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How to Set Up a PS5 and Transfer Games and Data From Your Old Console

Transfer from a PS4 or PS5 during setup or later, and learn which options move games, saves, accounts, and captures.
Length4 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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You can transfer data from a PS4 or PS5 to a new PS5 over your network, either during the PS5’s first-time setup or later through Settings. The important catch is that installed games, saved progress, captures, account details and console settings do not all follow the same rules. Choose the transfer route based on what you need to keep.

Before setting up the PS5

  1. Set up the PS5 for your model: attach its base or feet as directed, connect it to a display and the internet, install the latest system software, and sign in to PlayStation. You can use an existing PlayStation account; if the PlayStation App is already configured, Sony also supports signing in through it. See PlayStation’s PS5 setup instructions.
  2. If your old console is a PS4, update its system software and sign in with the same PlayStation account you’ll use on the PS5. Manually synchronize trophy information on the source console.
  3. Connect both consoles to the same network. Wi-Fi works. Sony says a commercially available LAN cable can be used and that a wired connection can speed transfer when the consoles normally use Wi-Fi. If both consoles are already wired to the network, you do not need an extra cable connecting them directly.
  4. Keep both consoles powered on. During transfer, do not change network settings or run an internet connection test: PlayStation Support warns this may cause data to be damaged or lost.

A single transfer uses one PS4 or PS5 source console and one destination PS5. Sony’s complete PS4 and PS5 data-transfer instructions include on-screen prompts for the process.

Start the transfer during setup or afterward

During first-time setup

Follow the PS5’s on-screen instructions and begin data transfer when that step appears. Leave the source console on and follow the prompts to select what to transfer.

After setup is complete

Turn on the source console. On the destination PS5, open Settings > System > System Software > Data Transfer > Continue, then follow the prompts.

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The PS5 may restart during the process. Some data, including game data, can continue transferring after the restart. Check Downloads/Uploads in Control Center for progress; a game’s thumbnail appears on the Games home when it is ready to play.

What transfers depends on the old console

Sony distinguishes transfers from PS4 and PS5, and whether the PS5 has already been set up. “After setup” means the PS5 has completed its initial setup.

Data From PS4 From PS5
User and account information Initial setup only. User information applies to users who have signed in on the source PS4. During initial setup or afterward.
Saved data During initial setup or afterward for eligible data. After setup, transfer is limited to the user signed in on the PS5. During initial setup or afterward for eligible data.
Games playable on PS5 During initial setup or afterward. During initial setup or afterward.
Screenshots and video clips Not listed by Sony for transfer from PS4. During initial setup or afterward.
Console settings Initial setup only. During initial setup or afterward, for the settings Sony lists.

Data already on the destination PS5 is not transferred over itself. Source-console login passcodes transfer too, so you may need the same passcode when logging in afterward.

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Choose another route for games or saves

If direct console-to-console transfer is inconvenient, use the option that matches the data you need. A game-storage drive is not a general backup for saved data.

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Route What it’s for Requirements and limits
Download from the game library Digital games you own. Download them again on the PS5 from its game library; this does not copy saves or captures.
Install from disc Disc-based PS4 games. Requires a PS5 with a disc drive. Keep the disc inserted to play; PS4 discs do not work on PS5 Digital Edition.
PS4 extended-storage drive Accessing PS4 game files already on a drive used as PS4 extended storage. Connect the drive to the PS5. Sony specifies USB 3.0 or later and 250 GB minimum to 8 TB maximum for extended storage, and says not all devices work. Formatting deletes the drive’s data. PS5 games cannot be played from USB extended storage; move them back to console storage or an M.2 SSD.
PlayStation Plus cloud storage Moving saved data. PlayStation Plus members can download saves from cloud storage. This route requires access to the cloud saves.
USB save copying Moving PS4 saved data. PS4 saves can be copied to USB and then copied to PS5. Sony says PS5 saved data cannot be copied from PS5 to USB.

For the drive’s setup and compatibility details, use Sony’s PS5 USB extended-storage guide. Do not format a drive containing files you still need.

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Check whether your PS4 games will run

Sony says the majority of PS4 games are playable on PS5, but some titles are marked Playable on: PS4 only, and the compatibility list can change. Check the specific game in Sony’s PS5 backward-compatibility list before transferring or reinstalling it.

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For a supported disc game, insert the disc, install any available update, and leave the disc in the drive whenever you play. The disc requirement means a PS4 disc game cannot be used on PS5 Digital Edition.

Troubleshoot a failed or slow transfer

If the transfer fails with error CE-112069-9, PlayStation Support recommends switching both consoles to wired network connections or directly connecting them with Ethernet if they were using Wi-Fi. You can also turn off the router for at least five minutes, restart it, and retry Data Transfer. If you only need saved data, use cloud storage or USB instead. See Sony’s CE-112069-9 troubleshooting steps.

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While a transfer runs in the background, do not use Network Test or manually put the PS5 into Rest Mode. During the transfer, keep both consoles on and avoid network-setting changes.

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