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How to Review and Delete Gameplay Data Stored by PlayStation Games

PlayStation gameplay data is stored in different places. Learn how to delete PS5 and PS4 saves, check cloud copies, review account data and activity, and handle publisher-held records.
Length5 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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There is no single PlayStation control for all “gameplay data.” A game installation, a console save, a PlayStation Plus cloud save, account activity, information shared with an authorized app, and a game publisher’s online records are separate things. Start by identifying which copy you want to review or remove: the settings paths below delete local or cloud saves, while account and publisher data require different controls.

Identify the data before deleting it

Choose the category that matches what you want to change. Deleting one category does not establish that a separate copy has also been deleted.

Data type What the control does
Installed game or add-on Removes selected game files from console storage. This does not, by itself, delete saved data or an online account. Purchased games can be downloaded again from your library. PlayStation Support: PS5 storage.
Local saved data Removes the selected save from console storage. PS5 and PS4 have different menu paths. PS5 instructions; PS4 instructions.
Cloud saved data Managed separately from the console copy through PlayStation Plus cloud storage. Check it independently if you also want to remove that copy. PlayStation Support: cloud storage.
Account activity and gaming history Privacy settings control what other players can see; they are not a way to erase a console save. PlayStation privacy settings.
Personal information Sony processes A Data Access Request lets you request a copy of key personal information; it is not a deletion tool or a complete inventory of every game server’s data. PlayStation Data Access request.
Information available to an authorized app You can review and unlink authorized apps, but unlinking does not promise to erase information the app already received. PlayStation authorized apps.
Publisher-held online data Online progression, multiplayer statistics, or a publisher account may have separate controls. The process depends on the game and publisher; Sony’s terms note that additional publisher or service-provider terms may apply. PlayStation Terms of Service (US, March 2025).

Delete a local save on PS5

  1. Open Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings.
  2. Select Saved Data (PS5) or Saved Data (PS4), depending on the game version.
  3. Choose Upload or Delete from Console Storage.
  4. Select the game and the save files to remove, then confirm deletion.

Check both save categories if you have played both the PS4 and PS5 versions of a title; their saved data is managed separately. Sony’s PS5 storage guide documents the console-save controls.

Delete a local save on PS4

If you want to keep a copy of your progress, copy the save to USB before deleting it. Sony documents USB copying for PS4 saved data; verify that the intended save was copied before removing the console copy. See Sony’s PS4 storage instructions.

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  1. Open Settings > Application Saved Data Management.
  2. Select the location that holds the save: System Storage, Online Storage, or USB Storage.
  3. Choose Delete, then select the game and files to remove. You can choose Select All if that is what you intend.
  4. Select Delete and confirm with OK.

Check cloud saves separately

Deleting a save from console storage does not establish that a cloud copy was deleted. On PS5, Sony documents this cloud-save path:

  1. Open Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings.
  2. Select Saved Data (PS5) or Saved Data (PS4).
  3. Choose Download or Delete from Cloud Storage, then Delete.
  4. Select the saved data and confirm.

Sony describes cloud storage as a PlayStation Plus feature. Its Canada support page lists up to 100 GB each for PS5 and PS4 saved data, and a limit of 1,000 PS4 saved-data files. These are limits stated on that regional support page, not a guarantee that the same limits apply everywhere or will remain unchanged. Check Sony’s cloud-storage guide.

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Review Sony account information and visibility

Request a copy of personal information

To request a copy of key personal information Sony processes, sign in to Account Management, open Privacy Settings, then select Data Access Requests > Request Data. Sony says the second email can take up to seven days, and the download is available for seven days after the notification email. This is an access request, not a deletion action. Read Sony’s Data Access instructions.

Change who can see activity

PlayStation privacy settings include controls for online status, currently played games, and gaming history. Changing these settings affects visibility to other players; it does not remove a save from console or cloud storage. Manage PlayStation privacy settings.

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Review linked apps

In Account Management > Authorized Apps, review the apps connected to your account and use Unlink for any access you no longer want. Sony says an authorized app may receive some account information, including online status and gameplay information. For information the app already received, consult that service’s privacy or account-deletion process; unlinking is not documented as erasure. See Sony’s authorized-app instructions.

Ask the game publisher about its online records

A console save deletion does not prove that online progression, multiplayer statistics, or a publisher account has been deleted. Sony’s US Terms of Service, published in March 2025, say additional terms may apply, including those of a game publisher or service provider. Because the procedure depends on the specific game, check its official account settings or privacy notice, or contact its support team and ask how to access or delete the records associated with your account. Read the PlayStation Terms of Service.

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Avoid deleting more than you intend

  • Check whether the save exists in another location—console, cloud, or USB—before removing a copy you may want to keep.
  • Use the saved-data controls for an individual save. Do not use a factory reset as a routine way to remove one game’s data.
  • Sony distinguishes restoring default settings, which does not affect user or game data, from resetting a PS5 or initializing a PS4, which deletes user and game data and cannot be undone. Consult Sony’s reset and restore guide before any broader erase.
  • Deleting an installed game is different from deleting its save. On PS5, manage an installation under Settings > Storage > Console Storage > Games and Apps. If Customize appears beside a title, Sony says you may be able to manage portions of its installed data. See Sony’s PS5 storage guide.

Menu wording can vary with system software or region. The paths here follow PlayStation’s US support instructions unless a regional source is specifically identified.

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