Darksiders Warmastered Edition PS5 Upgrade Is Paid, Free on Xbox
4K isn't cheap on PS5, apparently.
Darksiders Warmastered Edition is out now on PS5 and Xbox Series S|X, bringing the acclaimed action title to modern platforms with a few neat upgrades, including native 4K rendering. However, if you already own the remaster on PS4, the PS5 upgrade comes at a cost.
Darksiders Warmastered Edition PS5 Upgrade Isn’t Free
If you currently have Darksiders Warmastered Edition on the PS4, you’ll need to pay $10 for the PS5 upgrade, which includes native 4K rendering support, a brand new photo mode, and a stable 60 FPS experience. If you have the title on Xbox One, however, the Xbox Series S|X upgrade is completely free, giving you the same features as the PS5 release for no additional cost.
THQ Nordic has also announced that the Xbox Series X|S version will be priced at 29.99€ / $29.99, while the Xbox One version will see its price increase from 19.99€ / $19.99 to 29.99€ / $29.99. On PlayStation, the PS4 version will remain available at 19.99€ / $19.99, while the PS5 version will launch at 29.99€ / $29.99. This price difference essentially accounts for the upgrade compensation on Xbox consoles.
THQ Nordic hasn’t provided a reason for why the PS5 upgrade path is paid, which is usually the case for many first-party titles. Updates that simply bump resolution and add a few features shouldn’t be paid, in my opinion, and Xbox users are clearly getting a better deal for the same title.
The last-gen remaster already did most of the heavy lifting in upgrading the visuals, and asking for another $10 doesn’t seem fair. Sure, the PS5 version likely includes DualSense features as a bonus, but again, it’s not a significant upgrade based on the description and footage. What’s worse is that if you already own the PS4 version and don’t want to pay for the upgrade, you’ll be stuck on a lower resolution on PS5, even though the console has no issue running the game at 4K.
If you’ve never played Darksiders, $30 isn’t a bad price at all for the Warmastered Edition. It’s a solid action title from the PS3/Xbox 360 era with a fun combat system that continued to evolve throughout the series, but still holds up well today. The remaster does a good job of preserving the original art style while adding just enough visual improvements to modernize the experience. If you’re interested in the series, the remastered has multiple bundles you can choose from that include the sequels as well.
