Almost all of the 4,000+ games available on the PS4 are compatible with the PS5 — and you can start playing all those games instantly. With an internet connection or an external HDD, you can transfer your games to the new console with ease. If you want an even faster experience, you can use either an external or just upload your save files so you can re-install (or redownload) and pick up where you left off.
There’s one key fact that Sony has revealed that makes playing PS4 games on your PS5 much, much easier. You know those external HDDs for the PS4? They work naturally with the PS5. No formatting required. No transferring. You can just take your PS4 external HDD and plug it into your PS5. That’s literally all you have do. It’s absurdly useful — and here’s where you can buy one.
It’s important to note that PS4 games can be played straight from the external HDD — but that might not be the case for PS5 games. We’ll update this page with any new information as we find it.
The Basics — What Games Work & What You Need To Know
Over 4,000+ PS4 games can be played on the PS5 console — or roughly 99% of the library.
- Not all features will be available on PS5 — features exclusive to PS4 or online features may not work as expected on PS5.
- Select games will have the Game Boost functionality that improves performance and graphical fidelity of PS4 games on PS5.
- Some PS4 games may exhibit errors.
PS4 Games Not Available On PS5
Only a handful of PS4 games are confirmed to not function on PS5. This list may change as more games are discovered, but this is still an absurdly small list.
- DWVR
- Afro Samurai 2 Revenge of Kuma Volume One
- TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 2
- Just Deal With It!
- Shadow Complex Remastered
- Robinson: The Journey
- We Sing
- Hitman Go: Definitive Edition
- Shadwen
- Joe’s Diner
Downloading & Installing PS4 Games On PS5
There are multiple ways to back-up and transfer your save files or game files from the PS4 to the PS5.
The simplest method is to just re-download your games — this will not retain your save data. If you want to keep your save data, check a later entry.
- Re-Downloading Your Digital Games:
- Login with the same account, and you can access all your PS4 games in the Playstation Store — yes, even on PS5.
- On the PSN Store, select Library -> Purchased
- Look for games marked with [triangle] to download.
- Re-Installing Physical Games:
- Games that you own on physical media [Blu-ray] can be inserted into your PS5 where they can be re-installed, just like on PS4.
That’s just the basic way to reinstall your games. But there are even simpler and faster ways to start playing PS4 games on PS5.
Using External Harddrives
If you have an external hard drive compatible with the PS4, you can install games (or transfer them) to your external hard drive. Any hard drive compatible with the PS4 is automatically compatible with the PS5.
If you’re looking to purchase a PS4 / PS5 compatible external hard drive, here’s what you need to know.
You don’t need to convert files or reformat your PS4 compatible HDD. It just works on the PS5, and plugging it into your PS5 will allow you to play any games installed on the HDD.
- How To Transfer Games Onto An External HDD:
- Go to Settings -> Storage -> System Storage
- Open ‘Applications’ -> Highlight the game you want to transfer.
- Press [Options] and select ‘Move to Extended Storage’
Moving to extended storage may take several minutes. A progress bar will appear — any games installed on your External HDD with a Disc icon also requires the physical disc, even when installed on HDD.
You can also back-up save files specifically so that you can continue to play from your previous saves even after re-downloading the game on a separate console.
- How To Transfer Save Files:
- Go to Settings -> Application Saved Data Management -> Saved Data in System Storage
- If you have PS+, select ‘Upload to Online Storage’
- If you have an external HDD, select ‘Copy to USB Storage Device’
To copy files back onto your internal System Storage, go to ‘Saved Data on USB Storage Device’ or ‘Saved Data in Online Storage’ — then you can select to copy or download the save files.
Source: [1]
