'Rock Band 4' Is Backward Compatible With PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X

Good news for fans of rhythm game “Rock Band 4” as developer Harmonix has announced that the title is backward compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

When “Rock Band 4” was released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 back in 2015, it allowed players to bring along songs from “Rock Band” games from Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It was, however, a complicated process bogged down by music licensing issues. That will not be the case this time.

“All DLC currently available for download will also work on new consoles,” Harmonix stated on its website. “No messy generation transition this time, it’s the same DLC!”

On top of that, the developer announced that save data will also carry over for both Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It will be an easier process for the former because the transfer will be automatic if players saved on the cloud.

In the case of PS4, PlayStation Plus members get cloud storage so there won’t be an issue for them. Otherwise, PS4 gamers will need to transfer save data manually via USB.

After noting that previously supported instruments “should work as expected,” Harmonix proceeded to list which peripheral instruments it had tested and have proven to transition seamlessly to the next-gen consoles. See the complete list on the Harmonix website.

The important thing is that the developer emphasizes that if the instrument worked with “Rock Band 4” on current-gen consoles, it should work on PS5 and Xbox Series X as well.

Speaking of the transition to next-gen consoles, faster load times is once again offered as a perk for upgrading systems. Thus, those with large song libraries will not have to wait too long as their libraries are loaded.

With a focus on music, there won’t be improved framerates or graphics for “Rock Band 4” in the new consoles, according to Polygon. Still, the backward compatibility for both Xbox and PlayStation allowing the carryover of large music libraries should provide comfort for fans who worked hard to build them.

Thanks to online multiplayer functionality, owners of the upcoming Xbox Series X and digital-only Xbox Series S will still be able to play online with Xbox 360 owners. The same can be said for PS5 and PS4 “Rock Band 4” gamers.

For Xbox fans, e-kits and Legacy Wireless that were previously used to play “Rock Band 4” will also work for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S from the moment they are launched on Nov. 10.