The PS5 is connected, the game is installed, and the old PS4 is nearly ready to leave the house. Before you reset it, make sure your progress actually made the trip. A familiar title on the home screen is a poor substitute for the save you spent months building.
Plan around two checks: getting the PS4 save onto the destination console, then opening it in the version you intend to play. Keep the original console and a backup available until you have verified both. This guide follows PlayStation's current U.S. support instructions, checked October 9, 2026.
Choose the game version before moving the save
A PS4 game running on PS5 and a separate PS5 edition are different destinations. If you own both versions, PlayStation's version-selection instructions direct you to the game's options in Game Library. Pick the version you want to continue using before troubleshooting a missing save.
For a PS5 edition, check that game's own save-import instructions. Horizon Forbidden West provides a useful example: first copy the PS4 save onto the PS5, then use Import Game From PlayStation 4 at the game's title screen and select the save. Copying the file is only part of that process. Do not assume another game's upgrade uses the same menu.
Also keep your game license separate from your save. For an eligible PS4 disc upgrade, Sony requires a PS5 with a disc drive and the PS4 disc inserted when playing the upgraded game. Transferring a save does not turn that disc into a digital purchase.
Use USB when you want a separate copy
A supported USB storage device gives you a direct route for PS4 saves. You can keep the copied files after checking the PS5, which is useful when the old console is about to be handed over. Follow the saved-data menus below; this is separate from moving installed games to extended storage.
- Start on the PS4. Sign in, connect the USB device, and open Settings. Under Application Saved Data Management, choose the saves in system storage and the option to copy them to USB.
- Select the actual files. Open each game's entry, select the saves you need, and copy them. At an overwrite prompt, compare dates before replacing anything. Sony's PS4 saved-data guide explains the file selection and overwrite controls.
- Continue on the PS5. After the copy finishes, turn off the PS4 before removing the USB device. Connect it to the PS5 using the same PlayStation account. Open Settings, then Saved Data and Game/App Settings, and choose Saved Data (PS4).
- Copy onto the destination. Choose the USB copy/delete option, open the game's saved files, and copy the required ones into console storage. The current PS5 storage guide shows this destination menu.
These individual USB-copy steps are for PS4 saved data. Sony does not offer the equivalent individual-file USB copy for PS5 saves. Its full-console PS5 backup procedure is a separate operation, so do not treat the two as interchangeable.
Network transfer and cloud storage are alternatives
If both consoles are available, Sony's console-transfer procedure can move PS4 saves over the same network. Update both systems and sign into the same account first. On a PS5 that is already set up, start Data Transfer from the System Software section of System settings. An after-setup transfer copies the signed-in user's saved data, so a shared household should check each player's progress separately.
Leave both consoles and the network alone during the transfer. Sony warns against powering them off or changing network settings while it runs. Some work can continue after the PS5 restarts; check its Downloads/Uploads area before deciding everything has finished.
PlayStation Plus members can instead upload the desired saves using PS4 online storage. On PS5, choose the PS4 saved-data section and download the files from cloud storage. Sony's cloud-storage instructions make a consequential distinction: PS4 saves must be downloaded manually to the PS5, even when automatic uploading is enabled. Check that the uploaded copy reflects your latest session.
Prove the progress is there before resetting
Our practical recommendation is to check the games you would hate to restart first. Launch the intended version under the correct account, load the transferred save, and look for something recognizable: the right character, chapter, recent checkpoint or completed quest. A file appearing in Settings tells you less than the game successfully opening it.
If something is missing, stop before deleting anything. Recheck the account, PS4 versus PS5 version, selected save and any game-specific import step. Keep a known-good copy while resolving the problem; repeatedly replacing files without checking their dates makes diagnosis harder.
Only after those checks should you follow PlayStation's transfer-or-disposal checklist. Preserve captures you want, sync trophies, and remove discs and USB devices you are keeping. For a departing PS4, Sony specifies full initialization and warns that it permanently deletes the console's saved information. Treat that reset as the final handover step.
For the separate question of where installed games should live, see our PS5 storage expansion guide. For the longer history behind protecting progress, read how game saves evolved.
Featured photograph: PlayStation 4 Pro by Evan-Amos, public domain. Hardware photographs identify the equipment discussed; they do not imply endorsement.
