Can I Play Battlefield 5 on PS5 with Friends on PS4?
As a hardcore Battlefield fan who has been gaming since the early BF1942 days, one of the most common questions I see popping up lately across Battlefield subreddits and forums is:
"Can I play Battlefield 5 on my shiny new PS5 with my friends who are still gaming on PS4?"
It‘s an obvious query as the latest Sony console has been out for over two years now. Many players have upgraded while plenty are still enjoying older titles on PS4. And they want to squad up together in games like 2018‘s Battlefield 5 regardless of which PlayStation generation they own.
So let‘s break down the ability for cross-generation multiplayer in Battlefield 5 between PS5 and PS4…
The Straight Answer – No, Battlefield 5 Does Not Allow PS5 and PS4 Gamers to Play Together in Multiplayer
I hate to say it, but based on my own experience and all of my research into this topic, as of today there is no way for PS5 players to join up and play Battlefield 5 online multiplayer matches with friends still gaming on PS4.
While Battlefield 5 is indeed backwards compatible on PS5 thanks to the consoles innate support for most PS4 games, the title was originally developed without any form of cross-generation play in mind.
The PS5 edition of BF5 is essentially the exact same game as the PS4 version – DICE has not patched in any method for next-gen and legacy console owners to come together within the online multiplayer component.
So if you‘re rocking Battlefield 5 on your brand new PS5 while your best squadmate is still on PS4, I‘m sorry to report that you will not be able deploy into matches as a badass two-man fireteam.
It‘s Not Just Battlefield – Most Major Multiplayer Games Don‘t Allow Cross-Gen Play Between PS4 and PS5
At this point, you might be wondering why other popular online multiplayer games don‘t allow PS4 and PS5 gamers to play nice together?
Believe me, it‘s frustrating as someone who upgrades to almost every new PlayStation the moment it drops. Leaving your friends behind on old hardware sucks.
But there are some very real technical challenges associated with getting two dramatically different console generations to communicate directly in real-time during intense online matches:
Legacy vs. Next-Gen Ecosystems – Architectural and Software Differences
The PS5 represents a massive leap over the base PS4 hardware that launched in 2013.
We‘re talking cutting-edge solid state storage, a shift to ultra-fast SSD that enables much larger and more complex game worlds. An eight-core Zen 2 CPU that easily doubles the performance of the PS4‘s aging Jaguar processor.
And the PS5‘s impressive GPU renders game visuals at up to 4K resolution while targeting 60 FPS frame rates – huge jumps over early PlayStation 4 titles which often ran at 1080p and 30 FPS.
These enormous hardware advancements don‘t even consider all the work Sony also put into creating an entirely new unified operating system and redesigned user experience with the PS5 and its activities, cards concept.
All of these changes make it exceptionally difficult for legacy PlayStation 4 and next-generation PlayStation 5 ecosystems to directly communicate at the speeds required for smooth online gaming.
Game data, damage calculations, player positions and actions need to be constantly synced across an entire match to create a seamless experience for everyone involved. This is easy when all players share the same console environment.
But expecting flawless performance when having to stream so much data across completely different system architectures and networks is extremely challenging if not impossible depending on game complexity and the specific engines they are built upon.
Lack of Financial Incentive for Developers
Of course, with enough resources and determination, these kinds of monumental technical challenges can usually be overcome eventually. So why haven‘t more studios dedicated time to patching in cross-generation multiplayer modes?
Well plain and simple – there hasn‘t been a huge financial incentive so far.
Enabling direct last-gen vs current-gen play requires greatly expanding server capabilities to sync communities, designing complex matchmaking rules, and extensive testing to iron out bugs that would assuredly pop up with so many moving parts.
All of that work costs big money. And game developers are businesses at the end of the day looking to turn profits.
Most assume that serious gamers will upgrade to the latest consoles over time anyways. So they focus available resources on catering to their next-gen audiences versus spending sizable budgets appeasing loyal last-gen players who will also transition at some point.
Harsh but generally true.
There Are Some Games Leading the Way with Cross-Gen Gaming
Please don‘t mistake the above console ecosystem challenges and financial roadblocks as excuses though!
Because we are starting to see a handful of impressive games actually bridge the gap to offer direct cross-generation multiplayer between PS4 and PS5.
Titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, FIFA 23, and Fortnite have proven that enabling last-gen and next-gen players to game side-by-side is indeed possible.
For example, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 employs cutting edge matchmaking tools to analyze each player‘s hardware, connectivity, skill-level and more to match PS4 and PS5 gamers into seamless online sessions.
The teams at Infinity Ward and Activision clearly deemed that effort worth the extensive investment – likely because yearly Call of Duty typically sets launch week sales records across all platforms.
EA took a similar approach with FIFA 23, allowing die-hard soccer fans to carry over their Ultimate Team progress and play head-to-head online matches against friends who have or have not upgraded.
And Epic Games continues to connect Fortnite players across all device types – console, PC, and mobile. So PS4 and PS5 folks can build massive forts together on the island.
Kudos to these studios for overcoming major technical hurdles and providing next-gen experiences while still letting sidelined last-gen players stay involved!
But Battlefield 5 pre-dated most of these advancements, so PS4 and PS5 interlinking remains impossible for now in that title.
Will We Ever Be Able to Play Battlefield PS4 vs. PS5?
With all of these roadblocks and limitations spelled out, is enabling cross-generation multiplayer between console families ever going to be possible in the Battlefield franchise?
I want to say I‘m hopeful that someday in Battlefield‘s future, PS5 soldiers will exchange fire against their PS4 opponents in epic large-scale warfare.
However statements from developer DICE and EA do not indicate cross-gen play sitting high on their priority list.
In fact, Battlefield 2042 launched in late 2021 WITHOUT any option to play PS4 vs. PS5. And back during promotion for that title, DICE specified "no planned intentions" to allow next-gen and last-gen console owners to play together.
Instead they encouraged gamers who wanted to play together with upgraded or non-upgraded friends to stick to the PS4 or Xbox One editions of BF2042 where player bases would remain larger.
Obviously not the answer eager PS5 early adopters want to hear!
Surely we will get another mainline Battlefield incarnation at some point. But I wouldn‘t expect any grand shift in cross-generation plans until well into the PS5 life-cycle – likely the latter half.
By then Sony will have moved 100+ million new consoles, easing the financial pressures of appeasing the lingering PS4 population. And studios like DICE can build new multiplayer architectures with cross-play in focus from the beginning.
So for now in Battlefield 5 or even Battlefield 2042, PS5 players are pretty much restricted to squading up with themselves.
The Rumored "Pro" PS5 in 2024/2024 Could Complicate Things Further
As if navigating the challenges of syncing PS4 and PS5 players in games like Battlefield across one generational gap wasn‘t tricky enough – there are strong rumors circulating of an even more powerful "Pro" PlayStation 5 model launching sometime in 2024 or 2024!
This alleged PS5 Pro would build upon the already impressive specs of the current console revision with suspected upgrades like:
- – A bigger 2TB solid state drive
- – Enhanced Processing Power – Possibly a powerful 10nm AMD Zen 4 CPU
- – Beefier Graphics Capability – Rumors of a custom Navi 2 GPU
- – Support for 8K Graphics Rendering
Should this PS5 Pro come to fruition, it would immediately fragment the next-gen ecosystem almost akin to moving from PS4 to PS5.
Many players would upgrade given the obvious hardware perks. And developers would certainly take advantage by optimizing games specifically for the PS5 Pro‘s increased performance potential.
Where would that leave things for those hanging back on launch edition PS5 models? Or even lingering PS4 owners? What a confusing web of inter-compatibility headaches requiring incredibly complex networking code and server architecture!
While I‘d personally be first in line snagging that limited edition God of War Ragnarok PS5 Pro the moment pre-orders went live – I‘m not looking forward to the multiplayer implications of further splitting the already divided PlayStation community across too many hardware generations.
But game and money-hungry console builders will surely march forward as always despite concerns of gamers who just want to play with their friends!
For now, Battlefield 5 remains restricted to intra-generational multiplayer only. Let‘s cross our fingers that changes eventually before we‘re trying to get PS7 and PS6 players into matches together too!
Key Battlefield 5 PS4 vs. PS5 Multiplayer Takeaways and Advice
Let‘s recap the key questions around PS4 and PS5 cross-generation online multiplayer support in Battlefield 5:
Can PS5 and PS4 Players Squad Up Together in Battlefield 5?
No. Battlefield 5‘s PS4 and PS5 ecosystems remain completely separate as far as multiplayer goes. No method exists to join matches across console generations.
What Other Major Games Don‘t Allow Last-Gen vs. Current-Gen Play?
Popular titles like Battlefield 2042 and GTA Online also restrict PS4 and PS5 gamers to their respective pools. No mixing and matching friends across generations for online play in those titles either.
But Doesn‘t Backwards Compatibility Mean PS4 Games Work on PS5?
Correct. Almost all PS4 games are fully playable on PS5 hardware thanks to backwards compatibility. And those singleplayer experiences bring over progress and trophies.
But the online multiplayer ecosystems are completely separate between generations with few games enabling direct crossover functionality.
Why is Cross-Gen Multiplayer So Challenging to Implement?
Massive architectural differences between old and new PlayStation hardware make it extremely difficult to smoothly sync game data between generations in real-time online play.
Are Any Games Actually Cross-Gen Ready Between PS4 and PS5?
A few impressive titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, FIFA 23 and Fortnite allow last-gen and next-gen players to game online together. But exceptions remain rare thus far.
What About Future Battlefield Titles – Will PS4 and PS5 Gamers Ever Unite?
DICE has not prioritized cross-generational play even in newer games like Battlefield 2042. While possible down the road, don‘t expect to see PS4 players deployed alongside PS5 friends anytime soon.
Bottom Line – Enjoy Squading Up With Friends On Your Respective PlayStation Generation!
While unfortunate for gamers with friends split across PS4 and PS5, technological constraints prevent cross-gen Battlefield 5 multiplayer for now and the foreseeable future.
As studios eventually leave the PS4 ecosystem behind and develop new titles specifically targeting next-gen power, we can hope to see this kind of inter-generational play become more commonplace.
But for now, make sure to squad up with fellow PS4 or PS5 players so that you can continue enjoying great teamwork and communication in Battlefield 5!
Let me know if you have any other questions around PS4 and PS5 cross-generation multiplayer capabilities for Battlefield 5 or other titles. I‘m always happy to nerd out over this tech stuff!
