End of an Era: 2026 Could See a “Bloodbath” for Live Service Games on PS4

The PlayStation 4, a console that has sold over 117 million units and dominated the last generation, is entering its twilight years. As the PlayStation 5’s install base continues to grow, now surpassing 80 million units shipped, a significant shift in the gaming industry is on the horizon. Recent reports and developer announcements suggest that 2026 will be a pivotal year, marking the beginning of the end for many live service games on the PS4. This could lead to what some are calling a “bloodbath” as major publishers and studios finally make the difficult decision to abandon the decade-old hardware in favor of the more powerful and technologically advanced PS5. The move, while inevitable, will leave a massive number of players behind and signal a major turning point in the console transition.

The first major domino to fall was Genshin Impact, a hugely popular free-to-play live service game from developer HoYoverse. The company recently announced that it will be discontinuing PS4 support by April 2026, citing “limitations related to hardware performance and platform application size” as the primary reasons. This announcement, which was met with a mix of understanding and frustration from the community, is not an isolated event. According to industry reports, many other operators of major online and live service titles are also eyeing the 2026 timeline for dropping PS4 support. This shift is being driven by a combination of technical limitations and the increasing size of the PS5’s player base, making it less and less financially viable for developers to support two different generations of consoles.

The Technical and Financial Tipping Point

The decision to drop support for the PS4 is a complex one, with both technical and financial factors at play. From a technical standpoint, the PS4’s hardware, particularly its slow hard drive, has become a bottleneck for modern game design. As live service games grow in scope, with more detailed worlds, higher-fidelity textures, and more complex systems, the PS4 simply cannot keep up. Developers are finding it increasingly difficult to optimize their games for the older hardware without sacrificing performance or design elements, and it is a creative burden they are no longer willing to bear. For a game like Genshin Impact, with its ever-expanding world and content, the PS4’s limitations were likely becoming a major headache for the development team.

From a business perspective, the PS5 has finally reached a “desirable install base,” a key metric that publishers use to justify dropping support for older consoles. For years, the PS5’s adoption was hindered by supply chain issues and chip shortages. However, with those problems largely in the past, the console has been a sales juggernaut, and its player base is now large enough to support a new wave of exclusives and live service games. For a publisher, the cost of developing and maintaining a separate version of a game for a dying console is becoming harder to justify, especially when the vast majority of new players are on the latest generation of hardware. This “tipping point,” where the PS5’s install base becomes too large to ignore, is what will make 2026 a brutal year for PS4 live service titles.

Who’s At Risk? The Games and Players That Will Be Left Behind

While a full list of games that will be affected is not yet known, it’s easy to speculate on which titles are most at risk. Popular free-to-play games and subscription-based titles are the most likely candidates, as they rely on a constant stream of new content and updates that can strain older hardware. Games like Final Fantasy XIV, which has been supporting a dedicated PS4 community for years, will likely be a topic of discussion. While the developers have not made any announcements, the performance limitations of the PS4 are a well-known issue within the community. Similarly, other major live service titles like Destiny 2, Apex Legends, and even Call of Duty: Warzone will likely face a similar reckoning, as developers push for a more unified, current-gen experience.

For players who have not yet upgraded to a PS5, this could be a difficult and frustrating year. The PS4 still has a massive and active player base, and many of these players have invested hundreds, if not thousands, of hours and dollars into their favorite live service games. The sunsetting of these titles will force them to either upgrade their hardware or abandon their progress, a decision that will not be taken lightly. As the industry moves forward, with major titles like Grand Theft Auto 6 launching exclusively on current-gen consoles in 2026, the PS4’s time as a live service hub is coming to an end. The console’s legacy is secure, but its future as a platform for the latest and greatest live service games is looking increasingly grim.