PlayStation 5 May Soon Support Native PlayStation 3 Emulation

The possibility of native emulation for PlayStation 3 games on the PlayStation 5 is being actively researched and prototyped, potentially bringing a long-awaited feature to Sony’s latest console.

Developer Implicit Transformations, the studio responsible for the PlayStation Classics ports on PlayStation 5, has outlined on its official website a roadmap indicating the exploration and prototyping of a PlayStation 3 emulator package for Syrup, the engine powering other PlayStation Classics titles. However, the “Dreaming About” label attached to this roadmap suggests that a fully functional native PS3 emulator may still be years away.

Currently, PlayStation 3 Classics games available on the PS5 via the PS Plus Premium subscription are limited to cloud gaming. Yet, there is little doubt that the PS5’s hardware is capable of running these games natively. A test conducted last month using the AMD BC-250 mining card—which shares PlayStation 5 silicon—demonstrated that the PS5 hardware could handle emulated PS3 games like Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and Little Big Planet with ease. These games reportedly ran at higher-than-native resolutions, even with some hardware limitations like memory constraints caused by driver issues.

PS5 users currently enjoy a selection of PlayStation 3 titles through cloud gaming, included in the PS Plus Premium subscription. This subscription offers access to a variety of classic games from previous PlayStation generations. For more details about PS Plus Premium, visit the official PlayStation website.

While it may take time for native PS3 emulation to become a reality, the ongoing research and testing indicate that Sony is committed to enhancing backward compatibility on its flagship console.