With less than a week to go before the official launch of the PlayStation 5, we figured it would be a good time to start getting prepared for the transition. Sony has assured players that 99% of thousands of PlayStation 4 titles will be playable on the PlayStation 5, thanks to backwards compatibility, so if you’ve still got some of your back catalogue to finish up, Sony has come up with a simple guide to help you make sure your PS4 save data is safely transferred to your new PS5 console when the time comes.
DATA TRANSFER
- Make sure your PlayStation 4 console is updated to the latest software and ensure you are signed in to the same PlayStation account that you plan to use on your PS5.
- Connect your PlayStation 4 and your PlayStation 5 to the same network. If you are using Wi-Fi, you can reduce transfer times by connecting your two consoles together via an ethernet cable.
- Once connected, follow the simple instructions on your PlayStation 5 console to “Prepare for Data Transfer”.
- The process will happen in the background, so you can continue using your PlayStation 5 while your PlayStation 4 apps and data are being transferred.
- You can use this method to transfer both your game files and your saved data.
- Please note that the ability to transfer game saves between a PS4 version and a PS5 version of the same game is a developer decision, and will vary title by title for cross-generational games.
PLAYSTATION PLUS
- If you are a PlayStation Plus member, you can use the PS+ cloud to download your save data to your new console.
- Sign into your PSN account on your PlayStation 5 and go to [Settings] > [Application Saved Data Management] > [Saved Data in Online Storage] > [Download to System Storage]
DISC
- If you have a PS4 game on disc, just insert the disc into your PS5 and it will automatically install.
- Games that are only playable on PS4 will be noted on PlayStation Store as playable on “PS4 only.” We have a list of games that are only playable on PS4, along with additional information on backward compatibility here.
EXTERNAL HDD
- Obviously you should make sure that you’ve transferred any of your PS4 games to an external hard drive before trading it in.
- You can play PlayStation 4 games stored on an external hard drive by connecting it directly to your PlayStation 5 console. Sony recommends doing this to free up space on the limited internal hard drive for your PS5 games.
PLAYSTATION STORE
- If you’ve purchased PS4 games via the PlayStation Store in the past, simply sign in to your PSN account and download your games from the store or your game library.
PlayStation 5 launches on November 12, 2020. We’ve had the opportunity to get hands-on with the new console over the last couple of weeks and you can check out everything we’ve had to say about it on our official PS5 launch hub right here.
