Sony no longer delivers free upgrades from PS4 to PS5
Sony is making a U-turn: «Horizon Forbidden West» will get a free next-gen upgrade after all. However, it will be the last game that’s upgraded for free.
This isn’t the first time that Sony has stumbled over its own upgrade policy. Confusing installation options on the PS5 are followed by the next misstep with «Horizon Forbidden West». Early last week, Sony communicated the various ways to pre-order Aloy's next adventure. This includes nine versions. Only the most expensive ones include both the PS4 and PS5 versions. A free upgrade from the PS4 to the PS5 version isn’t planned. This contradicts earlier statements from Sony CEO Jim Ryan, in which he assured that next-gen upgrades would be free.
After criticism from all sides, Sony is now backtracking and will offer free next-gen upgrades to buyers of the PS4 version of «Horizon Forbidden West». However, as he said, this is an exception. In the future, such upgrades will cost ten dollars. This means, there’s no way to upgrade «Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut» from the PS4 to the PS5 version without paying extra. The next-gen versions are also more expensive than the last-gen versions in terms of purchase price.
This only affects Sony's first-party games such as «God of War» and «Gran Turismo». How do other manufacturers handle this? We don’t know yet. Microsoft is much more generous: the Xbox Series S/X doesn’t only automatically install the correct version, it also offers free next-gen upgrades.
Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.