Can You Play Ps4 Games On Ps5 With Ps5 Controller?

Can You Play PS4 Games on PS5 with PS5 Controller?

So, you’ve got your shiny new PlayStation 5, and maybe you’ve got a bunch of awesome PlayStation 4 games you still want to play. A question that pops up often is: Can you use the cool new PS5 DualSense controller to play those PS4 games on your PS5? The short answer is a bit more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Let’s dive in and get all the details!

The Basics: PS5 and Backwards Compatibility

First, let’s talk about how the PS5 handles older games. The PlayStation 5 is designed to be “backwards compatible” with the majority of PS4 games. This is a fancy way of saying that you can play most of your old PS4 games on your new PS5 console. That’s great news if you’ve built up a big library of games! But, this compatibility doesn’t mean every game will work, and it certainly doesn’t automatically mean everything works perfectly with every controller.

DualSense and PS4 Games: The Main Question

Now for the big question: can you play these PS4 games using the PS5’s DualSense controller? The answer is yes, but with a key restriction. You can use the DualSense controller to navigate the menus of PS4 games, start the games, and even play the games. However, and this is important, the DualSense will only work with PS4 games running on the PS5 if the game itself allows it. This brings us to a second, more important, restriction. Not all PS4 games will let you use the PS5 Dualsense controller. Confused? Let’s get into it a bit more.

How Does it Actually Work?

When you play a PS4 game on your PS5, the console essentially creates a virtual PS4 environment for that game to run in. This helps the games work as they’re supposed to. However, the system also recognizes which type of controller you are using. If the PS4 game itself is designed to only work with the DualShock 4 controller (the PS4 controller), then even if you start the game with the DualSense, you’ll likely find the functionality limited. The game might not recognize all the inputs from the DualSense. In many cases, it will behave like a very basic controller, and features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers will not function.

The Need for the DualShock 4

Here is where the original DualShock 4 controller comes in. While you can use the DualSense controller to navigate the main menus of the PlayStation and start your PS4 games, to enjoy most PS4 games as they were designed and to access all the functionality of that controller, you need a DualShock 4. The PS5 itself recognizes this and often prompts you to connect a DualShock 4 controller to fully experience PS4 games. This is particularly true for games that rely heavily on the DualShock 4’s touchpad, light bar, and other specific features. These features are not fully replicated on the DualSense when playing PS4 games.

Why the Limitation?

Why does Sony do this? It comes down to how the games were originally made. PS4 games were designed with the DualShock 4 in mind. The DualSense controller, while similar in many ways, has very different features, specifically haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, and these changes means that the PS5’s DualSense is not a direct plug and play replacement for the DualShock 4 in a lot of situations. It has very different input methods, and if a game isn’t updated to use these new methods, the game won’t know how to deal with them. For many games, it would take a game update to add full DualSense support.

The PS5’s backwards compatibility is designed to allow you to continue to play your older games. To ensure those games continue to work and play as designed, the console tries to replicate as close to a PS4 experience as possible. Using the DualShock 4 controller maintains the play style the game was designed for.

DualSense Features with PS4 Games: What Works? What Doesn’t?

Let’s break down exactly what you can expect when using the DualSense on a PS4 game:

• Basic Controls: You can use the DualSense’s buttons, sticks, and directional pad to move your character, navigate menus, and do the basic stuff in most games.
• Touchpad: The DualSense’s touchpad can sometimes work as a button, but the precise swiping and gestures of the DualShock 4’s touchpad usually won’t function in the same way in PS4 games.
• Haptic Feedback & Adaptive Triggers: The most exciting features of the DualSense, its haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, are usually not utilized when playing PS4 games. Games designed for PS4 often don’t have the coding or instructions to take advantage of these new features. If a game does not use these functions, then it will not work.
• Motion Sensors: Some PS4 games rely on motion sensors in the controller. In these situations, the Dualsense motion sensor may work, but it often is not as accurate or the same as the DualShock 4.
• Light Bar: The light bar of the DualShock 4 is replaced with a very small led strip on the DualSense. This might work differently in specific PS4 games or not at all.

In short, while the basic functions will work, don’t expect the advanced features of the DualSense to work in a PS4 game unless the game has specifically been updated to support them.

Specific Game Examples

Let’s take a look at some specific examples to see this in action:

Games with Limited Dualsense Functionality

Most games that came out before the PS5 launch tend to have limited support for the DualSense when played on the PS5. Games like God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and The Last of Us Part II will let you play with the DualSense controller. However, most of the advanced controller features won’t be functional and often, not all the inputs will be recognized by the game. You may have to switch to the DualShock 4 to use the touchpad or other specific features.

Games with Enhanced Dualsense Support

Some PS4 games received updates after the PS5 came out to better utilize the DualSense controller, particularly games released near the end of the PS4’s life cycle and that have received a PS5 upgrade. Games like Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade have been updated to use the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the DualSense when playing the PS5 version. These are not PS4 games though. If you are playing the PS4 version of Ghost of Tsushima on your PS5, it will behave like most other PS4 games.

There are a few exceptions. Some games have received patches to work better with the Dualsense in PS4 backwards compatibility mode. These are not common, and they do not provide the same experience as a fully PS5 updated version. You must keep an eye out for any updates for games that offer this functionality.

Setting Up Your Controllers

Here’s how to connect your controllers to the PS5:

• DualSense: The DualSense should connect to your PS5 wirelessly as soon as you set up the PS5. If you need to pair it again, use a USB-C cable to connect the controller to your console, then press the PlayStation button.
• DualShock 4: This is where it gets tricky. To use a DualShock 4 with your PS5, you can only use it when playing a PS4 game. Once you’ve started the PS4 game, connect the controller with a USB cable. The controller will then pair. It may still ask you to use the DualSense controller or show you error messages if it doesn’t recognize the DualShock 4 controller. In this case, connect it via a USB cable, then press the PS button, and your DualShock 4 should connect. This is also how you will pair the DualShock 4 for the first time. Note that wireless connectivity is supported on the PS4 controller with the PS5 if the console knows the controller, but first-time use requires a wired connection.
• A few notes for pairing: Remember that when using a Dualshock 4 with a PS5, it will still behave like a PS4 controller, so you will not be able to navigate the PS5 menus with it. If you want to control the PS5 menu you need to switch back to your Dualsense controller. Remember only one controller will work on a console when starting a game.

When to Use Which Controller

To make sure you’re using the right controller, here’s a quick guide:

• For PS5 Games: Always use the DualSense controller. These games are designed specifically for its features.
• For PS4 Games on PS5: If you have a DualShock 4 controller, use this for most games to ensure they work as designed. While you can play with a DualSense, it may not be a full experience. You can always start a game with the DualSense and switch to the DualShock 4, if needed. If you don’t have a Dualshock 4, then you can still start the PS4 game with the Dualsense controller, but you may find some limitations.

The Benefits of Using the DualShock 4 on PS4 Games

Although using the DualSense might seem like an obvious choice for all your games, the DualShock 4 is still important when it comes to playing PS4 games. Here’s why:

• Full Feature Access: You get all the original features, including touchpad functionality, the light bar, and accurate motion controls, which are designed for PS4 games.
• Accuracy: Games will work as they were intended. Inputs are more likely to be accurately registered.
• Compatibility: You will not get a prompt telling you that you should be using a DualShock 4 controller.

Using the DualShock 4 helps recreate the PS4 experience more accurately than when using the DualSense controller on PS4 games.

Using Multiple Controllers

What if you want to play with a friend? Here’s what you need to know about multiple controllers:

• Multiple DualSense controllers: If you are playing a PS5 game, you can connect multiple DualSense controllers. If your game supports it, your friends can play with you on the same console.
• Mixed Controllers with PS4 games: If you are playing a PS4 game, you can have two DualShock 4 controllers connected to the system, if they are paired, and if the game supports local multiplayer. The controller functionality is limited for the Dualsense, so you can’t use one dualsense and one dualshock 4 controller together for PS4 games. You need to use two Dualshock 4 controllers for most games.
• No Wireless DualShock 4 on PS5 Menu: Remember, you cannot use the DualShock 4 to navigate the PS5 menus. When you connect a PS4 controller, it will not be able to navigate any of the PS5 main menus.

Third-Party Controllers

If you are using a third-party controller, results may vary. Some third-party controllers may not function as designed with PS4 games on a PS5. Some may work, and some may not work at all. Most third-party controllers that are designed as DualShock 4 replacements will work with PS4 games on the PS5, but do not always have the same functionality or use the same sensors or features as the original Sony controllers. If you are looking to purchase a third-party controller, make sure it is explicitly stated that it is compatible with PS4 games on a PS5.

Future Compatibility

While Sony has focused on backwards compatibility, we don’t know whether they will allow the Dualsense to work with PS4 games with full functionality in the future. They could provide a system update that adds this, but that is unlikely. PS4 games are intended to work best with the controller they were designed for. There are many ways that these games could be updated to utilize the Dualsense, but these would need to be implemented by the game developers, not by Sony. The only way to truly experience Dualsense features is to play PS5 games, or PS4 games that have specifically been upgraded to a PS5 version.

So, can you play PS4 games on PS5 with the PS5 controller? Yes, but the experience may not be the best. Using your old DualShock 4 controller may be the best way to go for most of your PS4 games. As you’ve seen, while the PS5 and its DualSense controller are amazing, playing PS4 games on the PS5 still works best with the original DualShock 4.