How to Transfer Your PS5 Games and Saves to the PS5 Pro

1. Start with a calm plan, not a factory reset

The PS5 Pro had been available since 7 November 2024, and its 2TB internal SSD gave most upgraders much more breathing room than the storage in an earlier PS5. That extra room is lovely. It is not, however, magic. A large library can still take a while to move, particularly if you try to copy everything in one heroic afternoon whilst someone else in the house is streaming four series at once.

A wired Ethernet connection between consoles is the least glamorous part of the upgrade, but it is the one that makes a large local transfer much less painful.

The sensible approach is to decide what you actually need on day one. Your profile, save data and console settings are the important bits. Games can always be downloaded again later; a save that existed only on the old console is rather more precious. Think of the old PS5 as the cardboard box marked "do not lose", not as something to wipe five minutes after the Pro says hello.

Before beginning, update both consoles to their latest available system software, make sure you can sign in to the PlayStation Network account that owns your digital games, and check that the old PS5 can connect to the internet or your home network. If you have more than one account on the console, decide whether each person needs their own saves and profile transferred. It is easy to remember your own Destiny character and forget that your child has built an entire Minecraft world next door.

2. Choose the right route before you start

There are three practical ways to get settled on PS5 Pro. Sony's built-in Data Transfer is the most complete option. PlayStation Plus cloud storage is the neatest way to protect and restore saves when you do not need every game copied immediately. USB extended storage is extremely handy for PS4 games, because it lets you carry those games physically between consoles without filling the Pro's internal SSD.

You can also combine them. In fact, that is often the best answer. Use cloud storage as a safety copy for PS5 saves, transfer the games you want to play straight away over the network, then plug your PS4 extended-storage drive into the Pro. It sounds almost too sensible for a console migration. That is because it is.

3. Prepare both consoles and your home network

Put the PS5 and PS5 Pro somewhere with ventilation and power them directly from reliable mains sockets. You do not want either system switched off midway through a transfer because somebody unplugged the extension lead to charge a phone. This is not a time for improvisation.

Sign in on the PS5 Pro with the same PlayStation Network account used on the old machine. If your games were bought under another household account, that account may need to be signed in as well. Digital licences are tied to the purchasing account, not merely to the console that happened to download them.

For the transfer itself, both systems should be connected to the same network. Wi-Fi can work, but a wired Ethernet connection is the friendlier option when there is a lot of data to move. You can connect each console to your router with Ethernet, or use an Ethernet cable between the consoles where the setup process permits it. The goal is simple: avoid asking a busy wireless network to shift a sizeable game collection whilst it is also trying to run everyone's phones, tablets, work calls and Friday-night telly.

4. Transfer everything with PS5 Data Transfer

Shop Transfer everything with PS5 Data Transfer on Amazon UK

If your aim is for the PS5 Pro to feel like your old PS5 in a nicer new outfit, this is the method to use. Data Transfer is designed to move the everyday console life: user information, console settings, installed games, save data and other local material. It is the closest thing to taking your old system's memory and pouring it carefully into the new one.

1. Turn on the old PS5 and PS5 Pro, then connect both to the same network.
2. On the PS5 Pro, sign in and work through the setup prompts until you reach the option to transfer data from another PS5. If you have already completed setup, look in Settings for the transfer option.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to locate the source PS5. Keep the old console awake and connected.
4. Select the data you want to move. This is where your earlier list pays off: prioritise saves, your current games and any captures you genuinely value.
5. Confirm the transfer and leave both machines alone until the process has finished. The Pro will tell you what it needs you to do next.
6. Once complete, sign in on the PS5 Pro and check the library, storage and saved-data screens before you consider the job done.

The exact duration depended on how much was installed and on the network route between the consoles. There is no honest universal "it takes exactly X minutes" answer, because a few favourites and a household's entire collection are wildly different jobs. Wired networking generally removes one major variable, which is why it is worth the cable.

5. Check saves before and after the wired move

Save data is the bit that turns an upgrade from exciting to mildly terrifying. A game installation is replaceable. Your 70-hour campaign, painstaking custom character or carefully arranged Gran Turismo garage is not something you want to discover was "probably fine".

Before starting, open the saved-data management area on the old PS5 and look at what is stored locally. You do not need to catalogue every tiny file, but it is sensible to identify the saves that would hurt most to lose. Then, after the transfer, launch several games on the PS5 Pro and load into actual gameplay. Seeing a save file listed is reassuring; reaching the point where your character is wearing the same ridiculous hat is better.

Be particularly careful with games that have their own servers, cross-progression systems or in-game account links. Some progress may be held online by the publisher, whilst local settings and saves may still live on the console. Treat every game according to its own behaviour rather than assuming "online game" means "nothing local matters".

The Saved Data and Game/App Settings area is worth checking on both consoles; it is the sensible place to confirm that the progress you care about is present.

6. Use PlayStation Plus cloud storage for saves

Shop Use PlayStation Plus cloud storage for saves on Amazon UK

Cloud storage is not a full-console clone, but it is an extremely useful second route for save data. If you subscribe to PlayStation Plus and your saves have synchronised, you can download them to the PS5 Pro after signing into the same account. This is particularly useful if you want a clean Pro installation, if the old console is in another room, or if you simply prefer to download games selectively rather than copy them all.

On the old PS5, check the saved-data settings and ensure your important PS5 game saves have synchronised to cloud storage. Do this before you hand the console to somebody else, pack it away or reset it. Then on the PS5 Pro, go to the same saved-data area, select cloud storage and download the saves you need. Automatic synchronisation is convenient, but for a big upgrade I would still inspect the dates. The latest save should be the latest save, not a mysterious version from last Tuesday because the console had been offline.

Cloud saves are brilliant insurance, but they are not an excuse to skip checking. Once a save has downloaded, launch the game. If it asks whether to use local or cloud data because it sees a conflict, stop and read the timestamps. Choosing quickly simply because the button is highlighted is how people end up learning a lot about the menu music while replaying six hours of progress.

7. Move PS4 games with USB extended storage

Shop Move PS4 games with USB extended storage on Amazon UK

An external USB drive remains one of the neatest bits of PS5 housekeeping. PS4 games can be stored on USB extended storage and played from it on the PS5 Pro. That means a drive packed with backward-compatible PS4 favourites can simply be disconnected from the old console, connected to the Pro, and used there after the console recognises it.

This is especially useful because the PS5 Pro supported more than 8,500 backward-compatible PS4 games, with PS5 Pro Game Boost available for compatible titles. If you have an older library full of PS4 favourites, an external drive keeps those games separate from the internal SSD space you may prefer to reserve for PS5 titles.

There is an important line in the sand: PS5 games cannot be played from USB extended storage. You can use the PS5 Pro's internal SSD for them, or add compatible M.2 SSD storage if you need more room. USB is therefore a great PS4 solution, not a secret way of running a huge PS5 library from a portable drive.

1. On the old PS5, make sure the external drive has finished any activity before disconnecting it.
2. Use the console's safe removal process rather than pulling the cable out mid-operation.
3. Connect the drive to the PS5 Pro.
4. Wait for the console to recognise the USB extended storage, then check your installed PS4 games in the library.
5. Launch one game before deleting anything from the old console.

USB extended storage is the practical home for a PS4 library on PS5 Pro, leaving the internal SSD for PS5 games that need it.

8. Understand PS5 storage, downloads and M.2 expansion

Shop Understand PS5 storage, downloads and M.2 expansion on Amazon UK

The PS5 Pro's 2TB internal SSD was a major convenience upgrade over the 1TB storage in the base PS5. It does not mean you need to copy every game you have ever bought. Modern libraries are full of "I will definitely play that one day" installations, and one day has a habit of remaining theoretical.

For PS5 games, use the internal SSD. If you need expansion, the PS5 Pro supported PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSDs from 250GB to 4TB, with sequential read speed of 5,500MB/s or faster, in the compatible 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 or 22110 form factors. That gives you a proper internal route for more PS5 storage rather than trying to make an external drive do a job it was not designed to do.

If you are using the Pro as a fresh start, download only the games you are actively playing and leave the rest in your library. Your purchases remain associated with your account. That can be less immediately satisfying than seeing a completely full home screen, but it is a great deal tidier.

9. Decide which games deserve the PS5 Pro first

Once your saves are safe, it is worth being selective about what goes onto the Pro first. PS5 Pro-enhanced games were the obvious candidates, because the console had a larger GPU with 60 compute units compared with 36 in the base PS5, 28% higher memory bandwidth at 576GB/s versus 448GB/s, and Sony's claim of up to 45% faster rendering. It also used PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, or PSSR, to pursue sharper images whilst maintaining higher frame rates.

In real terms, the point was not to stare at a specification sheet like it is homework. It was to let games make fewer awkward compromises between image quality and smoothness. In Alan Wake 2, the benefits to ray tracing, reflections and lighting were immediately noticeable in quality mode, whilst the Pro could improve both quality and performance options. Sony had also said ray tracing could be two or three times faster than on the standard PS5 in appropriate workloads.

Prioritise the games you are actually playing, especially PS5 Pro-enhanced titles, rather than filling the SSD with a backlog that may not be touched for months.

10. A sensible "best for" transfer plan

There is no single best method for every household. The right choice depends less on the console and more on whether you are moving a carefully curated handful of games, a sprawling family library, or a PS4 collection that has been quietly living on an external drive since 2017.

For most people, I would choose the combined approach. It gives you redundancy for saves, gets your current favourites moved without endless downloads, and treats your PS4 collection as the separate, useful library it is. It is not flashy. It is just the plan least likely to end in sighing at a progress bar.

11. Troubleshoot the usual transfer hiccups

If the PS5 Pro cannot find the old PS5, check the unglamorous basics first: both consoles are powered on, connected to the same network, signed into the relevant accounts and running current system software. Restarting the network equipment can help if the consoles appear to be connected but refuse to see each other. Where possible, switch to Ethernet rather than spending an hour trying to persuade Wi-Fi to behave differently because you asked politely.

If a game is visible but your progress is not, check whether the save belongs to the account currently signed in. Then inspect cloud save dates if you use PlayStation Plus, and confirm that the old console still contains the local save. Do not delete or overwrite anything until you understand which version is newest.

If a USB extended-storage drive is not recognised, reconnect it securely and confirm it was safely removed from the original PS5. Keep in mind what belongs where: PS4 games can be used from USB extended storage, but PS5 games need internal or compatible M.2 SSD storage to be played. That distinction solves a surprising number of apparent problems.

Before selling, gifting or resetting the old PS5, test several saves on the PS5 Pro and confirm each household member can access their own account.

12. Final checklist before you retire the old PS5

Shop Final checklist before you retire the old PS5 on Amazon UK

Once the transfer has ended, give yourself a proper verification session. It need not take all evening, but it should be more than checking whether the home screen has your wallpaper. Sign into each relevant profile. Open your games library. Confirm your external PS4 drive is visible if you use one. Check screenshots and video clips if they matter to you. Then launch at least a few games, especially the ones with the most irreplaceable progress.

Check that digital games unlock as expected under the account that bought them. If you used disc games on the old PS5, remember that the PS5 Pro did not include a disc drive as standard; a compatible separately sold disc drive was required for physical discs. Do not assume a disc-based game will be usable until your hardware setup is ready for it.

Only after you are satisfied should you consider resetting the older console, passing it on or trading it in. Give it a few days if you can. The small inconvenience of having two consoles under the television for a short while is far preferable to discovering a missing save after the old one has already gone.

Frequently asked questions

A successful migration ends with the PS5 Pro ready for play and the old PS5 still intact until every save, account and favourite game has been checked.