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Freedom251 › Blog › Backward Compatibility

Will Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA 4 Remasters Support PS5 Upgrades and Existing Saves?

By Freedom251 Team · · 7 min read

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Short answer: the existing PlayStation 4 edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 already works on PlayStation 5 through backward compatibility, and PlayStation documents transferring PS4 saves for games that are playable on PS5. There is no confirmed native PS5 remaster of Red Dead Redemption 2 in the official material reviewed here, so no remaster-specific upgrade price, performance mode, or save-import policy has been announced. The same is true of a proposed Grand Theft Auto IV (“GTA 4”) PS5 remaster. Rockstar’s documented profile migration applies to GTA Online, not the single-player story in GTA IV.

What you can play on PS5 right now

If you own Red Dead Redemption 2 for PS4, you do not need to wait for a new edition to play it on a PS5. Rockstar’s November 2020 announcement said that “the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 will be playable on these new consoles via backward compatibility.” In context, that statement referred to the then-new PS5 and Xbox Series X|S and the existing PS4 and Xbox One editions.

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That is a compatibility statement, not an announcement of a native PS5 build. Backward compatibility means the PS4 edition is the version being run on the newer console. It should not be described as a PS5 remaster, and it does not establish that a separate PS5 edition exists or is in development.

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Can an existing RDR2 PS4 save be used on PS5?

PlayStation’s system-level guidance allows PS4 saved data to be transferred for games that are playable on PS5. Because the PS4 edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 is confirmed as playable through backward compatibility, that guidance is the relevant route for continuing an existing playthrough on a PS5.

#1 Best Overall
Red Dead Redemption 2 PS4 Brand New Factory Sealed
  • From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption
  • The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created
  • Covers a huge range of 19th century American landscapes
  • Play as Arthur Morgan, lead enforcer in the notorious Van der Linde gang
  • Interact with every character in the world with more than just your gun;Engage in conversation with people you meet. Your actions influence Arthur's honour;Horses are a cowboy's best friend, both transport and personal companion;Bond with your horse as you ride together to unlock new abilities

What the documented transfer covers

  • Moving or accessing the saved data belonging to the PS4 game on a PS5 console.
  • Continuing to use the compatible PS4 edition rather than converting it into a native PS5 application.
  • Using PlayStation’s available console-transfer or saved-data-management method for your account and system setup.

What it does not cover

  • It is not proof that a hypothetical native PS5 remaster would read the same save.
  • It does not promise automatic conversion of a PS4 save into a future remaster’s format.
  • It does not establish that every possible save type, region, or future edition will be interchangeable.

Practical steps before moving the game

  1. Update the PS5 system software and install the PS4 edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 using the edition associated with your purchase or disc.
  2. On the PS5, open the system’s saved-data or data-transfer settings. Choose the PlayStation option offered for bringing PS4 saved data to the console; menu wording can change with system software updates.
  3. If you use cloud storage, confirm that the desired PS4 save has finished uploading from the source console before attempting a download on PS5. If you use the console-transfer route, keep both consoles available until the transfer completes.
  4. Start the PS4 edition on PS5 and check the in-game load menu. Use the newest dated save only after verifying that it contains the expected progress.
  5. Keep the original save or a second backup until you have loaded the transferred copy successfully. Do not overwrite the only copy while troubleshooting.

These steps describe access to the compatible PS4 game. They should not be presented as a promised migration procedure for an unannounced remaster.

Has Rockstar confirmed an RDR2 PS5 remaster or upgrade?

Not in the official material considered for this question. The sources establish backward compatibility for the PS4 edition, but they do not announce a separate native PS5 remaster, a paid or free upgrade path, a release date, enhanced graphics or frame-rate modes, or a remaster save-import specification.

That distinction matters because “playable on PS5” and “PS5 upgrade” describe different products. The first tells you that the existing PS4 release can run on the newer console. The second would require a separately identified PS5 edition and an explicit statement about ownership, installation, features, and data migration. None of those remaster terms can be inferred from the backward-compatibility announcement.

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What a future announcement would need to clarify

  • Whether owners of the PS4 edition receive the PS5 version automatically, through a paid upgrade, or not at all.
  • Whether the PS5 version is a native application or simply the backward-compatible PS4 release.
  • Which story and multiplayer saves are supported, and whether transfer is one-way.
  • Whether physical and digital copies, regional editions, and different product bundles follow the same rules.
  • Whether progress made after migration remains synchronized between PS4 and PS5 versions.

Until Rockstar or PlayStation publishes those details, the safe promise is limited to playing the existing PS4 edition and using the documented PS4-save transfer process for that compatible game.

What is known about a GTA 4 PS5 remaster and saves?

The reviewed official sources do not establish a PS5 remaster of Grand Theft Auto IV, nor do they specify how GTA IV story saves would move to PS5. There is therefore no confirmed upgrade entitlement, release window, native-application status, or save-import rule to rely on.

Do not use Rockstar’s GTA Online migration documentation as evidence for GTA IV. GTA Online is a separate game mode and product context. Its documented migration concerns eligible PS4 and Xbox One online profiles moving to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It does not describe the single-player save files of Grand Theft Auto IV.

Rank #2
Red Dead Redemption 2 - Playstation 4 (PS4) [video game]
  • From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption
  • The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created
  • Covers a huge range of 19th century American landscapes
  • Play as Arthur Morgan, lead enforcer in the notorious Van der Linde gang
  • Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the international version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions.

Why GTA Online migration is not a GTA IV save promise

  • GTA Online profiles are managed as an online-service progression system, while GTA IV story progress is local game-save data.
  • Rockstar says progress made on different console generations will not sync after an online-profile migration. That warning belongs to GTA Online, not to GTA IV.
  • A migration tool for one Rockstar product cannot establish compatibility for another title that has not had a PS5 edition or save specification announced.

Do not confuse the original Red Dead Redemption with RDR2

Take-Two’s 2026 investor presentation records the original 2010 Red Dead Redemption as released for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 in December 2025. That is a release of the first game, not a PS5 remaster of Red Dead Redemption 2.

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The same presentation says that Red Dead Redemption 2 “sold-in over 85M units.” Take-Two does not provide a separate measurement date for that figure on the cited slide, so it should be attributed exactly as reported rather than presented as a newly measured current lifetime total. Sales momentum or a release of the original game is not confirmation of an RDR2 remaster or of save compatibility.

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Current edition versus hypothetical PS5 editions

Situation Availability certainty Native PS5 edition required? Existing PS4 save access Separate-edition save migration announced?
Play the existing PS4 edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS5 Confirmed by Rockstar backward-compatibility guidance No PlayStation documents PS4-save transfer for games playable on PS5 Not applicable; this is the compatible PS4 edition
Wait for a hypothetical native PS5 edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 Not established in the reviewed official material Yes, if such an edition is released Current PS4-save transfer guidance does not promise remaster import No specification located
Wait for a hypothetical PS5 edition of Grand Theft Auto IV Not established in the reviewed official material Yes, if such an edition is released No PS5-specific GTA IV save rule established No specification located

Which option makes sense for your situation?

You want to continue RDR2 immediately

Use the PS4 edition on PS5. Transfer or restore the PS4 save through PlayStation’s supported saved-data method, then load it in the backward-compatible game. This is the only option in the evidence with both a confirmed way to play and documented system-level save access.

You are holding off for improved PS5 features

Waiting is a choice, not a confirmed upgrade plan. No official source here promises a native application, visual enhancements, a performance target, a price, or a save-import path. Keep your PS4 save intact so you can continue playing if no separate edition is announced.

You are asking specifically about GTA IV

Treat the PS5 remaster and story-save questions as unanswered. Do not purchase, delete, or migrate anything on the assumption that GTA Online profile tools will carry GTA IV story progress.

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Common mistakes that lead to wrong answers

  • Calling backward compatibility a remaster: Rockstar confirmed that the PS4 edition is playable on PS5; that wording does not describe a new PS5 build.
  • Promising a future save import: PlayStation’s general PS4-to-PS5 transfer guidance applies to compatible games and does not define the behavior of an unannounced remaster.
  • Using GTA Online migration as proof for GTA IV: The migration article concerns online profiles, console generations, and post-migration synchronization, not GTA IV story saves.
  • Mixing up the two Red Dead games: The December 2025 PS5 release recorded by Take-Two is the original Red Dead Redemption, not Red Dead Redemption 2.
  • Assuming silence means cancellation: “Not confirmed in the reviewed official sources” means the feature or product has not been established there; it does not prove that a future announcement is impossible.

How to check a future announcement safely

Look for a product-specific statement from Rockstar or PlayStation that names the PS5 edition and explicitly describes upgrade eligibility and saved-data handling. A useful announcement should identify the edition, the supported source platforms, the direction of transfer, and any limits on continued cross-generation progress. Until those details appear, use the confirmed compatibility information rather than treating rumors, investor sales figures, or unrelated online migration instructions as proof.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
Red Dead Redemption 2 PS4 Brand New Factory Sealed
Red Dead Redemption 2 PS4 Brand New Factory Sealed
From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption; The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created
$23.80
Bestseller No. 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 - Playstation 4 (PS4) [video game]
Red Dead Redemption 2 - Playstation 4 (PS4) [video game]
From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption; The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created
$25.79

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Backward Compatibilitygame savesGrand Theft Auto IVPS5Red Dead Redemption 2

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