Next-Gen Xbox Can Potentially Run All PlayStation Games On Steam

The next-gen gaming consoles will bring a host of new possibilities and challenges. While we already know that Xbox games are coming to PlayStation 5, the future of PlayStation games on the next-gen Xbox platform is one major debate that has divided fans. Though it raises the issue of whether PlayStation games will be available on the next Xbox console via Steam or whether Sony will act to stop this, the idea of a console-PC hybrid that might run Steam games is growing more apparent.

While some think Sony may stop showing their games on the new Xbox, others think this is unlikely. Industry figures like Jez Corden and Tom Warren weighed in on the subject over the weekend, asking their followers whether they believed PlayStation would stop their PC games from arriving on Microsoft devices. The outcomes were revealing: 61% of respondents anticipated Sony would prohibit PlayStation titles on the new Xbox.

This sentiment shows a more general lack of trust in the gaming community. Many believe that, even if a console-PC hybrid seems more and more probable, Sony will try to restrict Xbox platform access to its games. Corden, meanwhile, does not quite back this idea. He thinks the next Xbox console will be basically a Windows PC with an Xbox-specific front-end UI. As we know it now, such as the PlayStation or Xbox Series X, this design would make the platform more comparable to a PC gaming system than a conventional console.

Corden illustrates this idea with the Steam Deck. Running SteamOS, a front-end interface built on Linux, the Steam Deck resembles a game console. Although Steam Deck offers a console-like experience, it's basically a Linux-based computer rather than merely a handheld console.

Following this reasoning, if the next Xbox uses Windows as its basic operating system but follows a comparable concept, users will be able to leave the Xbox OS and start a regular Windows desktop environment. From there, gamers may play PC games, including those created by PlayStation and available on Steam, by accessing Steam or other digital stores such as the Epic Games Store.

Corden, therefore, thinks Sony will find it challenging to stop their games from running on a device powered by Windows. However, Sony might never intentionally market their titles directly on the Xbox Store. The actual possibility is that Xbox fans can purchase and play PlayStation games on Steam, which has been the home of many of Sony's largest blockbusters, including God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn.

The key issue, then, is whether Sony can stop this from occurring.  Corden claims that unless Sony completely stops supporting Windows (unlikely given their PC success), there is nothing to stop PlayStation games from running on the upcoming Xbox. Given the console's Windows PC architecture, this is particularly true.

Although Corden believes it is technically impossible to restrict PlayStation games on the next-gen Xbox, he concedes that Sony may act aggressively to stop this. Sony's only real means of stopping their games from running on a Windows-based Xbox would be to remove all of their titles from Steam completely. Given Sony's success with its PC releases, especially on Steam, this is unimaginable.

Since Horizon Zero Dawn's 2020 release on Steam, Sony has gradually extended their presence on the PC platform, followed by games like Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, and many more. The financial success of these items makes it improbable that Sony will abandon the PC industry.

The question of whether Sony will be able to limit their titles on Xbox's next-generation platform stays hot as we wait for more information. Though some say Sony may act to stop PlayStation games from showing on Microsoft platforms, this seems unlikely. Sony might not be able to stop players from obtaining PlayStation games through Steam if the next Xbox is a Windows PC running an Xbox front end.

Although it is unclear how Sony will address this matter, it's likely that the next-gen consoles will offer new possibilities, mixing the lines between current-gen consoles and PCs. One thing is for sure, though: PlayStation's debate is far from finished; whether it will keep releasing games on PC or attempt to limit access is still unknown.