Should You Upgrade from PS4 to PS5 in 2023? A Passionate Gamer‘s Insider Perspective
As a passionate PlayStation gamer and industry follower since the PS1 era, I get asked constantly – should I upgrade from trusty PS4 to shiny new PS5 in 2023?
The answer is a resounding YES! By trading PS4 discs for credit at retailers and downloading your PS4 digital library to PS5, you retain full access to last-gen games. Combined with major technical leap forwards and mouth-watering PS5 exclusives releasing soon, the next-gen upgrade is absolutely worthwhile.
Let‘s dig into the upgrade process and value proposition so you can join the PS5 family with peace of mind!
Trading PS4 Discs for Maximum Value
For PS4 physical games, major retailers like GameStop, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target all offer trade-in programs. Base trade values for popular PS4 titles average around $20-30 cash or $25-40 store credit.
However, specialized gaming stores like GameStop will periodically run 50% bonus trade credit promotions – lifting popular game values to $45+.
Here is a comparison of current base trade-in rates across retailers:
| PS4 Game Title | GameStop Trade Value | Best Buy Trade Value |
|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) | $25 cash / $35 credit | $22 cash / $30 credit |
| NBA 2K23 | $30 cash / $45 credit | $27 cash / $36 credit |
| Elden Ring | $28 cash / $42 credit | $25 cash / $33 credit |
With bonuses or price adjustments, trading 15-20 PS4 disc titles could easily cover 50%+ of the PS5 Digital Edition‘s $399 cost – making upgrade math work nicely.
Download Your PS4 Digital Library to PS5
For digital PS4 purchases, the download transition to PS5 is seamless. Simply sign-in with your existing PSN account on PS5 and redownload games to play locally or stream via PlayStation Plus Premium.
What‘s even better is that select PS4 digital titles receive dedicated PS5 upgrade patches unlocking major technical improvements like 4K resolution, 60 fps performance, 3D spatial audio, and ray tracing!
As of February 2023, some PS4 digital games already upgraded for PS5 include:
- Death Stranding
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- No Man‘s Sky
- Uncharted 4
There are likely 100+ additional PS4 games like God of War (2018) and Spiderman that will get free PS5 patches post-launch to maximize engagement and sales.
Worth It? Key Reasons to Upgrade to PS5
Beyond preserving your PS4 game investments, the PS5 console itself represents a monumental technical leap forward:
- Lightning fast load times – PS5‘s custom SSD loads game assets 4-5x faster than PS4
- Higher resolution gaming – Up to 4K/60 fps support with incredibly detailed textures
- Cinematic immersion – Next-gen features like hardware ray tracing and 3D positional audio
- Exclusive launch games – Brand new IPs like Horizon Forbidden West not playable on PS4
- DualSense magic – Haptic feedback and adaptive triggers create physical in-game sensations
Here is a peek at the expanding PS5 exclusives portfolio missing out PS4 owners:
| 2023 PS5 Exclusives | 2024 PS5 Exclusives |
|---|---|
| Horizon: Forbidden West | Marvel‘s Spiderman 2 |
| Gran Turismo 7 | Final Fantasy XVI |
| Forspoken | PlayStation VR 2 Launch |
And that‘s just the tip of the iceberg, with analyst projections of 25-30 total PS5 exclusives in the console‘s first 2 years post-launch.
The Verdict – Upgrade to PS5 in 2023? Absolutely!
Given full PS4 backwards compatibility, attractive trade-in credits easing upgrade affordability, and a stellar PS5 game release slate locked and loaded…
The verdict is crystal clear to this passionate gamer – upgrading from PS4 to PS5 in 2023 is an absolute no-brainer!
The next-gen console‘s lightning load times, cinematic visuals, immersive controller, and sensational exclusives will elevate your gaming experience to glorious new heights the faithful PS4 simply cannot reach.
What are you waiting for? With the right trade-in bonuses, you can offset enough PS4 upgrade cost to join the revolution! See you on PlayStation 5 🙂
