Star Wars: Squadrons Will Reach PS5 And Xbox Series X, But It Won't Be A Next-Gen Upgrade

Star Wars: Squadrons is currently scheduled for an October release, right on the eve of a new console generation. Launching on PS4, Xbox One and PC, EA Motive's starfighter simulator will receive landing clearance on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Just don't expect the game to be a next-gen version for those consoles initially. This doesn't rule out a next-gen upgrade forever, as EA will use backwards compatibility to bring Star Wars: Squadrons to future platforms.

Asked on Twitter if EA had plans for Star Wars: Squadrons to land on PS5 and Xbox Series X, Ian Frazier, creative director for the game at EA Motive confirmed that a backwards compatibility plan was in motion. "We're not planning a separate version of the game for the next-gen consoles, but yes, the backwards compatibility should work," Frazier tweeted.

Backwards compatibility on next-gen consoles has been approached with different strategies so far, with Microsoft promising a day-one system that will make the Xbox Series X compatible with all previous generations of Xbox games and Xbox One accessories.

A "Smart Delivery" feature will also allow developers and publishers to implement a cross-buy system that let you purchase a game once and play it on whatever is the best hardware available. So far, high-profile games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel's Avengers and several other games have confirmed that this feature will be enabled.

Sony will have a more select number of their most popular games ready to play on PS5 at launch, although they've yet to mention any broader plans regarding which titles will make the cut.

Star Wars: Squadrons is coming on October 2, 2020 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.