How to play PS4 games on PS5

Bloodborne
(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Do PS4 games work on PS5? Yes, thankfully, they do! Sony has made sure to include a certain level of PS5 backwards compatibility with their newest console, and a few select games have even been given free PS5 upgrades, meaning that they won't just be how you remember them, they'll be better, making use of the PlayStation 5's more powerful SSD hardware. Way back when, CEO Jim Ryan promised in The Washington Post that 99% of PS4 games will work with PS5 - so if you want to put that claim to the test, here's how to play PS4 games on PS5.

Download PS4 games from your PS5 Game Library 

PS5 UI

(Image credit: Sony / Future)

The easiest way to access your complete PS4 library on PS5 is to just simply head along to the Game Library tile on the far right of your home screen. Here you can see everything that you've ever played on PS4 - you can even filter by platform - and re-download anything that you want to play on PS5. Super straight forward, as you'd hope.

You can just play PS4 discs on PS5

Unless you're rocking the PS5 Digital Edition, you can also play your physical disc-based PS4 games simply by inserting the disc into your PS5. Yes, it will need to install the game and apply any updates, but it'll play and run just as it did on PS4 - probably just with some nice PS4 benefits. 

Your PS4 external hard drive will also work on PS5

Seagate The Last of Us Part II 2TB Game Drive

if you were using a PS4 external hard drive to store games on PS4, then there's another neat trick you can do with your PS5 - just unplug the hard drive from your PS4, and plug it into your PS5. No conversion or reformatting needed, you're straight into enjoying all those games on your PS5. Just remember to move as much of your PS4 library over to that hard drive before you make the switch for the ultimate convenience. 

PS4 to PS5 Wi-Fi transfer will copy everything over

Transfer PS4 games to PS5

(Image credit: Sony)

There's another way to streamline your ability to play PS4 games on PS5 without having to re-download them all. If you've still got access to your PS4, you can also do a Wi-Fi transfer, that copies your PS4 games stored internally on your old console (aka not on the external hard drive) straight onto your PS5. 

To do this, head to:

Settings > System >  System Software > Data Transfer

Then, it's just a case of following the on-screen instructions. You'll need both your PS5 and PS4 turned on, and also connected to the internet over Wi-Fi. If they're right next to each other you can also connect the two via a LAN connection.

Transfer PS4 games to PS5

(Image credit: Sony)

Once they're connected, you can either select all or just tick the PS4 titles you want to transfer. Then it's just a case of waiting while the transfer happens before you can get stuck in. 

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Sam Loveridge
Global Editor-in-Chief, GamesRadar+

Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.