Can the PS5 Be More Successful Than the PS4?

The latest console from Sony is shaping up nicely, but will it fare better than its predeccesor, the PlayStation 4?

The PS5 has a lot going for it; it's got some great hardware, a revolutionary controller, and has some exciting releases coming up. But can the PS5 surpass the success of its outstanding predecessor, the PS4?

Let's explore whether the PS5 can be more successful than the PS4, and look at three reasons this might be the case.

How Good Was the PS4?

First, let's look at the console the PS5 has to beat; the PS4.

The PS4 was a commercial success for Sony and left its mark on gaming. Not only is the PS4 one of the best-selling consoles of all time, but it also boasts an impressive games library, with truly some outstanding PS4 exclusives. In fact, the PS4 was arguably the winner of the eighth console generation, outclassing its chief competitor, Microsoft's Xbox One family.

What Made the PS4 So Good?

The PS4's gamer-friendly features and top-quality games library gave it its quality.

When Sony revealed the PS4 at E3 2013, it immediately won the hearts of gamers over Microsoft's Xbox One. With its user-friendly features, such as the ability to play used games and no need to connect to the internet once a day, the PS4 gave gamers a great first impression. In addition to this, the base PS4 ran cross-gen games much better than the base Xbox One, further raising its goodwill.

And, by the time Microsoft put out the best-running console of the eighth video game generation—the Xbox One X—Sony was well and truly ahead in the games department, with classics such as Horizon Zero Dawn, Bloodborne, and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

Sony kept raising the bar throughout the PS4's lifespan. Within the last few years, we've seen games such as Marvel's Spider-Man, The Last of Us Part II, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and Death Stranding. These titles push the video game medium in some aspect, with cinematic quality, deep and engaging gameplay, wonderfully crafted stories, and novel ideas.

The PS4 achieved outstanding success during its time. The PS5 certainly has its work cut out for it if it wants to beat its predecessor.

Related: What Are Video Game Generations and Why Do We Use Them?

How Can the PS5 Surpass the PS4?

Now that you've got an idea of what made the PS4 so good, can Sony reach that same level of success with the PS5 or surpass it? The short answer is: absolutely.

Let's look at three promising factors that support the PS5's success surpassing that of the PS4.

1. The PS5 Is Sony's Fastest-Selling Console to Date

Despite a chaotic launch, during a pandemic, Sony has broken records with the PS5. According to an SIE press release, it's overtaken the PS4 as the company's fasting-selling console, with over 10 million units sold since November 2020.

There are a few reasons for this, not least due to some of our least favorite people; console scalpers. However, while there's no doubt that console scalpers have taken a notable chunk of both PS5 and Xbox Series X/S stock, the hype for these consoles, especially the PS5, has been sky high.

The PS4 is currently the fourth best-selling console of all time. But, with the way the PS5 is going, we could see it replace the PS4 by the end of its life cycle.

Related: How to Stop PS5 and Xbox Series X Scalpers From Winning

2. The PS5 Improves on the PS4's Strengths and Weaknesses

With the PS5, Sony has built on the PS4's strengths and erased some of its weaknesses.

There are some great things we love about the PS5. It's got a lightning-fast SSD, an all-new controller (which might just be the new benchmark in gaming controllers), and boasts support for up to 8K resolution and up to 120FPS performance. That's a tremendous step up from the PS4.

But, the PS5 supports backward compatibility, something that gamers sorely missed with the PS4. The PS5 can run 99% of PS4 games and features enhancements for certain games, leading to graphics and performance boosts, as well as additional PS5-exclusive features. Just compare the PS4 and PS5 versions of the Ghost of Tsushima Director's cut.

The PS5 is an improved console over the PS4. Not just due to its improved hardware, which we expect, but because of how developers can use that hardware in addition to the new features the PS5 provides.

3. The PS5's Gaming Library Could Be the Best We've Ever Seen

The PS4 gave us some sensational games, and, over time, built up a superb gaming library. What's exciting is that not only can the PS5 offer unique IPs, it can build on the excellent IPs the PS4 brought to life.

So far, we've seen unique exclusives to the PS5, such as Returnal. There's the incredible Demon's Souls remake which launched with the PS5. And, available to play are Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Those are some memorable games—and it's not even been a year since the PS5 arrived.

But the future also looks promising. Sony has got a ton of projects in the works that include a wealth of new IPs. Next year, we're going to play sequels to God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn that'll primarily run on PS5. And, the PlayStation Showcase 2021 gave us some wonderful surprises, such as Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Marvel's Wolverine. Who knows what awesome games Sony still has up its sleeve?

With what we've seen, what we're seeing, and what we've yet to see, there's a good chance that in a few years, the PS5's gaming library might be one of the best of all time.

Related: Why The PS5 Could Have an Amazing Gaming Library by 2025

The PS5 Could Be One of the Best Games Consoles of All Time

The PS4 was an incredibly successful console for Sony and has left some big boots for the PS5 to fill. However, the PS5 is an outstanding console that can surpass the success of the PS4. It could even cement a legacy as one of the all-time greats.

Though we don't know where the PS5 will end up in the long ranking list of games consoles, there's a good bet it's got a place near the top. The future is exciting for Sony's ninth-gen console.

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