A jailbroken PlayStation 5 can play PS2 discs, but Sony is giving users a tough choice

If you've ever dreamt of popping a PS2 disc into your PS5 and kicking it like it's 2004, a new homebrew emulator can make it happen. But the trade-offs make this a terrible idea for most people.

Meet PS5SX2

u/Difficult_Cover3559 / Reddit

The homebrew emulator, PS5SX2, is built on the similarly named PCSX2, a long-running, open-source PS2 emulator. The software offers 4K upscaling, widescreen support, 60fps patches and HD texture packs. For some games, you can use fan-run servers for online play, and there are even achievements that pop up like PS5 trophies. It's a surprisingly polished package.

Not every disc will work. That's because the PS5 can read DVDs and Blu-rays but not CDs. Some PS2 games shipped on CD-ROM and are therefore incompatible. Most were early or smaller releases, but that list does include some classics like Rez and Tekken Tag Tournament. Even then, the CD-based games should still run if you rip them on a PC and copy the files over; you just can't play them directly from the disc.

You can spot incompatible games by their discs' blue undersides. Fortunately for anyone going this route, the platform's most enduring titles — God of War, Grand Theft Auto III, Metal Gear Solid 2, etc. — all shipped on DVDs.

Big trade-offs

The big catch is that your PS5 has to be jailbroken — and once you do that, you can't update its firmware. Doing so would patch the security hole the jailbreak depends on, leaving you back at square one. And there's no way to downgrade.

The main public jailbreak, Relapse, works on up to PlayStation 5 System Software version 13.60. Sony patched the relevant exploit with version 14.00 in mid-September, then released 14.10 on October 1. In mid-October, Sony reportedly started blocking PlayStation Network sign-ins for any console on firmware before 14.10. So if your PS5 is on 14.00 or later (if you've signed into PSN since mid-October, that's you), this isn't an option.

If your console is on 13.60, you lose PSN and everything that goes with it: online multiplayer, the PlayStation Store and any new games that require recent firmware. That last bit could soon become an issue for anyone who plans to play the most anticipated game of this console generation, Grand Theft Auto VI. The open-world sequel will reportedly require a minimum of firmware 14.10 when it arrives on November 19, though neither Sony nor Rockstar has confirmed this.

It's fairly safe to assume that newer PS5 firmware will be jailbroken in the future though, especially with AI tools giving homebrew developers new superpowers. In fact, an apparent 14.10 jailbreak has already been teased. 

Why it isn't worth it

A jailbroken PS5 ends up in a strange spot: it can play PS2 discs, but it's cut off from the PlayStation Store, online play and newer games that require recent firmware. There isn't a huge audience for transforming a $500-plus PS5 into a machine devoted to 20-year-old discs.

Besides, there are better ways to play old PS2 games, with plenty of emulation options for hardware you already own. You can easily install emulators for PC, Steam Deck or Android phones. That lets you revisit PS2 classics like The Simpsons: Hit & Run, Burnout 3: Takedown or SSX 3 without borking your console.

Unless you have multiple PS5s sitting around running outdated firmware, there aren't many arguments for taking your PS5 down this homebrew rabbit hole. Sony is probably banking on that. The company can't stop the homebrew scene, but it also doesn't have to. It just needs to make the penalty high enough that most people won't bother.