Should you still buy a PS4?

The PS4 turns 13 next month and Sony is slowly winding down support, but a second-hand console costs a fraction of the price of a PS5. Here is who it still makes sense for, and who should save up instead.

The PlayStation 4 was released in November 2013 and went on to become one of the best-selling consoles ever made, with more than 117 million shipped before Sony stopped reporting its sales in 2022. Millions of them are still in use, and many more are sitting in cupboards or being sold on second-hand sites for not much more than the price of a new game.

That has made the old console look tempting again. Sony raised the price of every PS5 model in April, and the cheapest one now costs $599.99, £519.99 or €599.99. For a family on a tight budget, or a teenager saving up, a used PS4 for around $120 or £100 can seem like the obvious choice.

It can still be a good buy, but it comes with clear limits. The biggest new games are no longer being made for it, Sony is gradually moving PS4 owners towards the PS5, and any console you find now will be several years old. This guide explains what you get for your money and what you give up.

PS4 at a glance

The short answer

A PS4 is still worth buying if you mainly want to play the huge library of games that already exists for it, or a handful of popular online games that continue to support it, and you cannot stretch to a PS5. It is not worth buying if you want to play the big new releases of the next few years, because almost all of them are now being made for the PS5 only.

Grand Theft Auto 6, which comes out on 19 November, is a good example. Rockstar is releasing it on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and there is no PS4 version. The same is true of this year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, after the Call of Duty team confirmed in May that it was “not being developed for PS4”.

How much does a PS4 cost now?

Sony no longer makes the PS4, so the only way to buy one is second-hand or refurbished. Prices vary a great deal by country, condition and what comes in the box, but these are typical figures from used retailers and online marketplaces in the US and UK this month.

Buying from a shop that specialises in second-hand games usually costs a little more than buying from a private seller, but it normally comes with a warranty and the right to return the console if something goes wrong. With machines this old, that protection is worth paying extra for.

Prices for used consoles have not fallen as quickly as might be expected. The worldwide shortage of memory chips has pushed up the cost of new hardware, and that has kept demand for older machines fairly strong.

Can you still play online on a PS4?

Yes. The PlayStation Network still works on the PS4, and Sony released a new system update for the console as recently as June. You can download games, buy from the PlayStation Store and play online in the same way as before.

As on the PS5, most online games require a PlayStation Plus subscription, although free-to-play games like Fortnite can be played online without one. The Essential tier costs $10.99, £7.99 or €9.99 a month, and a 12-month subscription works out cheaper.

The service is less generous on the PS4 than it used to be, however. From January 2026 Sony stopped regularly including PS4 games among the free monthly titles, saying that most players had “shifted toward redeeming and accessing PS5 titles”. Fewer PS4 games are also being added to the Extra catalogue, although many older PS4 titles remain available. Full details of each tier are on Sony’s PlayStation Plus page.

There are other signs that Sony is preparing for the end. According to internal documents reported by Insider Gaming, some PlayStation Network features, including parts of the activity feed and cloud storage tools used by developers, are no longer available to new PS4 games from this year. Since January, some PS4 owners have also been seeing messages on their console encouraging them to upgrade to a PS5.

Sony has not announced a date for switching off PS4 online services. Its previous consoles kept working online for many years after they were replaced, and the PS3 can still go online today, so a sudden shutdown looks unlikely. Anyone buying a PS4 now should nonetheless assume that support will become thinner each year.

Are new games still coming to the PS4?

Only a few. Sony’s own studios stopped making PS4 games several years ago, which is why recent hits like Ghost of Yōtei, Marvel’s Wolverine and Saros are PS5 only. Most large publishers have now followed.

Sport is the main exception. EA Sports FC 27 was released on PS4 in September, although it is a cut-down version that leaves out the new open-world area and some of the gameplay improvements found on the PS5. Players who later upgrade can usually move to the PS5 version at no extra cost.

The games that matter most to younger players are also still available. Fortnite, Minecraft and Roblox all run on the PS4, and none of their makers has announced plans to drop it, although newer features do not always reach the older console. Beyond that, the release schedule is made up mostly of smaller independent games.

Why the PS4 is still worth considering

The main reason to buy a PS4 today is the games that already exist for it, and there are a great many of them. The console was home to some of the most highly rated games of the past decade, and most of them can now be picked up second-hand for a few pounds or dollars.

Sony’s own studios produced The Last of Us Part II, God of War and its sequel God of War Ragnarök, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Horizon Forbidden West and Ghost of Tsushima, all of which were released on the PS4. Bloodborne, which many fans regard as one of the best games of its generation, has still never been released anywhere else. Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto V, Elden Ring and Persona 5 Royal are all on the console too.

Every PS4 model has a disc drive, which matters more than it might seem. Physical games can be bought cheaply, swapped with friends and sold on afterwards, which keeps the cost of playing far lower than on a console where every game has to be downloaded.

PS4, PS4 Slim or PS4 Pro: which should you buy?

All three models play the same games, and the differences come down to size, noise and picture quality.

The original PS4 from 2013 is usually the cheapest, but these units are now the oldest and many have become loud as their fans have worn and clogged with dust. Unless it is very cheap and in good condition, it is better to look elsewhere.

The PS4 Slim, released in 2016, is smaller, quieter and uses less power. It is the best choice for most people, and the 1TB version is worth looking for because modern games take up a lot of space.

The PS4 Pro, also released in 2016, has a more powerful graphics chip. Many games look sharper on a 4K television and some run more smoothly, so it is worth the extra money if you have a 4K set. The Pro can be noisy under load, however, and it costs noticeably more than a Slim.

PS4 or a used PS5?

A used PS5 is the most obvious alternative, and in the US standard models are selling for around $450 second-hand. That is still several times the cost of a PS4, but it buys a console that will receive new games for years to come, including GTA 6.

The good news for anyone who starts with a PS4 is that it is not a dead end. Sony says more than 99% of PS4 games work on the PS5, and games bought digitally on a PS4 can be downloaded again on a PS5 at no cost. Disc games will also play on a PS5 with a disc drive. You can check individual games on Sony’s backward compatibility page.

That means a PS4 can be a sensible way to start building a collection now, with the option of moving to a PS5 later. For more on the newer console, including the differences between the three current models, read our PS5 guide.

What to check before buying a used PS4

Because even the newest PS4 is now several years old, it is worth taking a little care before handing over any money.

Ask to see the console switched on and running a game, and listen to the fan. A loud whine within a few minutes of starting usually means the inside needs cleaning or the fan is wearing out. Check that the disc drive accepts, plays and ejects a disc without problems.

The controller is often the weakest part. Older DualShock 4 pads commonly suffer from stick drift, where the character moves on its own, and their batteries hold less charge as they age. A new controller adds a significant amount to the cost, so factor that in if the one included is worn.

Make sure the seller has signed out of their PlayStation account and restored the console to its factory settings, so that you can sign in with your own account. The model number on the back or underside tells you which version you are buying. Original consoles begin with CUH-1, Slims with CUH-2 and Pros with CUH-7.

Most PS4 consoles use a traditional hard drive, which is slow by today’s standards and can fail with age. Replacing it with an inexpensive solid-state drive is a simple job that makes the console noticeably quicker to load games, and it is worth considering on any older machine.

Are there cheaper alternatives?

Not many. New consoles have become more expensive across the board this year as the memory shortage has pushed up costs. The Xbox Series S, which was once the budget choice, now costs $499.99, £429.99 or €499.99, and the Nintendo Switch 2 rose to $499.99 in the US in September.

A used Xbox Series S is worth looking at, because it plays current games, including GTA 6, at a lower resolution than the more powerful consoles and can often be found second-hand for well below its new price. An original Nintendo Switch is another option for younger players, particularly families who mainly want Nintendo’s own games.

For anyone who already has a reasonably capable PC or laptop, many of the games above are available on PC too, often at lower prices during sales.

The verdict

A PS4 still makes sense for players on a tight budget who want a large library of excellent older games, younger players who mainly play Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox or EA Sports FC, and anyone looking for a cheap second console for a bedroom or holiday home. Bought carefully, a PS4 Slim or Pro can offer hundreds of hours of entertainment for less than the cost of two new PS5 games.

It makes less sense for anyone who wants to play GTA 6, the next Call of Duty or the big releases that will follow, or who plays online every day and wants a console that will be supported for years to come. In those cases it is better to save for a used PS5, even if that means waiting a few more months.

We will update this guide as prices change and as Sony announces any further changes to PS4 support.

Frequently asked questions

Is the PS4 still supported in 2026?

Yes, but support is shrinking. The PS4 can still go online and received a system update in June, but Sony has stopped regularly offering PS4 games through PS Plus, and most big new releases are now PS5 only.

Will GTA 6 come out on PS4?

No. Grand Theft Auto 6 is being released on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only, on 19 November 2026.

How much should I pay for a used PS4?

As a rough guide, expect to pay around $110 to $180 or £90 to £150 for a PS4 Slim, and $150 to $250 or £140 to £200 for a PS4 Pro. A warranty from a reputable second-hand shop is worth paying a little more for.

Is the PS4 Pro worth it over the PS4 Slim?

Only if you have a 4K television. The Pro makes many games look sharper and some run more smoothly, but on a standard HD television the difference is small and the Slim is quieter and cheaper.

Can I play my PS4 games on a PS5 later?

Yes. Almost every PS4 game works on the PS5, and games you bought digitally can be downloaded again at no cost. Some, including EA Sports FC 27, offer a free upgrade to the PS5 version.

Do I need PS Plus to play online on a PS4?

For most games you do, although free-to-play games like Fortnite and Roblox can be played online without a subscription.

Should I buy a PS4 or wait for the PS6?

The PS6 has not been announced and is expected to be expensive, so it is not a realistic option for budget buyers. Read our guide to the PS6 for the latest, or our PS5 guide if you are weighing up the current console.