Animal Evolution Sim Ancestors Gets Surprise PS5 Version, Free Upgrade for PS4 Owners
*Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey* is getting native PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions on 8 December 2026, alongside a Switch 2 edition. The PS5 release gives existing PS4 owners a free upgrade, bringing the older survival game to current consoles.
The update moves the game from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5 and adds Photo Mode, documentary-style narration and PS5-specific optimisations. Released in 2019, the game has sold more than two million copies; it follows a clan’s evolution across millions of years, though its repetitive play and clunky controls drew a mixed reception.
- PS5 and Xbox Series versions arrive on 8 December 2026.
- PS4 owners can upgrade to PS5 for free.
- The update adds features, but the game received mixed reviews.
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Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a survival game set millions of years in the past. Players guide a clan of early human ancestors, helping it find food, avoid danger and pass useful traits to later generations.
The game was released in 2019 and made by Panache Digital Games, a studio founded by Patrice Désilets, who previously worked on the Assassin’s Creed series. Its long timescale and focus on evolution set it apart from many survival games, though players and critics gave it a mixed reception, with some pointing to repetitive tasks and awkward controls.
The newer console editions bring the game to more recent hardware. The PS5 version is relevant to existing PS4 owners because they can move to it without paying for the upgrade.