Since the release of the PS5 in November 2020, there has been plenty of confusion and complaints regarding how Sony has chosen to handle cross-gen games. While some games require a small fee to upgrade your PS4 version of a game into the PS5 version, others offer this for free. Fortunately, Sony has finally given some clarity. The PS5 upgrade of Horizon Forbidden West will be free, but all cross-gen PlayStation games after this will charge a $10 fee for upgrades to the PS5 version.
In a blog post on the PlayStation website, Jim Ryan, who is the Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO, attempted to clarify the confusion surrounding upgrade paths for cross-gen games (games available on both PS4 and PS5). According to Jim, if you purchase Horizon Forbidden West, upgrades from the PlayStation 4 to 5 version will be free.
Sony boss needed to clarify what this means going forward for PlayStation upgrades
Jim is also careful to note that moving forward, all cross-gen games that are PlayStation first-party exclusives will offer a $10 upgrade path if you wish to convert your PS4 version of the game to the enhanced PS5 version. The next God of War and Gran Turismo 7 are listed as examples of games to which this rule will apply.
This announcement from Sony was triggered by the public outcry following Horizon Forbidden West going on sale for pre-order on the 2nd of February. Despite previous promises that Horizon Forbidden West would have a free upgrade path from PS4 to PS5 many were disappointed to learn that this option would no longer be available. Instead, gamers could earn “dual entitlement” by ordering either the Digital Deluxe Edition, the Collectors Edition, or the Regalla Edition, which all cost far more than the base game.
With the change to Horizon Forbidden West’s price scheme, many gamers will be happy but it does raise a few other issues. Most glaringly, there is now no reason to purchase the more expensive PS5 version of the game if one can find the PS4 version cheaper and simply do a free upgrade. While Sony may be attempting to smoothen out their cross-gen upgrade experience, it seems there are still plenty of humps to get over.
Horizon Forbidden West is set to release on PS4 and PS5 on the 18th of February 2022. Pre-ordering is available on the PS Store.
