With each year that goes by, the precarious position of the PS4 as the go-to console for many households looks more and more unsure.
While the PS4 is still a very popular console indeed, playing host to a huge number of must-play titles, the fact that the PS5 is now widely available means it might feel harder and harder to justify sticking with the PS4.
It might be tempting to jump ship now and buy a PS5, but before you do so, there are a number of considerations you should make. Here are some of the things you should be thinking about when it comes to whether your PS4 is worth sticking with in 2024!
The PS4’s game library is huge
If you’re like most adults, then your free time is relatively limited, and you can’t spend all of it gaming either. That may mean you’ve built up a massive backlog in your library.
From huge, hundred-hour epics like Persona 5 Royal, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age through to smaller hits like Furi and Undertale, the PS4 has tons of great games to experience.
There’s a very good chance you haven’t played everything the PS4 has to offer yet, and if you haven’t, then you should definitely hang on to your console so you can experience these classics.
More games are still being released for PS4
Believe it or not, even though the PS4 is a mighty eleven years old at time of writing, third-party developers and publishers are still releasing games for it.
Granted, first-party Sony games like Astro Bot or Concord aren’t appearing on PS4, but major sports releases like NBA 2K25 and EA Sports FC 25 are getting PS4 versions, and so are big games like Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
To put it simply, even if you have managed to get through your PS4 backlog, you’ve still got plenty of options available to you in the coming months.
The PS4’s hardware is still very capable
For the most part, if you’re not trying to play major AAA releases at high frame rates and high resolutions, the PS4 will more than suffice for your gaming needs in a hardware sense.
Unlike PCs, PS4s are produced to a certain standard, which means that you won’t need to worry about whether or not your console can handle a certain game; if the game is on the console, it’ll likely run to an acceptable standard.
Of course, there are certain exceptions to this rule that it’s worth researching before you make an investment, but generally, the PS4 is still a very powerful machine for most games.
You can likely find a PS4 Pro on the market for a low price
Sony may not be producing the PS4 Pro any more, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find it on the second-hand market, and PS4 Pro machines are likely to be relatively cheap now.
A quick scour of major shopping sites reveals that, at time of writing, a PS4 Pro can be had from Amazon for the low price of just £175, and that comes complete with a DualShock 4 controller as well.
The PS4 Pro is a great upgrade to the base PS4, running many games at a more comfortable frame rate and even managing to hit 60fps for some titles. If you’re still gaming on the standard PS4 model, this will feel like a significant jump up.
PS5s are still relatively expensive
This point will vary based on how much you earn and how much you’re willing to spend on a gaming console, but we reckon that a PS5 is still a relatively pricey investment.
At time of writing, UK retailer GAME’s cheapest PS5 is £390, and that’ll net you a slim PS5 with no disc drive and no additional games (although you do get the excellent Astro’s Playroom and a DualSense controller).
Dropping close to £400 on a games console isn’t the kind of purchase a lot of people can make without consideration, so if money is a concern for you, it’s safe to hang on to your PS4 for now.
The PS5 Pro could be about to launch
This might sound like a somewhat tangential point to make in an article about keeping your PS4, but bear with us – we think it’s relevant.
Rumours are currently circulating that a PS5 Pro model could be about to launch, and those rumours are coming from a source that’s generally trusted online (although they are still rumours, so take them with a pinch of salt).
If those rumours turn out to be true, then you may well end up regretting picking up a base PS5 model so close to the launch of a machine that’s likely to be superior in a technical sense.
The PS5 will probably take up more space in your setup
Admittedly, we’re somewhat grasping for this one, but if physical space in your setup is a major consideration for you and you’re already struggling to fit the PS4 into your gaming space, a PS5 would be a poor investment.
In this instance, you’re not likely to find a console that will fit into the same space as your PS4; even the Switch is much taller if you factor in its dock, so hanging onto your PS4 in this case is definitely a no-brainer.
Besides, if the PS4 is already sitting pretty on your gaming table, then why disturb that peace? Let it lie where it is and continue to provide entertainment for you!
Conclusion
While we think we’ve come up with some pretty compelling reasons (and perhaps some slightly more situational ones) to keep your PS4, the decision is, of course, up to you.
The PS5 is backwards compatible, so if you’ve got the money to burn and you’ve still got a huge backlog of PS4 games to play, don’t worry – you won’t have to abandon them.
Still, if you’re a little strapped for cash or you don’t feel like clearing out your gaming space to make room for the PS5, we think there’s still plenty of life left in the PS4!
As a dedicated gaming journalist with over five years of experience, I’ve immersed myself in the ever-evolving world of video games. Currently, I contribute to various gaming sites including PS4 Home, where I cover the latest in gaming news, in-depth game reviews, and industry trends.