Yes. Most PS4 games play on a PS5, and PlayStation's own support page says so directly — with one sentence of caution attached: "Although many PS4 games are playable on PS5 consoles, some functionalities that were available on the PS4 console may not be available on PS5 consoles. In addition, some PS4 games may exhibit errors or unexpected behavior when played on PS5 consoles."
For a budget buyer that is the most valuable sentence Sony has ever published, because it means your shopping list is two console generations long while everyone else shops one. Last-gen plastic is always cheaper than current-gen plastic. A PS5 with a disc drive can read all of it.
Before the picks, the three things to check. One: does your console have a disc drive? PlayStation is blunt about the alternative — "PS4 game discs can't be used with the PlayStation®5 Digital Edition." If you own a Digital Edition, every disc recommendation on this site is off the table for you and your route is the digital store at sale time; see how to buy PS5 games cheap.
Two: is it actually a PS4 game and not a PS3 game? PlayStation states that "PS5 consoles do not support PlayStation®3 discs", and there is a sharp edge here most people never hear about: if you obtained a PS4 digital game through the PS3-to-PS4 upgrade program and therefore need the PS3 disc to play it, PlayStation says you will not be able to play that PS4 digital game on a PS5 at all.
Three: are you buying it for a feature rather than the game?PlayStation names specific casualties: PS5 consoles do not support the PS4 Second Screen app or game companion apps, and In-Game Live from PlayStation is not supported on PS5 consoles. If a companion app is the reason you want a particular game, check before you buy. Sony's own advice is to try the game first: "Before purchasing add-ons to play with your PS4 games on PS5 consoles, please try to boot and play your PS4 games on your PS5 console to see if you are happy with the play experience."
With those settled, the three discs below are the clearest demonstrations of why this matters on a budget: all three are PS4 releases, all three play on a PS5 with a drive, and all three cost a fraction of a current-gen equivalent. Live prices are on the cards, dated.
The rules worth knowing before you buy a PS4 disc for a PS5
Installing from a PS4 disc on a PS5 still involves a download
PlayStation's instruction is two sentences long: "Insert the PS4 game disc. You may need to download an update."That is the whole process, and the second sentence is the one that costs you something — storage, and time on a connection.
It is also the reason "physical means no downloads" is a myth worth retiring. A disc is a delivery mechanism and a licence token; the current build of the game still comes down the wire. If storage is your constraint rather than money, that changes which format wins, and the full comparison is in physical vs digital PS5 games.
The PS5 upgrade path exists, and the disc becomes a key
PlayStation documents it plainly: "Certain PlayStation®4 games can be upgraded to the digital PlayStation®5 version of the game on a PS5® console." For a cross-generation game, that can mean buying the cheap PS4 disc and paying a small upgrade fee instead of buying the full-price PS5 edition.
Now the catch, in Sony's words: "After the download is complete, you can play the PS5 digital game by inserting the PS4 game disc. You need to keep the disc inserted each time to play the game." The disc stops being the game and becomes the key. If you like a drive-free living room, or you lend games out, that is a real cost. And a second rule catches subscribers: "PS4 games redeemed as a PlayStation®Plus benefit aren't eligible for a PS5 upgrade unless otherwise indicated." Worth checking against is PS Plus worth it before you count on upgrading something you got free.
Some PS4 features behave differently on a PS5 — and publishers say which
The general warning is Sony's, but the specifics come from the game pages. Ubisoft's PlayStation listing for Assassin's Creed Origins, for instance, notes that some PS4 features may be absent when the game is played on a PS5 and points to Sony's backwards-compatibility page.
In practice this almost never affects a single-player game's campaign. Where it bites is peripheral features: companion apps, second-screen functions, platform-specific social features, and occasionally PS VR setups, which PlayStation says require a PS VR headset, a PlayStation Camera for PS4 and a camera adaptor. Buy a PS4 disc for the game, not for a feature on the back of the box, and you will almost never be disappointed.
Where the savings actually are
Two places. First, cross-generation games, where the PS4 disc and the PS5 disc contain substantially the same game at different prices — check both numbers every time, as we do on best cheap PS5 games. Second, the last-gen back catalogue, which is enormous, finished, and priced like it: the PlayStation Hits line exists precisely to re-release proven PS4 software cheaply.
That back catalogue is most of this site. The deepest lists are best PlayStation games under $20, under $30 and the franchise cuts like best cheap Assassin's Creed games and best cheap Resident Evil games — every one of them a PS4 shelf that a PS5 reads without complaint.
What this does not cover
PS3 and PS2 discs. PlayStation states that PS5 consoles do not support PlayStation 3 discs, and there is no disc-based route to older generations on this hardware. If you want those libraries, the subscription tiers are the only sanctioned path, which is the subject of are game subscriptions worth it.
It also does not cover controllers in one direction: PlayStation notes that PS5 games can only be played with DualSense wireless controllers, while the PS Move and PlayStation VR Aim controllers continue to work with supported PS VR games on PS5. If you were planning to buy a cheap pad to go with a cheap disc, read best budget controllers before you spend.
