the next-gen hardware. Presumably Sony is looking to do the same now that its list of backwards compatible titles that take advantage of the PS5 hardware is growing.  

Microsoft has been leaning heavily on the Xbox Series X's Smart Delivery feature, which allows older titles to harness the console's power in instances where the developer has made this possible. The lack of exclusives for the platform makes this one of its strongest features right now. It also just added another 70 games to its FPS boost program, which lets older titles run at a blistering 120 fps on the Xbox Series X, and even the Xbox Series S in some instances.

Sony is in a better position with next-gen exclusives like Returnal, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. But going by this advert bolstering its library of backwards compatibility titles look next on the agenda.

We'd be keen to see PlayStation exclusive games like Bloodborne, The Last of Us 2 and Horizon: Zero Dawn get boosts to their performance beyond loading faster on the PS5 and gaining access to PS4 Pro features. As Sony seems keen to champion Game Boost, it's well with in the realms of possibility that these games will get a PS5 update at some point. 

Shabana Arif
Shabana Arif

Shabana is T3's News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). As well as contributing to Tom's Guide, she's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies.