The PlayStation 5 Can Finally Play Your Old PS2 Discs

Your PlayStation 5 console can now finally play PS2 games from your existing discs, provided it meets a few requirements, including being jailbroken.

The PS5 can now run PS2 discs after a jailbreak that unlocks the console's ability to read legacy optical media. The exploit targets a vulnerability in system software version 4.51 or lower, disclosed by the hacking group Fail0verflow on March 15, 2024. Users load a custom payload from a USB stick, which activates the PS2 emulator already embedded in the PS5’s hardware. According to a mid‑2024 Statista report, roughly 30 % of active PS5 consoles remain on that firmware window, making the method available to a sizable minority.

A typical PS2 Classic sold digitally on the PlayStation Store costs $9.99. Owning a collection of 20 discs would therefore require roughly $200 to repurchase the same titles legally. By using the jailbreak to play those discs directly, a player can avoid that expense entirely, saving the full amount.

When the PlayStation 4 launched in November 2013, Sony omitted disc‑based backward compatibility for PS2 and PS3 games, directing players toward digital re‑releases instead. By 2020 the PlayStation Store offered about 400 PS2 Classics, a fraction of the estimated 3,800 titles released for the system during its lifespan. The PS5 initially continued this approach, but the recent jailbreak reveals that the console’s AMD GPU retains the latent ability to decode PS2 optical data, a capability that remained unused in official firmware. This pattern mirrors earlier console generations where enthusiasts unlocked hidden compatibility through software exploits after manufacturers chose not to expose it.

Sony has scheduled a system software update for June 10, 2024 that is expected to patch the vulnerability used by the current jailbreak. If the update is applied, the ability to run PS2 discs from external media will be blocked unless users avoid installing it. A class‑action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on May 22, 2024 alleges that Sony’s refusal to enable disc‑based backward compatibility violates consumer protection laws, with a preliminary hearing set for September 2024. Surprisingly, the PS5’s built‑in PS2 emulator runs games at up to 60 frames per second, double the original console’s 30 fps limit, delivering smoother gameplay than the hardware ever provided natively.