In the world of gaming, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox have stood the test of time, remaining popular and widely used despite being nearly 11 years old. This longevity possibly explains why “Goat Simulator 3,” initially released in 2022 for the latest consoles, is now getting a fresh release on these older systems by the end of this month. Interestingly, this isn’t the first game to make such a shift this year.
Originally launched on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in November of last year, “Goat Simulator 3” serves as a sequel to the quirky original game. Fun fact: there’s no “Goat Simulator 2” in the series. This sequel enhances the open-world chaos that fans loved in the 2014 game, and now, even if upgrading to a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S isn’t in your immediate plans, you can still dive into this goat-filled adventure. On October 24, it lands on PS4 and Xbox One.
Making the announcement on October 8, Coffee Stain confirmed that “Goat Simulator 3” will step back to the PS4 and Xbox One. Notably, it also made its debut on the Switch just a few months earlier, in August. Players on these older consoles won’t miss out, as this version will include all the free updates released since 2022. Additionally, the game’s “Multiverse of Nonsense” DLC will be available separately for these last-gen systems.
For those who already own the game on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, there’s no need to purchase it again for the older consoles, thanks to cross-buy support. Xbox users will also benefit from cross-save compatibility across different console generations. Although it’s a thoughtful inclusion, one might wonder how often PS5 owners will opt to play it on the PS4.
This situation is reminiscent of “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor,” which initially skipped last-gen consoles when it launched for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. However, by August 2023, EA made a surprising move to bring this blockbuster from Respawn to the PS4 and Xbox One, with the new ports looking surprisingly good when they arrived in September. Indeed, older console generations seem to be hanging around longer than expected.
Consider this: we’re still seeing games released for the PS4, which has been around for almost 11 years. While it’s convenient for those who haven’t transitioned to the PS5, it raises questions about the gaming industry’s ability to move forward without leaving potential profits behind. Perhaps when “GTA 6” finally launches exclusively on next-gen consoles in 2025, it will encourage more players to embrace the new era and reduce the number of releases for older machines.
