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A PS4 game running on a PS5 is not automatically the same thing as a PS5 edition of that game. Backward compatibility lets the PS5 run a supported PS4 build and use its PS4 save. Moving that progress into a separately installed PS5 edition or remaster is a title-by-title decision made by the developer. Back up the PS4 save, then follow the game publisher’s current transfer instructions before you delete the old game or begin a new PS5 save.
Backward compatibility and a PS5 edition are separate questions
Sony says more than 4,000 games are ready to play on both PS4 and PS5 through backward compatibility. In this mode, the PS5 is running the supported PS4 edition. You normally continue using that edition’s PS4 saved-data path, so compatibility answers the question, “Can this PS4 game run on my PS5?” It does not answer, “Will this save load in a different PS5 edition?”
A PS5 upgrade, native PS5 release or remaster can have a different executable, save format, feature set and trophy structure. Sony’s PlayStation Blog FAQ, published November 9, 2020, states: “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.” That remains the rule to apply: the existence of a PS5 version is not evidence that it accepts the PS4 save.
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Keep three operations distinct:
- Running the PS4 version: the PS5 launches the PS4 build through backward compatibility.
- Moving saved data: a PS4 save is copied or downloaded to PS5 storage.
- Importing into a new edition: the PS5 game recognizes and converts that save, sometimes through an in-game or publisher-server workflow.
A console transfer, cloud download or USB copy accomplishes the second operation only. The third still depends on the game.
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What to check before upgrading
Identify the exact game build
Check whether you own and are launching the PS4 edition, a PS5 upgrade, or a separately sold remaster. The title displayed on the home screen and the version shown in the game’s information menu can differ from the product name used in the store. If both editions are installed, select the intended version deliberately; launching the PS4 build is the safest way to continue a save when no import has been confirmed.
Read the publisher’s current instructions
Look for the game’s support page or an in-game menu labeled transfer, upload, cross-save, import or download. Requirements can include a particular patch, a limited number of save slots, a same-account sign-in, a same-region copy, or a one-time upload. Sony’s platform instructions cannot establish these title-specific rules.
Protect the original save
Make a copy before experimenting. For a PS4 save, Sony documents three platform routes: PS4-to-PS5 console transfer, PlayStation Plus cloud storage, and USB copying. Keep the PS4 console or the original USB until the new edition has loaded the correct progress. Do not treat a successful copy as proof that the PS5 edition can read it.
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Use the same PlayStation Network account associated with the save. If the upgrade uses a physical disc, verify the publisher’s region and hardware requirements before starting. Digital and disc entitlements can have different upgrade rules even when their saves are compatible.
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Ways to move a PS4 save to PS5
| Route | What it does | Important condition |
|---|---|---|
| Backward compatibility | Runs a supported PS4 edition on PS5 and keeps using that edition’s save path. | Does not guarantee import into a separate PS5 edition. |
| Console data transfer | Moves supported saved data from a PS4 to a PS5 over a shared network. | Use the same account on both consoles. After PS5 setup, Sony limits a PS4-source transfer to the logged-in user’s saved data. |
| PlayStation Plus cloud storage | Uploads and downloads saves between supported consoles. | Requires PlayStation Plus. PS4 and PS5 saves have separate cloud areas; downloading a file does not convert its format. |
| USB copy | Copies PS4 saved data from a PS4 to a USB drive and then to PS5. | Applies to PS4 saves. Sony says PS5 saved data cannot be copied from a PS5 console to USB. |
| Game-specific import | Uses the publisher’s own menu or server to move progress into a PS5 edition or remaster. | Supported versions, slots, regions and subscription requirements vary by title. |
Console data transfer: the direct PS4-to-PS5 route
Sony’s console-transfer process is designed to move supported data between consoles on the same network. Sign in with the same account on the source PS4 and destination PS5, connect both as instructed on screen, and start the transfer from the PS5’s system settings during setup or from the relevant data-transfer option afterward. Select saved data when the console presents the categories to move.
- Install the latest available system software on both consoles and connect them to the same network.
- Sign in to the account that owns the PS4 save on both systems.
- On the PS5, open the data-transfer feature in Settings and follow the on-screen pairing instructions.
- Choose the PS4 saved data and any other categories you intentionally want to move; leave the consoles powered on until the transfer finishes.
- Launch the PS4 edition on PS5 and confirm that the save appears before attempting a PS5-edition import.
If you start the transfer after initial PS5 setup, Sony’s guidance says a PS4 source can transfer only the saved data belonging to the user currently logged in on the PS5. A transferred file remains a PS4-version save; the destination PS5 game must still support it.
PlayStation Plus cloud storage
Cloud storage is useful when the two consoles are not available together. Sony documents separate PS4 and PS5 save areas and lists a capacity of 100 GB for PS5 saved data and 100 GB for PS4 saved data, with up to 1,000 PS4 saved-data files. The service requires an active PlayStation Plus subscription.
- On the PS4, open the saved-data management or cloud-storage menu, select the game and upload the desired save.
- On the PS5, sign in to the same account and open the PS4 saved-data area in cloud storage.
- Download the file to console storage, then start the PS4 edition to verify the timestamp and progress.
- Use the game’s own import command, if one exists, to move that verified save into the PS5 edition.
Do not download a PS5 cloud save over a PS4 save or assume that a file appearing in cloud storage is usable by every edition. The PS4 and PS5 areas are separate, and the game’s developer controls cross-version recognition.
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USB copying for PS4 saves
Sony’s USB instructions cover copying PS4 saved data. On the PS4, insert a compatible USB drive, open the saved-data management menu, choose “Copy to USB Storage Device,” select the game and save, and confirm. On the PS5, open the saved-data settings for PS4 games and choose the USB option to copy the file to console storage. Keep the drive safely stored until the transfer is verified.
This is not a general PS5 backup method. Sony explicitly says PS5 saved data cannot be copied from the PS5 console to a USB drive. A USB copy also does not bypass a publisher’s import rules: it places the PS4 file on the PS5, but the native PS5 edition may still reject it.
Game-specific imports and remasters
Some remasters provide a bridge inside the games themselves. The publisher may upload a selected PS4 save to its server, associate it with your account, and let the PS5 edition download it. Other titles use a local conversion, a special menu available only after a patch, or no import at all. A PS4 save that works in backward compatibility can therefore remain unusable in the remaster.
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Insomniac’s support instructions updated November 24, 2025 describe a server-based transfer from the PS4 game to Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered on PS5. The process is specific to this title:
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- Sign in to the same PlayStation Network account in both games.
- Update the PS4 game to at least version 1.19 and the PS5 game to at least version 1.001.
- In the PS4 game, select the save slot you want and choose the upload command.
- Open the PS5 remaster, select an empty save slot, and choose the download command.
- Load the downloaded slot and check campaign progress, collectibles and settings before deleting the PS4 copy.
Insomniac says PlayStation Plus is not required for this particular server transfer. That requirement must not be generalized to other remasters.
Physical-disc upgrade conditions in that example
Insomniac’s upgrade instructions state that a physical PS4-disc upgrade requires a PS5 with a disc drive. The disc must be from the same country as the PlayStation Network account, and the support page says the save can be transferred to the remaster. These are conditions for this upgrade route, not a universal rule for every disc or region.
Choosing the right route
| Your situation | Start here | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You only want to keep playing the PS4 copy on PS5. | Install or launch the PS4 edition through backward compatibility. | No cross-version import is needed. |
| You have both consoles during PS5 setup. | Use console data transfer, then test the PS4 edition. | It moves the source save directly over the network. |
| The PS4 is unavailable but the save was synchronized. | Download the PS4 save from PlayStation Plus cloud storage. | It works remotely with the same account and an active subscription. |
| You want an offline copy of a PS4 save. | Use USB copying from the PS4. | It is Sony’s documented removable-storage route for PS4 saves. |
| You are moving into a remaster or native PS5 edition. | Follow that game’s transfer menu and support page first. | The title may require an upload/download workflow or may not support importing. |
Troubleshooting save-transfer problems
The PS4 save is visible on PS5, but the PS5 edition cannot see it
This usually means the file was moved successfully but the game does not accept it automatically. Launch the PS4 edition to confirm the save, then look for an in-game upload or import command. If the publisher does not document a cross-version path, the PS5 edition may require a new save.
The upload or download menu is missing
Check the game’s patch level, account sign-in and save-slot requirements. In the Spider-Man example, outdated versions hide the supported workflow; other games may expose the menu only after the PS4 save is present locally. Do not overwrite the original slot while testing.
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A transfer works for one account but not another
Console transfer and many game-server workflows bind progress to the account that created or uploaded it. Sign in with the account that owns the save, and remember Sony’s post-setup console-transfer limitation for the logged-in user’s PS4 data.
The disc upgrade is unavailable
For a physical upgrade, verify that the PS5 has a disc drive and that the disc’s country matches the account region when the publisher requires it. A digital entitlement may follow different rules; consult the title’s current support instructions rather than changing account regions.
You expected to back up a PS5 save to USB
That operation is not supported by Sony’s current USB-copy guidance. Use the PS5’s supported cloud or console-management options instead, and do not confuse a PS4 USB copy with a PS5 backup.
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- Record the PS4 save’s date and slot name.
- Keep one untouched copy on the PS4, in cloud storage or on USB until the new edition is verified.
- Confirm the exact PS5 edition, patch number and publisher transfer method.
- Check account, region, disc-drive and subscription requirements.
- Test the imported save immediately, including the latest mission or checkpoint you completed.
The safest expectation is simple: backward compatibility preserves access to the PS4 game; only a documented, title-specific import preserves progress in a separate PS5 edition or remaster.
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