Topic: Cyberpunk 2077 cross-saves between PS4 and PS5?

You can only pre-order the game on PS4. Is the upgrade next year actually unlocking the PS5 SKU free of charge for PS4 owners? Will cross-save work? I haven't seen that confirmed anywhere. If I decide to buy it from the PS5 store, will I actually be buying the PS4 version and play that in BC until the "patch"/PS5 SKU releases on PS5? Thanks in advance!

Nobody knows until CD Projekt Red actually say. Anything anyone else says at this point would be conjecture.

Will Sony actually wait until the 19th when it's just one month before the release to start releasing more information? This is maddening...

@sabaki08 Like @SirAngry says, CD Projekt Red should know the answer to this question and how they're handling the upgrade path. Certain other developers have already come out with information regarding cross-saving.

This is not about Sony releasing more information.

However... right now they're in crunch mode (according to the latest info) to get the base game done in time. So they probably have other priorities.

(What I do want to add is that CD Projekt Red added cross save functionality to the Switch version of The Witcher 3. Also, they want to be able to sell DLC later on, and they probably know their chances of selling those will increase significantly if they support cross saves from PS4 -> PS5. So I expect that from them.

That's still speculation though!)

@Kidfried It's still tied to Sony, because I'm sure they aren't letting CDPR share more information on that until they release more information in the coming weeks. It would make a world of sense for there to be cross-save, but so far it's been all over the place. Dirt 5 and Yakuza 7 have generational cross-saves on Series, but won't for PS5. In Yakuza's case that could be due to Microsoft's marketing deal with them, but what about Dirt 5?

@sabaki08 it has stuff all to do with Sony. CDPR are an entirely separate entity with no commercial ties to Sony, and the information you are talking about would breach absolutely zero NDAs or information embargoes.

@sabaki08 Nah, quite a few publishers have already come out with this kind of information. Sony isn't preventing them from releasing that kind of info.

It's been pretty clear that Sony isn't supporting cross-gen savefiles out of the box. So the developers have to do it themselves if they wanna make it happen.

Apparently Insomniac doesn't think it's worth the effort for Spider-Man Remastered. And neither do the Dirt developers, or the Yakuza developers.

I think 'Maneater' gives some clues as to why its not 'easy' on Playstation. Here is a copy of their FAQ about the 'Free' upgrade...

FAQ

• This is not a different application/game on XBox Series S & X and saves and trophies/achievements will carry forward.
• This may require subscriptions to additional services such as XBox Gold (such as for cloud save transfers)
• This IS a separate application/game on PlayStation 5 and trophies, stats and saves will not transfer
• If you own a copy of Maneater on Disc, you will be able to insert that disc into your next gen console and download the updated game to play
• For those new to the waters of Maneater taking the dive on the next gen consoles for the first time, new physical copies will be available (along with digital in the respective platform storefronts)
• Ray tracing is being used to enhance water reflections and refractions

The key is that on Playstation, the game has to be a 'separate' application but on Xbox, the application is 'basically' the same - the console just downloads the 'version' and/or any patch, ugraded assets/textures etc applicable to the console you are playing on.

To me, it seems that the Playstation 5 was designed first and foremost as a 'new' console that has Backwards Compatibility with the PS4 where as the Series S/X were designed as next gen systems in the Xbox family - a bit of a cross between 'iterative' (like the Pro and X) and completely 'new' so will be getting its own unique Software (Scorn, The Medium, Warhammer, Stalker 2 etc) but it also means that its 'easy' for developers to provide an upgrade and carry saves etc over. Having PC and Mobile gamers too means that Saves after to be a bit more universal so you can play across all without having different save states so the Series S/X was designed for this.

I don't know or think that Sony designed the PS5 in this way. It seems that PS4 is a separate thing to the PS5 - even though it can play PS4 games. It seems more like a typical console where as MS's has shades of more 'PC' where you can upgrade your GPU to a new generation and still play older games, still keep your same save states, still play the same 'app' essentially but with upgraded visuals and performance enhancements.

Therefore Games like Maneater or Yakuza are offering a PS5 version (a separate app to the PS4 version) for free that you can download. On Xbox, it seems they are 'all' the Xbox version but depending on which system you play on, you get different settings, textures etc downloaded - a bit more like the iterative XB1S or XB1X versions - now with Series S and Series X. Shadow of War on XB1X had a high res Texture pack and high res cinematic pack - as well as different settings.

I don't know why some games can offer save file transfers compared to others on PS5 but I don't think its as 'easy' for developers to do so. If it was, these devs would also do so as its 'disruptive' to there users. It must be a system issue...

@BAMozzy Thanks for the detailed reply. Yeah, it makes sense for that to be the case, and if that was their philosophy from the get go then it means people shouldn't really expect it, and I'm cool with that. A bummer since that means C2077 technically isn't available on PS5 at launch, but only on PS4. I

@sabaki08 C2077 may well have save files that transfer but it seems that 'norm' may well be that a 'different' application is needed where on MS, that may well not be the case. You would think that CDPR will try to do so but It maybe that the game installs the PS5 version on the PS5 as the game comes out on the 19th and with 'some' improvements but then a Patch to really take advantage of the PS5. However, what may happen to those who don't have a PS5 when the game launches and have to start on a PS4, we don't yet know.

Sony did stipulate that games after July 13th had to be Compatible with PS5 - now that could mean that all releases after this date will be 'easier' to upgrade and carry over save files but older releases can not. Doesn't explain Dirt 5 though so I really don't know.

Maybe it is better to assume that Saves won't be transferred and wait to hear. Don't pre-order until you know, wait to play on your PS5 or what ever decision suits you based on the assumption that saves won't transfer until you hear otherwise - rather than expect them to and then be disappointed when they don't and annoyed if you lose a lot of progression.

I am sure if CDPR had the answers, they would NOT be under an NDA about it as other developers have already come out and stated whether their upgraded versions will transfer saves or not.

I think there's nothing Sony could do now. I don't think it had anything to do with Sony believing in generations, but rather they're hampered by legacy code.

I think the PS4 or maybe even PSN wasn't made with the PS5 in mind, which is why the backwards compatibility now is difficult. I don't think there's anything Sony can easily do anymore to support something like cross saves or such.

These are all ghosts from past backend devs and software architects still haunting Sony today. To me it's not the question if they will ever be able to support PS4/PS5 cross-save (they won't), but rather if Sony has taken steps to make the current gen more future proof.

@SirAngry correct, it has nothing to do with Sony. It’s the developers decision.

@PeterN80 Yeah you don't get the PS5 disc when you buy the PS4 version. In the case of Cyberpunk 2077, the PS5 version won't be available till next year, so wouldn't even be possible until then if they were to do it. The upgraded version (if any) appears on the game hub to download.