PS2 discs can now be played on jailbroken PS5 consoles using the PS5SX2 emulator, enabling backwards compatibility for older PlayStation 2 games on the newer hardware.
A new version of the PS5SX2 emulator allows jailbroken PlayStation 5 consoles to read and emulate PlayStation 2 games from physical discs by dumping them to the SSD. However, the PS5's disc drive cannot read CD-based PS2 discs, limiting compatibility to DVD-based PS2 titles. The project is AI-assisted and its developer has announced plans for a PS5SX3 emulator to support PS3 games.
Modders have demonstrated PS2 disc playback on jailbroken PS5 consoles using the PS5SX2 emulator, a feature Sony has never officially supported despite the PS5's DVD-compatible drive. While the emulator requires games to be dumped first and supports external USB drives and regional variants, it showcases what native backwards compatibility could offer six years after the PS5's launch.