Sony’s published guidance says PS5 consoles do not play original PS3 games or PS3 discs. Separately, an experimental, unofficial RPCS3 homebrew build has reportedly run selected PS3 games on one jailbroken PS5 Pro. That demonstration shows PS5 hardware can run at least some PS3 software in a specific setup; it does not show that PS3 compatibility is a standard PS5 feature, that most games work, or why Sony has not offered it.
Does a PS5 officially play PS3 games or discs?
No. Sony’s PS5: The Ultimate FAQ, published November 9, 2020, asks whether original PlayStation, PS2, or PS3 games can be played on PS5 and answers: “No, PS5 will play PS5 games and more than 99% of PS4 games, including PlayStation VR games, only.” Sony’s current backward-compatibility support page also states that PS5 consoles do not support PS3 discs.
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That is the supported retail experience. The modded-console experiment described below is separate: it requires a jailbreak and does not make a PS3 disc plug-and-play on an ordinary PS5.
What did the RPCS3-on-PS5 demonstration show?
The project repository describes an experimental, unofficial way to run RPCS3 as a native title on a jailbroken PS5. Its reported tests were conducted on one PS5 Pro using firmware 13.60, the Relapse jailbreak, etaHEN, ftpsrv, and ShadowMount+. The repository says users must supply their own PS3 firmware and game dumps.
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- Ray Tracing - Immerse yourself in worlds with a new level of realism as rays of light are individually simulated, creating true-to-life shadows and reflections in supported PS5 games.
- Faster Loading - Fast-travel across the map and get back into the game almost instantly with the PlayStation 5 console’s ultra-high-speed SSD and fast load times.
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- Backwards Compatibility - Play over 4,000 PS4 games on PS5. Enjoy faster and smoother frame rates in some of the PS4 console's greatest games.
The project reports two specific game results:
- Need for Speed Carbon (BLUS30016): described by the project maintainer as fully playable at 60 fps. This is a project-reported result for that title and test setup, not an independent measurement or a claim about other games.
- inFAMOUS (BCUS98119): reported to run, but with stuttering and below-full-speed performance in some areas.
The repository cautions that only a few games have been tested and that most remain untested. These examples establish neither a PS3-library compatibility rate nor how reliably the build performs across games.
How is this different from Sony’s supported PS5 experience?
| Question | Sony-supported PS5 | Experimental RPCS3 homebrew |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Sony’s guidance excludes original PS3 games and says PS5 consoles do not support PS3 discs. | Unofficial experimental project; not a Sony feature and not an official RPCS3-team release. |
| What is required? | A retail PS5 does not need a jailbreak to use supported PS5 and PS4 games. | The documented tests used a jailbroken PS5 Pro with specific firmware and homebrew software; users supply PS3 firmware and game dumps. |
| Game support | Sony’s cited FAQ describes PS5 and PS4 support, not PS3 compatibility. | Only a few PS3 titles are reported as tested; most remain untested. |
| Performance evidence | No PS3 performance figures apply to the unsupported retail experience. | The project reports Need for Speed Carbon as fully playable at 60 fps and inFAMOUS as stuttering and sometimes below full speed. |
The comparison is not a controlled benchmark: it contrasts Sony’s published support position with a small set of results from one homebrew setup.
Can you run a PS3 game disc in this setup?
Do not treat the demonstration as evidence that inserting a PS3 disc into a PS5 will work. Sony says PS5 consoles do not support PS3 discs. The homebrew project instead describes a jailbroken-console setup that relies on users supplying game dumps and PS3 firmware; its README does not establish retail-disc support.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does the port say about PS5 hardware—and what does it not prove?
The reported results make one narrow point: PS5 Pro hardware can run at least some PS3 software through an experimental emulator integration. In that limited sense, hardware capability is not the whole story behind the absence of official PS3 play on PS5.
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The repository describes a custom integration: Vulkan rendering through the PS5_Vulkan RADV port, audio through SceAudioOut, controller input through ScePad, and RPCS3’s Big Picture Mode interface. Those implementation details help explain what the modder built; they do not show that a complete, polished, supported service would be straightforward to ship.
Nothing in the cited material establishes Sony’s internal engineering, licensing, support-cost, or business rationale. A few successful or partly successful tests cannot prove that software work alone—or any single factor—explains Sony’s decision. The demonstration is evidence of feasibility for selected titles in a particular configuration, not proof of commercial readiness or broad compatibility.
What RPCS3’s own compatibility information means
The main RPCS3 FAQ describes RPCS3 as an open-source PS3 emulator for Windows and Linux and directs users to its compatibility list because support varies by title. The PS5 homebrew repository is an unofficial project, not a release maintained or supported by the RPCS3 team. Its PS5 results should therefore be read as project-specific tests, not as an official RPCS3 compatibility statement.
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