How to upgrade your PS4 games on PS5

Horizon Forbidden West Plains
Horizon Forbidden West Plains (Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

With the new generation of consoles arriving and the vast majority of PS4 games already backward compatible on the PS5, there's a slate of games being released on both consoles at the same time. Some of these games support upgrades when you make the jump from PS4 to PS5, which can be paid, timed, or free. While there may be some additional steps depending on the title, the broad strokes will apply to every game. Here's how to upgrade your PS4 games on PS5.

How to upgrade physical PS4 games on PS5

As a note, physical PS4 games can only be upgraded on the PS5, not the PS5 Digital Edition.

  1. Sign in on your PS5.
  2. Insert your PS4 game disc.
  3. Go to the game hub for that PS4 game.
  4. Select the upgrade offer for the PS4 game.
  5. If it is a paid upgrade, pay the purchase price.
  6. Download the PS5 Digital Game.

Now, the game is upgraded, but you'll still need to insert the PS4 game disc each and every time you want to play it. The process for upgrading a digital PS4 game, whether on the regular PS5 or the PS5 Digital Edition, is similar but slightly tweaked.

How to upgrade your digital PS4 games on PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition

  1. Sign in on your PS5.
  2. Find the PS5 game in the store with Search.
  3. Go to the game hub for the PS5 game.
  4. Select the upgrade offer for the game.
  5. If it is a paid upgrade, you'll now need to pay the purchase price.
  6. Download the PS5 Digital game.

Just like that, you're all set to play your newly upgraded game. Please be aware that not all titles support save transfers, but some of the best PS5 games such as Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales do. It's also worth noting that even if a game supports save file transfers, the process will be different from game to game. So to ensure that you don't lose your hard-earned progress in a game, make sure to look up the process for a particular game very carefully.

The PlayStation 5 is now available worldwide, though finding consoles in stock is extremely difficult. So if you see any PS5 restocks that you can buy, we recommend grabbing a console immediately, as the supply situation is not expected to get much better for a long time.

Samuel Tolbert

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on PlayStation on Android Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert