Should You Keep Your PS4 in 2026?

The PlayStation 4 remains a worthwhile console to own in 2024 – its massive game library, lower cost, and exclusives still offer great value for gamers who aren‘t ready to upgrade yet. However, as Sony phases out PS4 support over the next 2-3 years, upgrading to a PS5 will eventually be necessary to enjoy new games and features.

Sony‘s PlayStation 4 (PS4) console first launched in November 2013 and has had an incredibly successful run for the past 7+ years. With over 117 million units sold, the PS4 dominated the eighth generation of video game consoles.

However, Sony released the next-gen PlayStation 5 (PS5) in November 2020. Naturally, many PS4 owners wonder if their console is now obsolete, or if it‘s still worth holding onto.

This comprehensive guide examines the pros, cons, lifespan, and value proposition of keeping a PS4 in 2024 and beyond.

The Case for Keeping the PS4

For gamers who aren‘t yet ready to upgrade, there are still many great reasons to keep playing on the PS4:

1. Massive Game Library

The PS4 has built up a vast game catalog since launch, with over 1,800 titles released as of early 2023 according to Playstation.com.

These include acclaimed Sony exclusives like God of War (2018), Spiderman (2018), The Last of Us Part II (2020), and many more that can only be played on PS4. There are also third-party blockbusters and indie gems.

With such a huge backlog, the PS4 game library will provide countless hours of entertainment for years to come. While new releases are slowing down, you still have access to all existing games.

2. More Affordable Price Point

The PS5 remains very difficult to find in stock, and still costs $499 for the standard edition or $399 for the Digital Edition without a disc drive.

Meanwhile, you can easily purchase a used PS4 Slim for around $200-$250 these days. The PS4 Pro costs around $300 used. For budget-focused gamers, the PS4 is far more affordable and available.

3. Existing Peripherals and Accessories

If you upgrade from PS4 to PS5, you‘ll have to purchase all new accessories and peripherals. The DualShock 4 controller, officially licensed headsets, fight sticks, special edition consoles, and other PS4 accessories are not forward compatible.

By keeping your PS4, you can continue using these expensive investments instead of replacing them. This is a major financial consideration.

4. PS4 Disc & Digital Games Work on PS5

The PS5 is backwards compatible with almost all PS4 games – both physical discs and digital purchases.

However, you need the PS4 to play disc games, and to access any digital games you already own but have not downloaded. Keeping your PS4 provides ongoing access to your game library.

5. Play Exclusives Not Remastered for PS5

While the PS5 can play PS4 games via backwards compatibility, it does not currently have access to remastered or native PS5 editions for many exclusives and blockbusters.

Notable exclusives like The Last of Us: Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, and Spiderman: Miles Morales have yet to receive PS5 remasters. The PS4 remains the only way to enjoy these games with enhancements like 4K and 60 FPS.

This gives the PS4 ongoing value until more titles get remastered down the road.

6. Share Your Game Library Within the Family

If you upgrade to PS5, having both consoles enables different family members to play games simultaneously.

Kids can enjoy your PS4 in their room, while parents game on the PS5 in the living room. Siblings can play together without having to share a single console. This convenience may be reason enough to keep the old PS4 around.

Drawbacks of Hanging onto a PS4

While there are definitely still benefits to having a PS4, there are also some downsides to consider:

1. PS4 Support is Ending

Sony has started the process of phasing out PS4 production and support:

• PS4 production will likely end in 2022 according to Supply chain reports. Only the basic Slim model will remain in production for now.

• The PS4 was discontinued in Japan in December 2021. This shows other regions will follow soon.

• The PS4 Pro was discontinued globally in August 2022. Only PS4 Slim remains.

• Numerous PS4 bundles and special editions have been ended already. Ongoing support is waning.

While Sony hasn‘t announced an official end-of-life date for PS4, production and support is clearly winding down. The system has reached the end of its natural console life cycle.

2. Outdated PS4 Hardware is Showing its Age

The PlayStation 5 is a major leap forward in console hardware capabilities and performance:

Spec	PS4	PS5
CPU	x86-64 AMD Jaguar 8-cores @ 1.6GHz	x86-64 AMD Ryzen Zen 2 8-cores @ 3.5GHz
GPU	AMD GCN RadeonTM 4.2 TFLOPS, 8GB GDDR5	AMD RDNA 2 RadeonTM 10.3 TFLOPS, 16GB GDDR6
Resolution	1080p	Up to 8K
Framerate	30 FPS	Up to 120 FPS
Storage	500GB/1TB HDD	825GB SSD

The PS5‘s superior processing power and SSD storage allow for 4K graphics, ray tracing, faster load times, and 60+ FPS gameplay. This makes newer PS5 games feel like a generation ahead of PS4 titles.

As cross-gen games phase out and developers leverage PS5-only features, the PS4 will have trouble keeping up. Its dated hardware is a liability.

3. Missing Out on New PS5 Features

The PS5 user experience has seen major quality-of-life improvements:

• DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers provide immersive vibration and resistance
• 3D spatial audio through supported headsets or TV speakers
• Faster system UI and menus thanks to the SSD
• Game Help video guides integrated right into games
• Accessibility options like text-to-speech or button mapping

These new capabilities demonstrate how PS5 is evolving the gaming experience. As more next-gen features roll out, the PS4 will become more outdated.

4. Declining PS4 Online Communities

Sony reported 30 million PS5s have been sold as of November 2022. With so many gamers migrating to PS5, the PS4‘s online multiplayer populations are shrinking.

Popular franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield have dropped PS4 support already. Finding matches may become harder going forward as players move on.

5. Takes Up Valuable Entertainment Space

The chunky PS4 takes up a fair amount of room under TVs and in entertainment centers, with its sizeable frame measuring 53mm x 275mm x 305mm.

The sleeker PS5 has a smaller footprint at just 390mm x 104mm x 260mm. Replacing your PS4 with the newer console frees up precious space.

How Many Years of Life Does the PS4 Have Left?

It‘s hard to predict exactly how long developers will continue supporting the PS4 with new game releases. However, we can look at historical data for guidance:

Console	Launch	Final Game Release	Lifespan
PS4	Nov 2013	TBD	TBD
PS3	Nov 2006	Sep 2018	12 years
PS2	Oct 2000	Sep 2013	13 years
Original Playstation	Dec 1994	Mar 2004	10 years

• Based on previous PlayStation console cycles, we can expect the PS4 lifecycle to end around 2025-2026, a lifespan of 12-13 years.
• Third-party publishers will likely stop releasing PS4 versions of games by late 2024.
• First-party Sony studios may support PS4 for 1-2 years beyond that with exclusives.
• Certain sports games and late ports could trickle out on PS4 through 2026-2027.

Essentially, the PS4 has around 3 more years of solid support and new games left in it. But by the mid-2020s, gaming will have moved on.

Upgrade to PS5 When You Need These Features:

For gamers still happy with their PS4, it makes sense to keep enjoying it and slowly build up a next-gen game library. But you should plan to upgrade for these reasons:

• You want to play a PS5 exclusive like God of War: Ragnarok
• Your favorite franchises drop PS4 support in annual releases
• You need more FPS, 4K, or ray tracing that PS4 can‘t deliver
• You want to use PSVR 2 coming in 2024
• You are tired of long load times on PS4
• You want to experience DualSense haptics and 3D audio

Use this as a checklist of when PS5 becomes mandatory. Keep an eye out for hardware bundles or discounts to get the best upgrade value.

Tips to Prolong Your PS4 Lifespan

To keep your PS4 going for as long as possible through the rest of its life cycle, make sure to:

• Clean dust regularly from vents and internals
• Replace aging thermal paste on the CPU/GPU
• Use an external SSD via USB for faster game storage
• Keep it in a well-ventilated space for optimal airflow
• Replace worn out controller sticks and buttons to keep gaming comfortable

With proper maintenance and care, a PS4 should keep chugging along for 3+ more years and hopefully not suffer any critical failures before you are ready to move on.

Conclusion – Enjoy PS4 While You Can

The PlayStation 4 absolutely still remains a worthwhile console to own in 2024, with a gigantic game catalog, plenty of exclusives, and several years of new releases still ahead. For budget-focused gamers, casual gamers, or those with large PS4 backlogs, now is not the time to upgrade yet.

However, the writing is on the wall for PS4 support winding down by 2025-2026. It‘s the beginning of the end of the console‘s life cycle. Once Sony phases it out, the PS4 will become severely outdated.

Enjoy your PS4 during its remaining golden years while building up your PS5 game library. Then you can seamlessly move on from the PS4 once it is officially put out to pasture.