Sony announcing the end of PlayStation discs in January 2028 came shortly after we all found out that GTA 6 is launching without a disc, and it continues to be met with nothing but negativity. Gamers have been leaving community notes on X, and even more worrying for the company, antitrust complaints and lawsuits are a potential. And now, emulator devs are speeding things up.

With the prospect of a digital-only future for PlayStation consoles, it leaves the PlayStation Store as a bottleneck for sales and downloads with no competition. Emulation is a workaround for pirates, and the fact that community devs are now working overtime to get more 2D and 3D games working on various PS5 emulators may be a form of retaliation against Sony.

How good is PS5 emulation so far?

Emulation of the last-gen PS4 has come a long way, even recently getting initial support for online play. By comparison, community developers have only really cracked the surface of emulating the PlayStation 5. This includes the KytyPS5 emulator (version 0.0.3) booting into GTA V menus and some gameplay in Quake II, demonstrating compatibility with 3D games.

KytyPS5 is actually a fork of a since-abandoned 2021 project aiming to be a cross-platform PS4 and PS5 emulator. The emulator offers far from being a proper gaming experience, but it continues to reach important milestones nonetheless.

KytyPS5 can boot and go in-game with 2D games and some 3D commercial games, including titles built with Unreal Engine 4/5, Unity, and custom game engines.

Source: GitHub

Another example is SharpEmu, an “experimental” PS5 emulator project for Windows written from scratch in C#. Development work is currently focusing on “accuracy and infrastructure setup” rather than game-specific compatibility – the PS5 shares the same underlying x86 architecture of the PC platform. It’s already capable of running 2D platformer Dreaming Sarah; on the 3D side of things, it also managed to boot into the Demon’s Souls remake, but got stuck on the startup screen.

There isn’t really a go-to emulator for the PS5 just yet – but an influx of projects and development makes it clear that enthusiasts are making good progress. Going back to KytyPS5, the GitHub repo also features screenshots of a handful of other games. For 2D, Dead Cells is a well-known pick, and for 3D, PowerWash Simulator. The full list so far is as follows:

• Disgaea 6
• Cult of the Lamb
• Dreaming Sarah
• Dead Cells
• SILENT HILL: The Short Message
• Cat Quest III
• PowerWash Simulator
• PAC-MAN WORLD

Emulation is a means for preservation, something which is deeply ingrained in physical media and collector culture. As physical media preservation is threatened by Sony’s plans, emulation provides a form of digital preservation. It’s important to note that it doesn’t inherently mean piracy – the SharpEmu devs make it clear that they’re using game data “dumped from consoles that we personally own” – but a future where PlayStation can suddenly delist a digital-only title will make that all the more difficult.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.