Can You Play PS2 And PS3 Games On A PS5?
Backwards compatibility is a great way for anyone who's upgraded to the next version of a given video game console to keep playing the games they already own without having to hang onto the older platform. It also provides an opportunity for someone who might be relatively new to a particular console to enjoy retro exclusives and other older games they might have missed.
Unfortunately, this extremely useful (and almost universally beloved) feature has been on the outs with Sony's consoles over the past several years. As it stands, PS5 backwards compatibility allows you to pop in a PS4 game disc and... that's it. Granted it's still nice to be able to play most PS4 games on a PS5 with a disc drive, but forget trying to get it to read PS3, PS2, or original PlatStation discs.
This isn't to say you "can't" play some pre-PS4 games on a PS5, however. Your PS5 may not be able to run physical copies, but there are other ways for you to enjoy older titles. And it's not morally dubious or a risk to the hardware or anything! That said, there is still a catch.
PlayStation classics are available for a price
It turns out the secret to playing a bunch of PS3, PS2, and original PlayStation games on PS5 is to sign up for PlayStation Plus Premium. This premium service tier gives you access to the Classics Catalog, which contains hundreds of games spread across all of the previous PlayStation consoles. You can also buy digital versions of many classic games directly off of the PSN store, of course, but not everything in the catalog is available for purchase.
The trade-off is that all of the games in the Classics Catalog are only available while you're subscribed to Premium. So you'll need an internet connection and you'll need to be logged in to play them in the first place. You'll also need to pay for Premium — $17.99 per month, $49.99 for three months, or $159.99 for a full year.
Once you're a Premium member you can browse through and play games from the Classics Catalog by selecting PlayStation Plus from the PS5 home screen, choosing Benefits, then selecting Classics Catalog. Keep in mind that PS3 games are currently only available via streaming, so performance can vary depending on internet connection. Other Classics are also streamable, but some can be downloaded instead.