Anybody can post a bunch of rumored PS5 specs, or anything else, on Pastebin. That's the point of Pastebin. But these days, when morsels of truth can be hidden in any quantity of internet bullshit, we at GamesRadar+ feel obligated to present you the details along with a few complimentary barrels of industrial grade salt. Seriously, lay down enough salt to melt a long stretch of icy highway before you read on - but do read on, because it's always fun to get another perspective on what PS5 could maybe, maybe be.
The original Pastebin file, which claims to be from a European game developer working on a PS5 launch game, was created back in December and has been making the rounds again recently. It lays out when PS5 could be announced and when it might arrive, some potential specs for the hardware (including a PS VR followup), and a few games that could come out in its early launch period.
According to the Pastebin, PS5 will get a "small reveal" sometime from April to June this year - though not at E3 itself, because Sony is skipping E3 2019. The console will then arrive in March or November of 2020 for $499, which would be $100 more than PS4's launch price. It will arrive with backwards compatibility and a 7nm Ryzen 8 core, 16-thread processor of "unknown speed" with the architecture targeting 14 teraflops. The Pastebin says this will position the console for 4K gaming (with 8K upscaling support) as well as better performance for a new wireless iteration of PS VR, which will arrive the same year.
The DualShock controller will receive some updates too, with "some sort of camera inside for VR" and a new kind of input that reportedly resembles the Steam Controller trackpad for better analog precision. As for games, here's the selection of PS5 exclusives you'll have to choose from at launch, according to the Pastebin.
- Gran Turismo 7 (with VR support)
- PUBG free-to-play, 4K remaster
- The Last of Us Part 2 remaster
- Ghost of Tsushima remaster
- Two to three more AAA games and other PS VR games
This is the part where I started doubting extra hard. According to the leak, four of the six-to-seven major PS5-exclusive launch games will all be remastered versions of current-generation games. I know Sony went a bit remaster-happy with PS4, but wow. Then the part about non-exclusives heading to PS5 in 2020 is where I threw my hands up.
- Battlefield: Bad Company 3
- Harry Potter (probably a reference to this)
- GTA 6
- Assassin's Creed
GTA 6! In 2020! When Red Dead Redemption 2 arrived late last year! Now I'll grant you that the original Red Dead Redemption came out in 2010, just two years after GTA 4. But those largely came from different studios (Rockstar San Diego and Rockstar North, respectively). Red Dead Redemption 2 was a massive, global effort from all across Rockstar's studios, which makes me doubt that much progress on GTA 6 was being made in that time. And we all know that Bad Company 3 is just the Battlefield version of Skate 4.
The most believable statement in the entire Pastebin is that Horizon: Zero Dawn 2 will hit PS5 sometime in 2021. I could just say that right now without any context of leaks or internal info and it'd be believable. "Horizon: Zero Dawn 2 for PS5 in 2021." Sure, that sounds about right.
Want something a little more certain to look forward to? Check out our list of upcoming PS4 games, or see what's on the docket this week with our latest Release Radar video.
