Looks Like P.T. Is Not Playable on PS5

P.T., the playable teaser for what would have been Silent Hills, has been a treasured commodity for PlayStation 4 owners who have it on their hard drive. And while the PlayStation 5 is launching next week, it sounds like those who want to hold onto P.T. may not want to toss their PS4 just yet.

Last month, there was some confusion over whether P.T. would be included as part of the PlayStation 5's backward compatible catalog. Today, PS5 reviewers have been able to go live with their thoughts, and several are reporting that P.T. is not playable via backward compatibility at the moment—though it was, at one point.

Both Polygon and GamesRadar tested to see if P.T. would boot and play on the PS5. It turns out that, early on in the review process, the PS5 "did initially let you transfer P.T. from your PS5 and play it on the new console," writes GamesRadar. That changed though; the site reports that trying to play P.T. right now displays a message during the transfer process saying that you "can't use this game or app on the PS5."

Polygon reports the same, saying they actually played P.T. on the PS5 in late October, "the day after" they received the review unit. Both sites include screenshots of P.T.'s icon on the PS5 home menu, and Polygon posted a 4K screenshot captured off of the PS5 review unit.

As for the reason why? The messaging seems mixed. Polygon reached out to Sony for comment, and was told by a spokesperson that the change to P.T.'s backward compatibility was a "publisher decision." GamesRadar also reached out to Sony, who told them they're looking into it, while publisher Konami asked GamesRadar to "reach out to Sony about the matter."

Beyond being a relic of a Silent Hills reboot that could have been, P.T. has long-term value as a piece of software and part of the PS4 console generation. It's a brilliant slice of horror in its own right; it's a unique demo that can stand on its own, and it's also a reminder of the strife that led to Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima's falling out with Konami.

For now, it looks like the many, many fan remakes are the best way to relive the terror of P.T. in the long-term. I'm personally holding onto my PS4 hard drive for as long as possible. If you want to hear more about what the PS5 is doing and the games it can play, check out our review of Sony's new console.