Now that the PS5 “drought” is officially over according to Sony, it seems like more people than ever before are able to get their hands on the latest PlayStation and experience everything that it has to offer. While there are plenty of excellent PS5 exclusive titles like Returnal, Demon’s Souls, and The Last of Us Part 1 for newcomers to the system to enjoy, the PS4’s library is exceptional and many players want to preserve their save data when they upgrade consoles.
Luckily, Sony makes it simple to keep things consistent across your console library as long as you’re willing to navigate through a handful of menus. The transfer method below works regardless of what type of PS4 you have. There are three main models, the base PS4, the PS4 Slim, and the PS4 Pro, but all will be able to transfer their saves to the newer hardware. Here’s everything you need to know about transferring content from your PS4 to a PS5.
How to Transfer PS4 Saves to Your PS5
Transferring saves between consoles is pretty simple. Before getting started in full, make sure that both the PS4 and the PS5 are connected to the same WiFi network and logged into the same PSN account. Once both are paired and ready to go, turn off your PS4 (although make sure it stays connected to its power supply. Take note, you won’t need to do anything else on the PS4 to transfer your data, so it doesn’t need to be hooked up to a TV or monitor.) Turn on your PS5 and then go into the settings via the gear icon on the right side of the home dashboard.
In the settings, find the “System” menu and select it. In the System menu, select the “System Software” tab and then find the “Data Transfer” setting and select it. Here, you’ll be given some information about the system data transfer. Read the information and then select “Continue.” On the next screen, you’ll be told to make sure that both consoles are on so turn on your PS4 either by hitting the power button on the front of the console or by holding down the PlayStation button in the center of the controller. With your PS4 turned on, select “Continue.”
After hitting “Continue,” you’ll be shown a loading screen while the PS5 locates the PS4. Once it’s been found, you’ll be prompted to press and hold the power button on the PS4 for one second until the console makes a “beep” sound. You’ll be given a few minutes to complete this step, so just make sure to do it as soon as you’re prompted. After holding down the power button until you hear the beep, the screen will change to say that it’s preparing for the data transfer,
When prompted, select “Continue” to recognize that the data transfer doesn’t include any Trophy information and you’ll be taken to the final steps of the data transfer process. Here, you’ll see a list of your most recently played games along with how large the save data for each game is. Select the games you want to transfer the data from (or just select the “Select All” tab at the top of the list” and then select “Next” in the bottom right corner of the screen. On the next screen, you’ll be able to transfer over any apps or games currently on your PS4. Select the desired apps and then select “Next” in the bottom right corner of the screen. If you don’t want to bring any games or apps over to your PS5, you don’t need to select any, you can just hit “Next.”
On the final screen, you’ll be given a summary of the items you’re trying to transfer as well as how long it’s estimated to take. For save data, unless you have multiple gigabytes of data to transfer, the process should be relatively quick, but if you’re transferring larger files for games themselves, it could take a while, especially if your internet speed is lacking. Confirm the process by selecting “Start Transfer,” and then wait until your transfer is complete. Take note that it’s important to not turn your consoles off while the transfer completes otherwise you may risk corrupting your save data.
With that all completed, your PS4 save data will be transferred to your PS5.
