The PlayStation 5 is taking another step toward emulating older consoles. A modder has adapted the well-known PlayStation 3 emulator RPCS3 to run directly on a modified PS5, eliminating the need for a separate Linux installation. Initial tests on a PS5 Pro already deliver playable results, including Need for Speed Carbon.
The achievement is notable because Sony still does not provide a built-in method to play PS3 games on the PS5. Although select titles stream through PlayStation Plus Premium, full local backward compatibility remains unavailable.
RPCS3 now runs as a native application on the PS5 for the first time.
Developer LavaVex has published an experimental build called RPCS3-PS5 on GitHub. Unlike earlier attempts, the emulator no longer relies on a separate Linux installation; it now runs as a homebrew app directly inside the PS5’s system environment.
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The project taps into several console interfaces: Vulkan and a custom RADV driver handle graphics, SceAudioOut outputs audio, and ScePad processes input from the DualSense controller.
The interface is based on RPCS3’s Big Picture Mode. This foundation lets PS3 games run inside a native PS5 app. One major limitation remains: the emulator works only on a jailbroken, modified console.
Need for Speed Carbon Already Runs on the PS5 Pro
According to the project description, the current build was tested on a PlayStation 5 Pro running firmware 13.60. Need for Speed Carbon ran particularly well, and the developer calls the racing title fully playable. In contrast, the first inFAMOUS game still suffers from significant performance issues, as the emulator has not yet reached stable performance.
Comprehensive PS3 compatibility remains elusive: the team has tested only a handful of titles, and many games have not been checked at all. The developer warns that crashes, freezes, and other glitches are likely, and the official RPCS3 team does not endorse this PS5 build.
What does this mean for PS3 backward compatibility?
The new port offers further proof that PS3 emulation is feasible on modern PlayStation hardware. Back in May 2026, Digital Foundry had already tested the RPCS3 emulator on a standard PS5, but that build ran inside a Linux installation.
Performance varied widely: some titles ran at high frame rates, while others suffered significant drops. The new port adopts a different approach and removes the Linux layer. However, this does not guarantee that Sony could deliver full backward compatibility without challenges.
The PlayStation 3’s unusual Cell processor architecture, with its specialized units, remains difficult to emulate reliably on modern hardware. Any official solution would need to work consistently across a broad library of games, and single successful tests do not guarantee that.
Sony continues to offer PS3 games primarily via streaming.
For PlayStation players, the situation remains unchanged for now. The PS5 natively supports a large portion of the PS4 library, and selected classics from older PlayStation generations are available through the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Plus. For PS3 games, however, Sony continues to rely on cloud streaming via PlayStation Plus Premium.
Owners of original PS3 discs can’t simply insert them into the PS5 and play, and even digitally purchased PS3 titles usually can’t be installed locally on the console. It remains to be seen whether Sony will release its own PS3 emulation solution, as the company has made no such announcement.
The PS5 homebrew scene continues to make progress
The new RPCS3 port isn’t the only noteworthy project from the past few weeks. Just recently, XPSemu was unveiled—an emulator that can even run original Xbox games on a modified PS5. Among other titles, it allows users to play Halo 2, Fable, and the first Forza Motorsport.
We examined the early results in our piece “PS5 Now Runs Xbox Games, and Halo 2 Is Already Running Surprisingly Well.” Linux installations on the console have also sparked notable experiments: one modder even ran GTA 5 on a custom PS5 running Linux.
Read more in our story “GTA 5 at 4K and 60 FPS on a PS5 Running Linux.” These projects showcase what independent developers can unlock on the hardware, though they remain out of reach for owners of standard PS5 consoles.
Still an Experiment Rather Than a Finished Solution
RPCS3-PS5 remains in its infancy. The source code and build scripts live on GitHub, but no ready-to-install package exists. Further testing will show whether compatibility and performance improve in the coming months.
Nevertheless, the technical progress is remarkable: for the first time, there is an experimental native RPCS3 port for the PS5 that can already run a commercial PS3 game in its entirety. For now, this does not change Sony’s official support for PS3 games. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
