Congratulations! You’ve finally obtained the elusive PlayStation 5. However, you most likely have years of data preserved on your PlayStation 4. What if you’re halfway through your Ghost of Tsushima campaign and want to continue playing on your fresh new console? What if you’re nearing the conclusion of The Last of Us II and want to finish it on PlayStation 5? Fortunately, both are possible. You only need to know how to transfer data from your PS4 to your PS5.

If you’ve just gotten your hands on a brand-new PS5, one of the first things you’ll want to do is transfer all of your data from your PS4 console. This ensures that all of your game installs, applications, and trophies are transferred to your new console.

Let’s have a look at how to move your data and what tools you’ll need.

There are a few ways to transfer data from your PS4 to PS5. They include:

• Use your Wi-Fi network.
• Use cloud storage.
• Use an external storage drive.

Not all PS4 games are compatible with the PS5. So there may be some files that don’t transfer. We’ll walk you through each option, so you can decide which one is best for you.

Transfer your data over your Wi-Fi network

The fastest (and easiest) way to transfer PlayStation data is with a network connection. When you turn on your new console for the first time, your PS5 will walk you through its setup process—including how to transfer data from PS4 to PS5.

If you skipped that part or want to go back to transfer more data, you can follow these steps:

1. Turn on both consoles and connect them to the same network using Wi-Fi or a local area network (LAN) cable.
2. On the PS5, go to Settings > System > System Software > Data Transfer > Continue.
3. Select the PS4 you’re transferring from.
4. When “Prepare for Data Transfer” appears on the PS5, press, and hold the Power button on the PS5 until it beeps.
5. On the PS5, select the data you want to transfer. The console will automatically restart during the transfer. After the transfer is finished, you can turn off the PS4.

Transfer your data using cloud storage

If you have a PlayStation Plus account, you can transfer data through cloud storage. Cloud storage is a way to automatically save games online, and it gives you easy access to your data.

If you want to back up your PS4 files one last time before transferring them to your PS5, go to Settings > Application Data Management > Saved Data in System Storage > Upload to Online Storage and select the games you want to back up.

To retrieve that data from the PlayStation cloud:

1. Go to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings.
2. Select Saved Data (PS4) > Cloud Storage.
3. Select Download to Console Storage. You can select individual game files—or all of them—for download.

Transfer your data using an external storage device

Don’t have a PlayStation Plus account? You can still move data from one console to the other by using an external hard drive or a USB flash drive. Most games take up an average of 40GB of space on your console. The more games you play—and intend to transfer over—the more space you’ll need. When transferring over to the external hard drive, just make sure to have ample storage space available.

Read Also: How to Buy a PS5 Game?

Here’s how to transfer data with an external storage device:

1. Insert the drive into one of the USB ports on the PS4. Then, head to Settings > Application Saved Data Management > Saved Data in System Storage.
2. Select Copy to USB Storage Device.
3. Choose the save files you’d like to move, and click Copy.
4. When the files are finished copying, remove the drive and insert it into a USB port on the PS5.
5. Go to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Saved Data (PS4), and select USB Drive.
6. Select Copy to Console Storage.

Some data transfer methods detailed below require signing you in to the same account on your PS4 and PS5. Failure to do so will result in the inability to transfer any data. Ensure that you’re signed in to the same account on both consoles before you attempt the transfer process.

What is the Fastest Way to Transfer Data From PS4 to PS5?

If you want to transfer PS4 save data to PS5, it can be a pretty overwhelming process for a gamer since it’s not as easy as you might think. The PS4 is a great all-rounder which offers a great catalog of AAA games alongside its affordable price tag, but the PS5 is undeniably worth upgrading to if you’ve got the space and money.

While you can transfer PS4 save data to PS5, there are a few things that are worth being aware of. Some of the best PS4 games with a new-gen copy won’t let you transfer your data over to PS5, which is unfortunate. There’s also a lot of hoop jumping that will be going on if you don’t have PlayStation Plus, so we recommend you subscribe to that as it’ll make things a lot easier.

If you bought a game on disc and then sold it, you’ll most likely need to repurchase it or buy a digital copy because a lot of PS5 titles need you to boot up your existing PS4 copy first and manually download/upload the save file. One example is Marvel’s Spider-Man, which requires the disc itself to complete the transfer migration process.

Another issue is that unlike the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, the PS5 will likely ask you to start from scratch when you boot up a game for the first time. That’s because it doesn’t have the capacity to automatically pull in your save data from the cloud. Thankfully, Sony has sorted out many of the headaches users were initially experiencing trying to transfer PS4 save data to PS5, so it’s now an easier process. 

If you’re wanting to transfer PS4 save data to PS5, this is your first option. Update to the latest system update on your PS4 so it’s ready for data transfer, and sign in to the same user account that you plan to use on PS5. 

Connect your PS4 to the same Wi-Fi network as your PS5, and connect the two consoles via an ethernet cable to speed up the transfer process. Follow the onscreen instructions and your apps, games, and saves will move over from your PS4 to the PS5. You can even continue using the PS5 while this process takes place. 

If you’re a PS Plus member, it’s likely that your PS4 save data will have been automatically uploaded to the cloud. If it hasn’t, simply turn on your PS4 and head to Settings > Application Data Management > Saved Data in System Storage > Upload to Online Storage. Select the save file you want to upload and hit ‘yes’. 

To download PS4 save data from the cloud on PS5, head to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings, then select Saved Data (PS4) > Cloud Storage. You’ll then be presented with the option to ‘Download to Console Storage’, click through and you’ll see all your available save files that you can download to the PS5’s console storage.

Don’t have PS Plus? You can transfer PS4 save data to PS5 via USB. Connect a USB storage device to your PS4 and go to Settings > Application Saved Data Management > Saved Data in System Storage > Copy to USB Storage Device. Select the save file you’d like to copy, and you can transfer it to the USB drive.

Once that’s done, unplug the USB from the PS4 and plug it into the PS5. Go to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings, then select Saved Data (PS4) > USB Drive. You’ll then be presented with the option to Copy to Console Storage.

There are four ways to transfer your PS4 games and saved data: via Wi-Fi, LAN, extended storage, or PS Plus cloud storage. Transferring data won’t overwrite or delete data on either console, but you might want to back it up just in case something goes wrong. You’ll also want to synchronize your trophy information to keep a record of all your gaming achievements. Press the Options button while viewing Trophies and then select Sync with PlayStation Network.

Transfer by network connection

The easiest way to transfer data is over a Wi-Fi network. Connect your PS5 console and PS4 consoles to the same network from the console settings menu. You can either connect both consoles to the same Wi-Fi modem using LAN cables or connect wirelessly. When connecting your consoles to the same network wirelessly, you can use a LAN cable to connect your PS5 and PS4 consoles together for faster transfer speeds. If both consoles are connected to the network using LAN cables, you don’t need to connect the PlayStation consoles with one.

During the transfer, it helps if your TV has more than one HDMI port so that you can switch between inputs to monitor the progress on either console. If your TV only has one HDMI port, you could use a second display or simply leave both consoles on while unplugging their HDMI cords when you need to alternate.

When you first set up your PS5 console, there will be on-screen instructions for the data-transfer stage. If you skipped that initially, you can find the option by navigating to Settings–> System–> System Software–> Data Transfer. Click Continue when you are ready to begin. During the data transfer, do not either console, as doing so may cause damage to the systems.

When the PS5 console shows the message Prepare for Data Transfer, press and hold the power button on your PS4 console for one second (or until you hear a beep). On your PS5 console, select the data you want to transfer. In most cases, this will be saved data and any downloaded games you are currently playing. Select Start transfer and let the console communicate until the process is finished.

Your PS5 console will automatically restart near the end of the data transfer. After the console restarts, you’ll find all the games and save files from your PS4 on your PS5.

Transfer by PS cloud server

If you subscribe to PlayStation Plus, you can take advantage of Sony’s cloud server to store and download saved data. This method involves uploading your PS4 data to the cloud server and then downloading the data to your PS5 console.

On your PS4 console, navigate to Settings–> Application Data Management–> Saved Data in System Storage–> Upload to Online Storage. Select the games and files you would like to upload and select Yes to overwrite the cloud file. You can save up to 100 GB of PS4 saved data and up to 1000 PS4 saved data files.

Once your PS4 has finished uploading the data, turn on your PS5 and go to Settings –> Saved Data and Game/App Settings. Select Saved Data (PS4) and choose Cloud Storage to see everything you’ve stored in the cloud. Select the files and games you want to download and then choose Download to Console Storage.

For PS5 games, if you select Sync Saved Data–> View Sync Status, you can check the sync status for each game. Alternatively, you can highlight a game from the home library, press the options button, and then select Check Sync Status of Saved Data.

Transfer using an extended storage device

Instead of re-downloading a PS4 game to your PS5 console storage, you can play any PS4 games installed on an external storage device by connecting it to your PS5.

Before disconnecting the extended storage from your PS4, select Settings-> Devices-> USB Storage Devices and choose Stop. You can now safely remove the cable and plug it into your PS5.

You can also move games between your extended storage and PS5 console storage. Go to your Game Library, highlight the data you want to move, press the options button, and then select Move Games and Apps.

Many PS4 games run better on PS5 with better framerates and an increased resolution, thanks to a feature called Game Boost. But there is one major caveat. The game’s original developer will have to manually update the game to take advantage of the Game Boost feature. In addition, if a PS4 title was also released on PS5, you can upgrade your PS4 version of the game to the PS5 version for a fee.