Learn how to keep your games safe when doing a factory reset on your PS4. From backing up to re-downloading, we’ve got you covered.Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to factory reset your PS4 but you’re worried about losing all of your games? It’s a common concern among gamers, especially those who have spent a lot of time and money building their game libraries. The good news is that there are several options available to ensure that you don’t lose all of your hard-earned games when you reset your console. In this blog post, we’ll explore different methods for backing up and transferring your games, including using PlayStation Plus Cloud, transferring games to a USB, and deactivating your PS4 as the primary console. We’ll also discuss how to re-download your games after the reset to get you back to gaming as quickly as possible. So, if you’ve been wondering about what happens to your games when you reset your PS4, keep reading for some helpful tips to keep your game library safe.
Backing Up Games
When it comes to playing games on your PS4, it’s important to keep your progress and data safe. One way to ensure this is by backing up your games regularly. This can be done using the PlayStation Plus Cloud service, which allows you to upload your game saves to the cloud for safekeeping.
Additionally, you can also transfer your games to a USB drive. This is useful for keeping a physical copy of your games in case of any issues with your console. By backing up your games in multiple ways, you can ensure that you don’t lose any progress or have to re-download all of your games in case of a factory reset.
Another important aspect to consider is deactivating your PS4 as the primary console before a factory reset. This will ensure that you will be able to re-download all of your games after the reset without any issues.
In conclusion, backing up your games is crucial for ensuring that you can keep your games and data safe, even after a factory reset of your PS4. Whether it’s using the PlayStation Plus Cloud, transferring games to a USB, or deactivating your console as the primary, taking these steps will save you a lot of time and effort in the long run.
Using PlayStation Plus Cloud
When considering whether or not to factory reset your PS4, you may be concerned about losing all of your saved games. However, if you have a PlayStation Plus subscription, you have the option to use the PlayStation Plus Cloud to backup your game saves.
By utilizing the PlayStation Plus Cloud, you can ensure that your game progress is safely stored online. This means that even if you factory reset your PS4, you will be able to retrieve your saved games from the cloud once you have reinstalled your games onto the console.
Using the PlayStation Plus Cloud is a convenient way to safeguard your game progress and prevent the loss of hours of gameplay. It provides peace of mind, knowing that your hard-earned achievements will not be lost in the event of a factory reset.
Furthermore, the cloud storage provided by PlayStation Plus allows you to access your game saves from any PS4 console, making it easy to pick up where you left off, even if you are playing on a different system.
Transferring Games to USB
Transferring games to a USB drive is a great way to free up space on your PS4 console while still keeping your games accessible. To do this, first, you’ll need to have a USB drive with enough storage space to accommodate the games you want to transfer. Once you have your USB drive ready, plug it into one of the USB ports on your PS4.
Next, navigate to the Settings menu on your PS4 and select Storage. From there, you can choose the System Storage option, followed by Applications. This will display a list of all the games and applications currently installed on your PS4. Select the game you want to transfer, press the Options button on your controller, and then choose Move to USB Storage Device.
After confirming the transfer, the game will be moved from your PS4’s internal storage to the USB drive. Once the transfer is complete, you can safely remove the USB drive from your PS4 and store it in a safe place. If you ever want to play the transferred game again, simply plug the USB drive back into your PS4 and move the game back to the console’s internal storage using the same process as before.
Transferring games to a USB drive is not only a practical way to manage your PS4’s storage space, but it also allows you to keep your favorite games safe and easily accessible whenever you want to play them.
Deactivating Your PS4 as Primary
Deactivating Your PS4 as Primary
Deactivating your PS4 as primary can be a necessary process when you want to switch to a new console or if you’re experiencing issues with game access. When you deactivate your PS4 as the primary system, you are essentially removing the authorization for game and content access from that particular console. This action is important especially when you want to ensure that only authorized users have access to your games and content.
One way to deactivate your PS4 as primary is by accessing your account settings through the PlayStation Network website. By navigating to the Account section and selecting Media and Devices, you can deactivate the console as your primary system. Alternatively, you can also deactivate your PS4 directly from the console itself. Simply go to the Settings menu, select Account Management, and then choose Activate as Your Primary PS4. From there, you can select Deactivate to remove the system as the primary console.
It’s important to note that deactivating your PS4 as primary does not delete any games or content from the console. Instead, it only removes the authorization for accessing that content. After deactivating your PS4 as primary, you can still access your games and content as long as you are signed in to your PlayStation Network account. However, keep in mind that only one PS4 system can be activated as the primary at any given time.
Additionally, if you are planning to transfer ownership of your PS4 or if you’re getting a new console, deactivating your old system as the primary is essential. This will ensure that the new owner or user can activate the system as their primary and access the games and content without any restrictions.
| Steps for Deactivating PS4 as Primary: |
|---|
| 1. Access PlayStation Network website or use the console settings. |
| 2. Navigate to account settings or account management. |
| 3. Select Media and Devices or Activate as Your Primary PS4. |
| 4. Choose Deactivate to remove the system as primary. |
By following these simple steps, you can easily deactivate your PS4 as primary and manage access to your games and content. This process is essential for ensuring security and control over your PlayStation system.
Re-downloading Games After Reset
If you have recently reset your PS4 to factory settings, you may be wondering if you can still access your previously downloaded games. The good news is that re-downloading your games after a reset is a relatively straightforward process, thanks to the PlayStation Network. As long as you have an active internet connection and access to the account that you used to purchase the games, you should be able to re-download them without any issues.
First, you will need to sign in to your PlayStation Network account on your freshly reset PS4. Once you are logged in, navigate to the Library section on the main menu. Here, you will find a list of all the games and apps that you have purchased or downloaded in the past. Simply select the game you want to re-download and choose the Download option to begin the process.
Keep in mind that the time it takes to re-download your games will depend on the size of the game files and the speed of your internet connection. Additionally, if you had any saved game data or progress in these games before the reset, you will need to ensure that you have backed up this data to the PlayStation Plus Cloud or an external storage device beforehand.
It’s important to note that you may need to deactivate your PS4 as your primary console and then reactivate it after the reset in order to access your previously downloaded games. This can be done by going to the Account Management section in the settings and selecting Activate as Your Primary PS4.
In conclusion, while a factory reset may temporarily remove your games from your PS4, the process of re-downloading them is quite simple and should not cause any issues as long as you have an active internet connection and access to your PlayStation Network account. Just make sure to back up any important data before performing a reset, and you should be able to seamlessly re-download and access your games in no time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I lose my games if I factory reset my PS4?
Yes, you will lose all the games installed on the PS4 if you factory reset it.
Is there a way to keep my games when factory resetting my PS4?
Yes, you can back up your games to an external hard drive or to the cloud before performing a factory reset.
Can I redownload my purchased games after a factory reset?
Yes, you can redownload your purchased games from your PlayStation account after a factory reset.
Will I lose my game progress if I factory reset my PS4?
Yes, unless you have backed up your game saves, you will lose your game progress.
What should I do before factory resetting my PS4 to keep my games?
Before factory resetting your PS4, you should back up your game data to ensure that you do not lose your games.
Can I transfer my games to a new PS4 after factory resetting the old one?
Yes, you can transfer your games from the old PS4 to a new one using the backup and restore functionality.
Is there a way to restore my games after a factory reset if I did not back them up?
If you did not back up your games before the factory reset, you will not be able to restore them and will have to redownload or repurchase them.