Your PS4 might be gathering dust, you need to pay some bills, or you’re looking to upgrade to a PS5 and don’t require Sony’s eighth-gen console anymore. Whatever the reason, you think now’s the right time to sell your PS4.
Before you sell your PS4, ask yourself, “is my PS4 ready to sell?” If you’re unsure, let’s clear things up and get the PS4 ready for sale.
1. Back Up Your PS4 Data
Before you sell your PS4, it’s a good idea to back up your PS4 data. This is especially true if you’re looking to get a PS5, which is backward compatible with nearly every PS4 game.
You can go about this in a few different ways. You could back up all your PS4 data, including your saved data, game data, settings data, and capture gallery. However, this process can be incredibly long due to the sheer amount of content you need to back up.
A quicker option would be to back up your PS4’s saved data, which is, arguably, the most important aspect of your PlayStation experience. Though this option doesn’t back up your hefty install data, it’s not too big a deal. Your physical discs store game data, and you can re-download any of your digital games whenever you like (unless Sony pulls it from the PlayStation Store).
A good compromise would be to back up your PS4’s saved data and keep your install data on an external hard drive. This way, you won’t have to re-install/re-download all your games and update patches, and you should be able to use this external hard drive to play games on a PS5.
2. Deactivate Your PS4
Deactivating your PS4 ensures that you detach your PSN account information from your PS4, which might be ideal as anyone could use your PS4 once you sell it. This way, you can also activate another PlayStation console as your primary console.
You can do this both on your PS4 or via the PlayStation website.
With your PS4, follow this pathway: Settings > Account Management > Activate as Your Primary PS4 > Deactivate > Yes.
Here’s how you do this via the PlayStation website:
Log in to your PSN account. Click on your avatar in the top-right of the screen and select Account Settings. Under Other Settings, select: Device Management > PlayStation Consoles > Deactivate All Devices.
3. Factory Reset Your PS4
Now that you’ve backed up your PS4 data and deactivated your PS4, it’s time to factory reset it—that is, revert your PS4 to its out-of-the-box settings.
Fortunately, we’ve already got an in-depth guide on how to factory reset your PS4, so check that out to complete this step.
You’re nearly ready to sell your PS4, but the final thing you should do is check for and round up any extra materials your PS4 might have.
Whether this is the original packaging, accessories, any cables, or extra controllers, you’ll get more value with your PS4 if you include them. So, take a look around.
However, one thing you might not want to see leave with your PS4 is one of your game discs. So, before you pack up your PS4 ready to sell, check if there’s still a disc in the drive—it’s an easy thing to overlook.
Bear all of this for the future if, in a few years down the line, you ever want to sell your PS5.
Sell Your PS4 in the Correct Condition
Now, your PS4 should be good to sell! It can be confusing to know where to start, and you can always miss a small but vital step. Hopefully, we’ve helped you.
What’s great is that if you ever want to revisit your PS4 games and remember all the good times this console gave you, the PS5 might just be able to capture that magic and then some.
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