Summary
Come June 18, all theJak and Daxtervideo games will be playable on PlayStation 5.Jak and Daxterwas one of Sony’s biggest franchises during the PS2 era, with each game in the original trilogy earning widespread critical acclaim and releasing to impressive sales. The original trilogy was followed by a racing game, theDaxterPSP game, and the divisiveLost Frontier.
Except for the release of theJak and Daxter Collection, the franchise has remained dormant sinceLost Frontier’s 2009 launch. Unfortunately for long time fans, there is no indication that theJak and Daxterserieswill be continuing at any point in the near future, but the bright side is that soon, all the games will be accessible on PS5. This makes it incredibly convenient forJak and Daxterfans to take a trip down memory lane, as they can do so without busting out any old hardware.
Thanks to the PS5’s backward compatibility with the PS4 making the PS2-to-PS4Jak and Daxterports playable on the system, most of theJak and Daxtergames are already playable on Sony’s latest console. The only game that’s been missing isDaxter, the PSP exclusive that successfully translated the franchise’s brand of action-adventure platforming to a handheld device. It was recently announced thatDaxterwould be joining the PS Plus Premium lineupon June 18, meaning the game will soon be available on PS5. Since June 18 marks the day thatJak and Daxterfans can play through the entire series on a single system for the first time ever, it’s definitely going to be a big day for longtime fans. It’s worth pointing out that all the games are available to PS4 gamers as well, so those that have yet to upgrade can also join in on theJak and Daxterfun.
All Jak and Daxter Games on PS5
Come June 18, PS4 and PS5 gamers can play through theJak and Daxterseries in its entirety, and even though the games are all part of the same franchise, the experiences can vary wildly from one installment to the next. The firstJak and Daxtergame is a light-hearted 3D platformer that sort of plays likeCrash Bandicootmixed withSuper Mario 64, whileJak 2takes heavy inspiration fromGrand Theft Auto, of all things.Jak 3leans more heavily into vehicular combat, whileJak Xis a full-blown racing game.Daxtertakes the series back to its more traditional platforming roots, andThe Lost Frontierfeatures aerial battles.
Fans of PS2-era platformers have had other reasons to celebrate recently. ThefirstSly Coopergame was recently added to PS Plus Premiumas well. Here’s hoping the other games in that popular franchise make their way to the PS5 at some point soon.
Jak and Daxter
The Jak and Daxter series was created by Naughty Dog and began in December 2001. The first game had a ’90s mascot platformer style, while the second and third games employed a darker tone and ventured into the action-adventure genre.The series also has a vehicular combat game, a spin-off Daxter game, and another platform game from the studio High Impact Games.
