Modders have got original PlayStation 2 discs booting on the PS5, a feature Sony has never offered. VideoCardz reports that developer Sword, the author of the PS2 emulator PS5SX2, posted a video of a physical PS2 disc being inserted into a jailbroken PS5 and launched.
The catch: it isn’t true backwards compatibility. Sword explained that each game must be dumped once before it runs from the disc, so you can’t simply insert any PS2 game and play. After that preparation, the process works as shown in the video.
What the mod does
According to Sword, the feature also supports external USB DVD drives. That would let owners of the disc-less PS5 Digital Edition, or consoles with a broken optical drive, use physical media. The developer also claims it handles games from different regions. These details come from the modder’s own claims and demonstration; there is no independent testing yet.
The disc support builds on PS5SX2, a port of PCSX2 to the PS5. It runs natively on a jailbroken console, using PCSX2’s CPU recompilers and a modified Vulkan driver to reach the GPU. The project says it is independent and isn’t affiliated with the PCSX2 team or Sony Interactive Entertainment. Users need their own PS2 BIOS and game backups.
PS5SX2 has moved quickly since its September release. VideoCardz reported that version 1.9, released on 5 October, added RetroAchievements and downloadable HD texture packs for roughly 340 PS2 games. Android Authority covered version 2.00, which brings better handling of multi-disc games, cheat disc support and per-game hardware fixes. Until now, the emulator played games only from disc images stored on the console’s SSD.
Sony’s official position
The PS5 already has a DVD-compatible optical drive, but Sony limits official backwards compatibility to PS4 games. PS2 titles reach the console only through selected digital releases and the PlayStation Plus Classics catalogue, which recently added Ratchet & Clank, Dino Crisis 2 and Mega Man X Command Mission. There is also a hardware limit: the PS5’s internal drive can’t read CDs, which some PS2 games used.
The mod only works on jailbroken consoles. As Android Authority notes, the current jailbreak scene centres on the Relapse exploit, which covers PS5s on firmware 13.60 or earlier. Consoles on newer updates are out of reach for now. Running homebrew and pirated or modified software carries risk, including bans from online services, and tbreak doesn’t recommend it. The same community recently got the PS5’s OS running on a PC.
Sony hasn’t commented on the project, and nothing suggests it will add disc-based PS2 support officially.
Can I play PS2 discs on a normal PS5?
No. A stock PS5 doesn’t play PS2 discs, and Sony only supports PS4 games for backwards compatibility. The disc feature requires a jailbroken console running the PS5SX2 emulator.
Do I need to dump my PS2 games first?
Yes. According to Sword, each game has to be dumped once before the disc will launch, and you must supply your own PS2 BIOS.
Does it work with the PS5 Digital Edition?
Sword says external USB DVD drives are supported, which would allow Digital Edition owners to use physical PS2 discs. That claim hasn’t been independently tested.
