How To Wipe And Reset Your PS4 Before Trading It In For PS5

The PS5 is officially here, kicking off the next generation of Sony's flagship console. If you're thinking of trading in your PS4 for the newer PlayStation, you'll first want to make sure you delete all your data from the system and return it to its original settings before selling it off. Fortunately, it's a fairly easy process, although it may take some time to complete. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how to delete all your data from your PS4. Be sure to also check out our guide on what to do before getting a PS5 as well as our PS5 hardware and game reviews.

How To Wipe Your PS4

First, scroll to the Settings menu from the system's dashboard. From there, open the Initialization tab and select Initialize PS4. Finally, select Full when prompted and the system will begin deleting all your data, reverting it to its original factory settings. Keep in mind that the initialization process can take upwards of an hour or more depending on how much data you have stored on it, but once it's done, it'll be ready to be traded in.

How To Transfer Your PS4 Data To PS5

If you already have your hands on a PS5 and would like to move your PS4 games and save data over before you sell off your last-gen console, you have a few options for doing so. If you log into the same PlayStation Network ID on both consoles and connect to the same network, you can initiate PS5's Data Transfer feature to move your PS4 games and apps to the newer system. You can learn more in our guide on how to transfer your PS4 games to PS5.

How To Trade In Your PS4

You can trade in your PS4 (or Xbox One, if you're upgrading to an Xbox Series X or Series S) at various brick-and-mortar and online retailers, such as GameStop and Amazon. We've rounded up a few places where you can sell your last-gen consoles in our guide on how to trade in your old PS4 or Xbox One.