Which PlayStation and Xbox Games Are Getting the Free Next Generation Update?
With just a few weeks left until the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Sony PlayStation 5. Unlike most generational leaps, this new set of consoles won’t force you to sever ties to your Xbox One or PS4 gaming library.
Not only can both consoles be able to play games released on previous generation hardware, certain batches of games such as Doom Eternal , Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Cyberpunk 2077 receive Xbox Series X and PS5 versions separately from Xbox One and PS4. version.
Updated versions of these games will feature faster load times and graphical enhancements such as support for 4K resolutions, HDR, higher frame rates, and more. (Specific improvements will vary from game to game). And in some cases, those who buy the PS4 / Xbox One versions can upgrade to the PS5 / Xbox Series X version for free.
It sounds great on paper, but the process has become a tangled mess.
Take Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War , for example. Activision will let you buy the game once and upgrade to the new console for free, but Xbox One owners must buy the Xbox Series X version, not the Xbox One version. However, PS4 players can simply buy the game on PS4 and play it on PS5 after purchasing a new console … unless you plan on buying a digital PlayStation 5, which will only accept updates for digital versions of the game. Floppy PS5 supports updates for both physical and digital versions.
Worse, some publishers only offer upgrades for digital purchases. Others will only allow players who buy special copies of their games to upgrade to the next generation version, making the whole process even more confusing.
Sony and Microsoft are making things easier by adding “Next Generation Update” badges to the covers of their respective games , but we wanted to make things even clearer. Below is an easy-to-read list of games that will allow players to upgrade from the PS4 / Xbox One version to the PS5 / Xbox Series X and S versions for free.
We’ve grouped games based on whether they support Xbox, PlayStation, or both. We have also endeavored to indicate any additional restrictions, if necessary. Perhaps other games of different generations will allow players to update for free, but this list is now complete.
Hopefully this makes navigating the launch of the update process a little less confusing.
Multiplatform
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (available on PS4 only; Xbox One players must purchase the Xbox Series X version that can be played on Xbox One)
- Management (available only for “Ultimate Edition”)
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Destiny 2
- DIRT 5
- DOOM Eternal
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Far cry 6
- FIFA 21 (only available before FIFA 22 releases)
- Hitman 3 (digital only)
- Immortals Phoenix Sunrise
- Madden NFL 21 (only available on PS4 / Xbox One copies purchased before December 31, 2020. Free updates only available until March 31, 2021)
- Marvel Avengers
- Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
- NBA 2K21 (available only for the Mamba Forever edition)
- Riders republic
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
- Watch dogs legion
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Yakuza: Like a dragon
PS4 to PS5 only
- Dead in the daylight
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship
Xbox One to Xbox Series X / S only
- Climbing
- Call of the sea
- Outriders
- Chivalry 2
- chorus
- Fable 4
- Forza horizon 4
- Gear 5
- Halo infinite
- Average
- Scarlet Nexus
- Senua Saga: Hellblade 2
- Sea of thieves
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2