The PlayStation 4 and Xbox are nearly 11 years old, but they are still surprisingly popular and used daily by a lot of people. That probably explains why Goat Simulator 3, released back in 2022 as a current-gen-only game, is now getting ported to the older consoles later this month. And this isn’t the first time that’s happened this year.
Released on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in November 2022, Goat Simulator 3 is the sequel to the original Goat Simulator. (No, there isn’t a Goat Simulator 2.) The sequel expanded on the original 2014 game’s open-world antics and was well-received by fans of the first game. But perhaps you have yet to buy a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S and still want to play this wacky goat-filled sequel? Well, good news: Goat Simulator 3 will be available on PS4 and Xbox One on October 24.
On October 8, Coffee Stain announced that Goat Simulator 3 was making the leap backward to PS4 and Xbox One. (In August of this year Goat Sim 3 was ported to Switch.) This upcoming version of the game will include all the free content updates that Goat Sim 3 has received since 2022. Goat Sim 3‘s Multiverse of Nonsense DLC will also be available to buy separately on last gen.
If you already own the game on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, you’ll be able to play it on the old consoles without having to buy it again thanks to cross-buy support. And the Xbox ports will support cross-saves across generations, too. It’s a nice gesture, though I’m not sure how many people who own Goat Sim 3 on PS5 will be loading it up on PS4 anytime soon.
This situation reminds me of what we saw with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. That game launched on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC and skipped last-gen machines. But then in August 2023, EA confirmed it was porting the blockbuster game from Respawn to PS4 and Xbox One. Those ports arrived in September of this year and look pretty good. But it does feel like the last generation of consoles are lingering around more than usual.
I mean, the PS4 is nearly 11 years old. But publishers are still porting games to it in 2024. While that’s nice for PS4 owners who haven’t made the leap to PS5 yet, it does feel like a bad sign for console makers and the industry that it can’t move forward yet or it might leave too much money on the table. Perhaps GTA 6, which is set to arrive only on next-gen consoles in 2025, will finally push enough people forward that last-gen ports stop happening.
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