Newsletter 
While the PS5 will have some amazing games coming in the future, there’s also some amazing games that launched for the PS4 this past year that you can switch to a PS5 version.
If your game is a cross-gen title, you can switch the PS4 versions of those games that you purchased to a PS5 version. And in may cases it should be for free. Provided the studio didn’t charge for the upgrade.
Why would you want to do this? Simple really. Because the PS5 upgrade of the game will have more graphical power than the PS4 version of it. Which means it’ll look better, play smoother, and be overall more enjoyable.
And since these upgrades are free, why not take the studios up on their offer to grab the upgrade? If you’re not sure how to switch your cross-gen PS4 games to the PS5 version, this short guide can walk you through it. It’s a pretty quick and painless process and you’ll be glad you did.
How to switch your PS4 games to their PS5 version
Make sure the games are installed
Before you can switch to the PS5 version of the game you purchased for the PS4, you’ll need to install them first.
So make sure you go to the my library section of the games tab, which should be all the way at the end after all your currently installed games. Here you’ll find every game tied to your PSN account that’s been purchased digitally.
Find the ones you want to upgrade to the PS5 version and install those games. Keep in mind that most games from the PS4 era will not have upgradable versions.
If you didn’t buy the ones you want to upgrade digitally, then you can still install the game from the disc and upgrade to the PS5 version afterward.
Highlight the game and press the options button
Once the game is installed, hover over the game and then press the options button on the controller. You’ll see a dialogue box pop up to the right of the game icon.
In that dialogue box is an option that’s labeled game version. Press that and if there’s a PS5 upgrade available for the game, it’ll be listed among versions that you have. Swap to that and you’ll basically be done.
Keep in mind though that you may need to install more game files if they aren’t already installed on the system. So even after switching to the PS5 upgrade, you may not be able to play just yet.
You can easily tell which version of the game you have
When you’re looking at your game library it’s actually pretty easy to tell which version of the game you have installed.
Simply look at the game’s title. If it’s a PS5 version of the game, only the title will be listed. If it’s the PS4 version of a game, then you’ll see the title and the word PS4 next to it.
This little denotation is easy to miss if you’re not really looking for it. But now that you know it’s there, you can easily identify the version going forward.
If you upgrade your PS4 game from a disc, you need to keep it inside the PS5 to play
If the cross-gen game you’re wanting to upgrade is a disc copy, then you’ll still need to keep the disc inside the PS5 console while you play the PS5 version.
The PS5 version of the game is a digital download. But the original copy you purchased is a physical one, and this is how Sony set this up. It explains this in the FAQ. Simply remember to insert the disc into the console as if you were playing the game on the PS4. Do that and you’ll always be good to go.