No, NCAA 23 Will Not Be Playable on PS4
I‘ve got some tough news for PlayStation 4 owners eager to dive into EA Sports‘ upcoming college football video game – you‘ll need to upgrade your console if you want to play NCAA Football 23 when it launches in July 2023.
As a passionate gamer closely following every scrap of info about the first new NCAA Football release in over a decade, I‘ve unfortunately confirmed that backwards compatible PS4 systems will be left on the sidelines. Next year‘s highly anticipated gridiron reboot is locked into the technically demanding next-generation platforms of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Now I may need to grab the smelling salts to revive some PS4-gaming diehards after that bombshell. But don‘t fumble that controller just yet! Keep reading as I explain the history behind NCAA Football‘s long-delayed return, why modern college pigskin demands new hardware, and what this means for virtual football in your future.
The Winding Road Leading Back to NCAA Football
The last NCAA Football game arrived almost a full 10 years ago in mid 2013 with NCAA Football 14. This final PS3/Xbox 360 entry was yet another smash hit for EA Sports, continuing their acclaimed football simulation series that first kicked off in 1993.
But later that same year, high profile legal disputes over compensation for college athletes placed the future of the franchise in jeopardy. As costly litigation loomed without a clear resolution on the horizon, EA Sports made the difficult decision to place their award-winning NCAA Football series on indefinite hiatus starting in 2014. This left millions of virtual armchair quarterbacks without their annual college football gaming fix!
For years thereafter, gridiron gamers could only toss around their pigskins by creating custom rosters and teams using Madden NFL games lacking NCAA licensing. Diehard fans kept NCAA 14 alive as well, but the title‘s PS3/Xbox 360 platforms prevented enjoyment on modern consoles like the PS4.
That dire situation finally changed in early 2021 as EA announced an official return to college football gaming, no doubt to tremendous relief and celebration across living rooms everywhere. But that elation may convert into frustration for owners of aging consoles.
Why PS4 Got Sacked
Slated for a July 2023 release under the working title EA Sports College Football, public details remain scarce about this highly anticipated reboot. After radio silence for so long from EA Sports, fans are surely grateful for any form this revival might take.
However, multiple reports of the game‘s development planning have indicated next-gen exclusivity for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Noticeably absent from those next-gen platforms is any mention of PS4.
I hate being the bearer of bad news here, but the technical explanation seems quite apparent. Modern games demand modern hardware, with college football simulating some of the most complex gameplay across huge rosters of detailed players and stadium environments.
Commenters in online gaming communities have reasonably speculated that building NCAA 23 for past-generation systems would result in too many compromises. With PS4 entering its 10th year on the market in 2024, engineering a cutting-edge football experience while supporting aging PlayStation 4 infrastructure sounds exceptionally impractical.
Simply put – developing a game exclusively for powerful next-gen systems allows focusing resources on creating the most ambitious entry yet packed with current-day features. New console technology like PS5 solid state drives enabling ultra-fast load times help push gaming boundaries rather than being restricted by dated hardware.
What About Backwards Compatibility?
You might wonder why PS4 owners are left out given the advertised ability to play popular PS4 games on next-gen PS5 consoles. Backwards compatibility does offer fantastic longevity of past PlayStation titles.
If NCAA Football 23 was a remaster/port of NCAA 14 for example, then owners of that classic 2013 entry could expect enjoying the renewed game on PS5. But building an entirely new college football engine from scratch exclusively for leading-edge systems simply leaves no pathway for direct PS4 support.
And unfortunately, PlayStation backwards compatibility otherwise only extends across one generation. PS5 supports PS4 games. PS4 supports a selection of PS2/PS3 games. But PS4 does not enable playing brand new PS5 releases like EA‘s 2023 NCAA revival.
Next year‘s showdown simply exceeds the plateau of technical capability capped from PS4‘s early-2010s launch window. Consider it motivation to level up your PlayStation gear and enjoy everything cutting-edge college football gaming has to offer!
What Systems Will Run the New NCAA Football?
Let‘s summarize the hardware compatibility for the upcoming EA Sports college football game based on available details:
| Console | NCAA 23 Support |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | YES |
| Xbox Series X/S | YES |
| Playstation 4 | NO |
| Nintendo Switch | NO |
As you can see above based on insider reports of NCAA 23‘s development direction, previous-generation hardware like the base PS4 models will not support the July 2023 launch. EA Sports seems fully committed to leveraging new technology only found in modern consoles for their next-gen college football debut.
Time to Upgrade Your Offense
So where does this disappointing compatibility news leave existing PS4 gamers? Waiting anxiously on the sidelines for another year unfortunately. But the upside is that you‘ve now got a great excuse to truly upgrade your gameday rig.
Dust off that piggybank and start socking away funds for a next-generation console over the coming months. Treat yourself to the PS5 bundle that comes with an extra DualSense controller and the gorgeous open-world action RPG Forbidden West.
While you may need to scramble your existing gameplay budgets, imagine the boost to your entertainment lineup adding marquee PS5 exclusives like God of War: Ragnarok alongside next summer‘s Virtual Tailgating experience in NCAA Football 23!
The revived and better-than-ever franchise will be back before you know it with extra time to prepare your next-gen college football gaming cave. As any NCAA fan can attest, sometimes you‘ve just got to take a knee briefly before persevering down the field again against all odds.
So get fired up PS4 fans – our day in the spotlight returns July 2023! After years collecting dust, college football gaming is poised for a glorious comeback! Just be sure to grab a next-gen helmet and pads to play it.
