An experimental emulator called EmuFive has successfully demonstrated PlayStation 5 games running on a jailbroken PlayStation 4, with God of War: Sons of Sparta reportedly achieving approximately 40 FPS on PS4 Pro. Developed by Chokri Hammedi, also known as blue0x1, the open source project represents an unusual breakthrough in console emulation, allowing selected software designed for newer hardware to operate on Sony's previous generation system.
According to the official EmuFive GitHub repository, the emulator builds upon KytyPS5 and uses Linux through PS4 Multiboot, with Vulkan 1.3 providing graphics acceleration. The developer has also confirmed that the PS5 version of Hollow Knight: Silksong runs on PS4 Pro, although that title already has a native PS4 release.
The main technical challenge involves the PlayStation 4's aging AMD Jaguar CPU, which lacks AVX2, FMA, and BMI2 instructions supported by the PlayStation 5's Zen 2 architecture. EmuFive addresses this by translating unsupported instructions into compatible alternatives, allowing certain PS5 applications to execute directly on the older processor.
However, the substantial CPU performance difference makes demanding 3D games unlikely to achieve playable frame rates. The project remains experimental, and its reported results have not been independently benchmarked.
EmuFive requires a jailbroken PlayStation 4 with GoldHEN and PS4 Multiboot. The developer provides installation files through GitHub Releases, but users must supply their own legitimately obtained game files.
The project builds on earlier KytyPS5 emulation progress, demonstrating how community developers continue exploring compatibility beyond official console limitations.
EmuFive is an impressive technical achievement, demonstrating that software modifications can extend the capabilities of older gaming hardware beyond manufacturer expectations.
However, translating CPU instructions cannot overcome the PlayStation 4's fundamental performance limitations. Its greatest value is currently technical experimentation and game preservation rather than practical PS5 gaming.
Projects like EmuFive also reinforce the importance of open source development and giving hardware owners greater freedom to explore their devices.
Would you experiment with PS5 emulation on an older PlayStation 4, or do you believe the hardware limitations make the project impractical?
