According to Eurogamer, Sony has informed developers of PlayStation 4 games that starting July 13, any new titles submitted for certification must also be fully compatible with the PlayStation 5.
This means that all PS4 games received by Sony for testing after mid-summer will be fully technically compatible (i.e. run) with Sony's next generation console. This is reportedly based on developer documentation posted on the PlayStation's internal partner website and leaked to Eurogamer.
It contains details on how developers should verify that their game has been tested for PS5 compatibility. This option was added at the end of April in a new version of Sony's PS4 dev kit. Sony said it will be contacting all studios on a case-by-case basis with details on how to test PS5 compatibility before launching the product.
Further documentation sheds some light on what "compatibility" means. A game will only be considered compatible with the PlayStation 5 if its code runs smoothly on Sony's next generation machine and provides at least the same functionality on the PS5 as it does on the PS4. Thus, if at least one mode does not work on the PS5, the game will not pass the certification.
These developer notes also detail Sony's policies regarding updates to existing games and the release of remasters. If a game was submitted to Sony for certification prior to July 13, 2020, then any new patch or remaster after that date will not require PS5 compatibility, although it is "highly recommended". If a game was introduced by Sony after July 13, 2020, then any future patch or remaster of that game must maintain PS5 compatibility.
It is worth emphasizing that all this applies to games submitted to Sony for consideration after July 13 - they can enter the market much later. Sony's own Ghost of Tsushima exclusive, for example, will be released on July 17th, but will clearly be certified until July 13th. That is, the game does not have to be compatible with the PlayStation 5. However, as one of the last flagships of the PlayStation 4 era, it will certainly fully support the PlayStation 5 (maybe even be able to use the new features and powers of the next console). Eurogamer has heard that the same applies to other upcoming exclusives like The Last of Us Part II.
PlayStation is also working to get as many PS4 games to work on PS5 as possible, although it has been previously reported that this will sometimes require some effort on the part of the developers. At the time of the initial presentation, PS5 architect Mark Cerny stated that the vast majority of the top 100 PS4 games are already working on PS5, with thousands more games to be tested.
Source: 3dnews.ru