The latest PS4 and Xbox Series X game confirmed to get free PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrades is Marvel's Avengers, Square Enix's highly anticipated superhero adventure due out September 4.
Crystal Dynamics' Gary Snethen confirmed the news in a PlayStation Blog post, highlighting some of the key features Avengers will enjoy on next-gen platforms while sharing some impressive-looking screenshots.
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In addition to improved textures and lighting, Marvel's Avengers will offer PS5 players a choice of enhanced graphics mode, which kicks up all the visual settings, and high framerate mode, which aims for a consistent 60 frames per second at 4K. And, of course, Avengers will also benefit from the PS5's SSD, which will all but eliminate load times and "[allow] players to seamlessly jump into missions anywhere in the game world." Better yet, you'll be able to enjoy cross-play between PS5 and PS4.
These upgrades sound nice, but the bigger story here is that more and more high-profile PS4 games are getting free upgrades for the next generation. This news follows the announcements that Cyberpunk 2077, Madden NFL 21 and FIFA 21 will get similar free upgrades from PS4 to PS5, suggesting that many top publishers will opt to offer this bonus for its games.
Square Enix has said that it will share more on Avengers' Xbox Series X upgrade program in the future. It's unclear whether the Xbox Series X version of the game will be part of Microsoft's Smart Delivery program, or if players will have to go another route.
Microsoft has spent months touting Smart Delivery, which allows you to buy select Xbox One games and automatically enjoy their upgraded Xbox Series X versions for free. The program will include first-party titles such as Halo Infinite and Gears 5, as well as major third-party games like Cyberpunk 2077, Destiny 2 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
PS5 game upgrades, on the other hand, appear to be determined on a per-publisher basis, and may require players to manually claim their next-gen upgrades (at least in the case of some upcoming EA games). But given how many high-profile games are already due for free PS5 enhancements, it appears that both PS4 and Xbox One players will have plenty of forwards compatibility to look forward to once the new consoles come out.
