Trying to upgrade a PlayStation 4 game to the digital PlayStation 5 version can feel somewhat confusing at first. Fortunately, Sony shared a step-by-step tutorial on the upgrade process that goes over everything that you have to do to make sure you’re able to play your PS4 games on PS5.
In case you missed that post, here’s what you need to know when it comes to playing PS4 games on PS5.
How to Upgrade a PS4 Game to the PS5 Version
As confirmed by Sony in a recent support post, “The overwhelming majority of the 4,000+ PS4 games are playable on PS5 consoles.” The post goes on to address ways that you can play your PS4 games on the PS5.
The steps you’ll need to take to play PS4 games on your new PS5 will vary depending on whether you purchased a PS5 with a disc drive or the disc-free version. It’ll also depend on whether you’re upgrading using a physical PS4 disc or a digital copy of the game you purchased through the PlayStation Store.
Note that upgrade eligibility will vary with some PS4 to PS5 upgrades being available for free, while others require an additional purchase in order to upgrade. With that out of the way, we’ve included the steps you’ll need to take to upgrade a PS4 game to the PS5 version below as provided by Sony in their upgrade support post.
Upgrade an eligible PS4 digital game on a PS5 console with a disc drive or PS5 Digital Edition
- Sign in to your existing account on your PS5 console.
- Find the PS5 game in PlayStation Store, or by Search, and go to the game hub for the PS5 game.
- Select the upgrade offer on the game hub and review the upgrade offer.
- Select Download (or purchase with the discount price) to download/purchase content.
- After the download is complete, you can play the PS5 game.
Upgrade an eligible PS4 game on disc on a PS5 console with a disc drive
- To upgrade an eligible PS4 game on disc to the digital PS5 version, you will need a PS5 console with a disc drive. PS4 game discs can’t be used with the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition.
- Sign in to your existing account on your PS5 console (or create an account).
- Insert the eligible PS4 game disc.
- Go to the game hub for the PS4 game.
- Select the upgrade offer on the game hub and review the upgrade offer.
- Select Download (or purchase with the discount price) to download/purchase content.
- After the download is complete, you can play the PS5 digital game by inserting the PS4 game disc. You will need to keep the disc inserted each time to play the game.
The process of playing a digital PS4 game on PS5 seems pretty straightforward in that your purchase is tied to your PlayStation account. If the game is eligible for an upgrade, you can upgrade it through the game hub itself and then re-download the game on your PS5.
If you purchased the disc-free PS5, you won’t be able to play any of your PS4 discs. You can still upgrade your digital PS4 purchases, but not the discs themselves. If you purchased a PS5 with a disc drive, you can insert your PS4 disc and then follow the same steps for the digital version by visiting the game hub and selecting the upgrade offer.
Hopefully this overview helps when it comes time to playing your PS4 games on your brand new PS5. For more on upgrading PS4 games, be sure to check out the full support post from Sony!
Related: Sony Finally Details PS4 Backward Compatibility on PlayStation 5
Now that you know how to play PS4 games on the PS5, we have a few other PS5-related stories we think you’ll be interested in including:
- Yasuhiro Ootori Tears Apart PlayStation 5 & Let’s Us See What’s Under The Hood
- PS5 Will Have 3D Audio Available at Launch via Compatible Headsets
- PS5 Trophy System Guide
