Sony charging extra for PS4 to PS5 upgrades, no more free upgrades

Sony confirms it will no longer offer free PS4 to PS5 upgrades of of future cross-gen first-party games.

Today Sony reversed its massively unpopular next-gen pricing scheme and will now offer a free Horizon Forbidden West PS4 to PS5 upgrade. In the same announcement, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan says Horizon Forbidden West is the last free upgrade. From now on, any PS4 to PS5 upgrade of a first-party cross-gen title will cost $10.

"I also want to confirm today that moving forward, PlayStation first-party exclusive cross-gen titles (newly releasing on PS4 & PS5)-both digital and physical*-will offer a $10 USD digital upgrade option from PS4 to PS5. This will apply to any exclusive cross-gen PS4 & PS5 title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment," Ryan said.

The reality is Sony has already been charging extra for PS5 upgrades of previously-released PS4 titles, including:

• Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut - $30 upgrade, includes PS5 optimizations and Iki Island expansion
• Death Stranding Director's Cut - $10 upgrade from PS4 to PS5, includes PS5 optimizations and next-gen exclusive features

Gamers are still irked that Sony is monetizing cross-gen upgrade paths, however major players like Electronic Arts are starting to do the same with expensive $99 versions of games that bundle PS4 and PS5 copies. Free next-gen upgrades are starting to phase out as the PS5 and Xbox Series X install bases fill out.

Sony confirms that both Gran Turismo 7 and the new God of War game will have a $10 PS4 to PS5 upgrade cost, ensuring that last-gen gamers aren't exempt from the new $69.99 next-gen pricing plan.

PS5 next-gen pricing news

• PS5 gamers push back against $69.99 Ghost of Tsushima re-release
• Death Stranding's new quality of life boosts change the game entirely, but they're exclusive to PS5
• Sony almost charged more than $70 for PS5 games