Playing a PS4 game on a PS5 and moving its progress into a separate PS5 edition are different operations. A supported PS4 release can run on PS5 through backward compatibility and continue using its PS4 save, but that does not prove the PS5 edition or remaster will accept the file.
Whether a PS4 save imports into a PS5 version is decided title by title by the developer. Before deleting the PS4 installation, upgrading, or starting the PS5 release, check the game publisher’s current instructions and version requirements.
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What backward compatibility actually changes
Sony says more than 4,000 games are ready to play on both PS4 and PS5 through backward compatibility (support information accessed October 13, 2026). In practical terms, the PS5 runs the supported PS4 edition. You select that PS4 game from your library or disc, and the game continues to look for the save data associated with its PS4 release.
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Backward compatibility answers the question, “Can I still play the PS4 version on PS5?” It does not answer, “Can I import this progress into the separate PS5 version?” Those versions may share a name while using different save formats, slot structures, or transfer services.
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Sony’s PS5: The Ultimate 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.” The statement remains the key platform rule: compatibility with the console is broad, while cross-version save support is not automatic.
Three separate save questions to answer
1. Can the PS5 run the PS4 edition?
If the title is supported, yes. You are running the PS4 software under backward compatibility, so its PS4 save path remains relevant. You do not need to own or install the PS5 edition merely to continue the PS4 version.
2. Can the PS4 save reach the PS5 console?
Sony documents three platform-level ways to move PS4 saved data: a direct console transfer, PlayStation Plus cloud storage, and USB copying. Each method has its own account, setup, and storage conditions.
3. Will the PS5 edition or remaster read that save?
Only the developer can establish this for a particular game. A successful console, cloud, or USB transfer places PS4 data on the PS5; it does not convert the file or guarantee that a different PS5 executable will recognize it.
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PS4-save transfer routes compared
| Route | What it does | Important conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Backward compatibility | Runs a supported PS4 edition on PS5 and uses its PS4 save path | Does not guarantee import into a separate PS5 edition or remaster. |
| Console data transfer | Moves supported saved data from a PS4 to a PS5 over a shared network | The same account must be used on source and destination. After PS5 setup, a PS4-to-PS5 transfer is limited to the saved data belonging to the user logged in on the PS5. |
| PlayStation Plus cloud storage | Uploads and downloads saves between supported PlayStation consoles | Requires PlayStation Plus. Sony maintains separate PS4 and PS5 save areas; cloud movement alone does not establish cross-edition compatibility. |
| USB copy | Copies PS4 saves from a PS4 to a USB drive and then to PS5 | Applies to PS4 saved data. Sony says PS5 saved data cannot be copied from the PS5 console to USB. |
| Game-specific import | Uses the publisher’s own in-game or server-based workflow | Supported slots, software versions, regions, account rules, and subscription requirements vary by title. |
How to move a PS4 save to PS5 with Sony’s platform tools
Console-to-console transfer
Use this when you still have the PS4 and both consoles can communicate on the same network.
- Sign in to the same PlayStation account on the PS4 and PS5. A different account can make the destination unable to associate the transferred data with your games.
- Connect both consoles to the same network and follow the PS5’s on-screen data-transfer instructions. The process moves supported PS4 saved data from the source console.
- If the PS5 has already been set up, start the transfer while signed in as the user whose PS4 saves you need. Sony limits a post-setup PS4 transfer to that logged-in user’s saved data.
- After the transfer finishes, launch the PS4 edition first if you want to confirm that the expected progress appears. Then consult the game’s publisher instructions before launching its PS5 edition.
This route is a movement operation, not a remaster conversion. If the PS5 edition has no documented import feature, retain the PS4 edition and its transferred save so you can continue there.
PlayStation Plus cloud storage
Cloud storage is useful when the consoles are not in the same place or when you want an additional copy of a PS4 save.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match- On the PS4, sign in to the account that owns the save and upload the relevant PS4 saved data to PlayStation Plus cloud storage.
- On the PS5, sign in to that same account and download the data from the PS4 save area. Sony documents separate PS4 and PS5 save areas, so select the PS4 section.
- Open the PS4 edition on PS5 and verify the save before attempting any game-specific import.
- Check the title’s current instructions for whether the PS5 edition can read the save directly or requires an in-game upload and download.
Sony’s cloud-storage guidance (accessed October 13, 2026) lists 100 GB for PS5 saved data and 100 GB for PS4 saved data, with up to 1,000 PS4 saved-data files. Those are storage allowances, not a promise that every title will synchronize or import successfully. PlayStation Plus is required for this route; it is not required for every possible transfer method.
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USB copying
USB is the platform option when you need to move PS4 saves without cloud storage.
- On the PS4, connect a USB drive and use the system’s saved-data controls to copy the selected PS4 saved data to the drive.
- Safely remove the drive and connect it to the PS5.
- Use the PS5’s saved-data controls to copy the PS4 data from the USB drive to the console.
- Launch the PS4 edition to check the file, then follow any separate publisher import procedure.
Sony’s instructions cover PS4 saved data only. They explicitly say PS5 saved data cannot be copied from the PS5 console to a USB drive. Therefore, USB is not a general PS5-save backup solution and cannot be used to extract a PS5 edition’s progress for transfer elsewhere.
Why a remaster may use a completely different import system
A remaster is a distinct game release, even when it is built from the same original content. The publisher may provide an importer inside the PS4 game, an online account link, a server upload, or no cross-version route at all. A save sitting on the PS5’s storage does not tell the remaster where to find it or how to interpret it.
Common title-specific differences include:
- Only selected save slots may be eligible.
- The PS4 and PS5 games may need minimum software versions.
- The import may require the same PSN account used on the original save.
- Physical and digital editions may have different upgrade conditions.
- Region or country matching may be required.
- A publisher may require an empty destination slot rather than overwriting an existing PS5 save.
- Some server transfers work without PlayStation Plus, while cloud transfers require it.
These are possibilities, not universal requirements. Treat the game’s own support page as authoritative for its release, region, and current patch.
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Documented example: Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Insomniac’s support instructions, updated November 24, 2025, show why a remaster should not be used as a template for every other game. In this case, the PS4 game uploads a selected save to Insomniac’s servers and the PS5 remaster downloads it.
- Sign in to the same PSN account in the PS4 game and the PS5 remaster.
- Install at least version 1.19 of the PS4 game.
- Open the PS4 game and select the save slot you want to move, then use the game’s upload option to send it to Insomniac’s servers.
- Install at least version 1.001 of the PS5 remaster.
- In the remaster, choose an empty save slot and download the uploaded data.
Insomniac says PlayStation Plus is not required for this particular server transfer. That does not conflict with Sony’s cloud-storage requirement: they are different routes. The example also demonstrates why the destination slot matters; the remaster asks you to select an empty slot rather than assuming it can merge or overwrite existing progress.
Physical-disc upgrade conditions in this example
Insomniac’s upgrade instructions state that upgrading from a physical PS4 disc requires a PS5 console with a disc drive. The disc must be from the same country as the PSN account. The instructions also state that the save can be transferred to Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. These conditions apply to this upgrade route and should not be generalized to other remasters or regions.
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- Identify the edition. Write down whether your progress is in the PS4 game, a PS5-native release, or a remaster. Similar product names are not enough.
- Keep the original save. Do not delete the PS4 installation or overwrite the only copy until the destination version has loaded the expected progress.
- Choose a transfer route. Use console transfer if both systems are available, cloud storage if you have PlayStation Plus, USB for PS4 saves when cloud is unsuitable, or the publisher’s importer if the game requires one.
- Match the account. Use the same PSN account throughout unless the publisher explicitly documents another account-linking method.
- Update both games. Install the versions named in the title’s current support instructions. Version mismatches can make an otherwise supported import unavailable.
- Test the PS4 edition. Launch it on PS5 and verify that the transferred save opens before attempting the PS5 edition.
- Perform the title-specific import. Follow the exact in-game upload, server, or download steps. Do not assume the PS5 edition will scan storage automatically.
- Verify several checkpoints. Check the character, campaign position, inventory, and any other progress that matters to you. Keep the original PS4 save until verification is complete.
Troubleshooting failed or missing saves
The PS4 save is not visible on PS5
- Confirm that the PS5 is signed in to the same account that created or stored the save.
- Check whether you transferred PS4 data into the PS4 save area rather than looking only in the PS5 area.
- If using cloud storage, confirm that the upload completed on PS4 before downloading on PS5.
- If using USB, verify that the drive contains PS4 saved data and that the copy was completed from the PS4.
The PS4 edition opens the save, but the PS5 edition does not
This usually indicates that platform transfer succeeded but cross-version import is unsupported, incomplete, or requires a separate publisher workflow. Look for an in-game transfer menu, server upload option, minimum patch, account requirement, or region restriction. If the publisher has not documented an importer, continue with the PS4 edition through backward compatibility rather than treating the missing option as a console-transfer failure.
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The importer reports an invalid slot or overwrite warning
Stop before confirming deletion. Some importers accept only selected slots or require an empty PS5 destination slot, as in the documented Spider-Man Remastered workflow. Create or select the required destination slot and preserve the original save until the imported copy has been checked.
A physical upgrade is unavailable
Check whether the upgrade requires a PS5 disc drive and whether the disc’s country matches the PSN account. Those requirements are documented for the Spider-Man Remastered physical-disc route; another game’s conditions may differ.
The practical rule
Think of the process as two gates. Gate one is storage: can you move the PS4 save to the PS5 by console transfer, cloud, or USB? Gate two is compatibility: does the developer provide a way for the separate PS5 edition or remaster to import that save? Passing the first gate never automatically passes the second.
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If the publisher confirms an importer, follow its versions, account, slot, and region requirements exactly. If it does not, the reliable option is to keep playing the supported PS4 edition on PS5 with its PS4 save. A PS5-native save can remain on the console, but Sony’s current guidance does not allow copying it from the PS5 to USB.
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