- How to Migrate Your GTA 5 and GTA Online Data to Xbox Series X/S and PS5
The “next-gen” versions of GTA 5 and GTA Online are finally here, which means that it’s time for millions of GTA fans to make the move to new consoles and enjoy the many performance benefits they offer. Unless you’re looking to start fresh on your new console, though, then you will need to find a way to migrate your GTA data.
Anyone vaguely familiar with the process of transferring saved data between generations of consoles knows that it’s rarely as easy as you hope it will be. While there are a few annoying restrictions that you’ll have to deal with when it’s finally time to finally bring your GTA data into the next generation, Rockstar has thankfully found the way to make the whole process relatively painless.
Here’s what you need to know about migrating your GTA 5 and GTA Online data to next-gen consoles.
GTA 5: How to Upload Xbox One and PS4 Save Data to Xbox Series X/S and PS5
Before you can access your existing GTA 5 story data on Xbox Series X/S or PS5, you’ll need to upload it to your Rockstar account. Here’s how you do that:
- Open GTA 5 on your PS4 or Xbox One
- Go to the pause menu and select “Upload Save Game.”
- Sign in to your Rockstar Games Social Club account (if prompted) and choose “Save Game” followed by “Upload the Save Game.
- Confirm that you wish to start uploding the saved data and wait for the upload to finish. You should receive a message when the process is completed.
This process will allow you to access your GTA 5 save data on your next-gen console, but it’s important to note that the data will only be “stored” for 90 days. While you won’t permanently lose the data after that point, you may need to reupload it if you wait too long.
It’s also important to remember that you will need to use the same Rockstar account information across every device you’ll be interacting with as part of this process. If you’re trying to transfer a character or data associated with one of your Rockstar accounts to another Rockstar account you may have, this migration process will not work properly.
When you’re ready, it’s time to proceed to the next step…
GTA 5 – How to Download Your Xbox One and PS4 Save Data From Your Xbox Series X/S and PS5
Once you’ve uploaded your GTA 5 data to your Rockstar account, the process of downloading it to your next-gen console will be pretty simple. You just need to follow these steps.
- Open GTA 5 on your Xbox Sereis X/S or PS5.
- Select the “Story” tab.
- Sign into your Rockstar Games Social Club account (if you’re not already signed in).
- Confirm which save data you would like to download.
- Wait for a message that will confirm your transfer is complete. When finished, this process should automatically take you to the game’s story mode.
Please note that it’s also possible to download your GTA 5 save data while you’re in story mode. To complete that process, you just need to follow these steps:
- While playing GTA 5‘s story mode in the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S version of the game, open the pause menu.
- Select “Game” and “Download Save Game.”
- Sign into your Rockstar account (if required) and select the save data you wish to access.
- Confirm that you’d like to download the selected save data. When finished, this process will take you back to the story mode.
While either method should allow you to pick up about where you left off, it may be easier to complete the migration process before you load your campaign simply so that you can hop right into your saved game right away.
How to Transfer Your GTA Online Character and Data From Xbox One and PS4 to Xbox Series X/S and PS5
The very good news is that it’s pretty easy to migrate your GTA Online data to next-gen consoles. You simply need to sign in to your Rockstar account on your next-gen device and load GTA Online. That should trigger a prompt that will ask you to confirm which GTA Online profile associated with your account that you’d like to migrate. Choose the correct profile, wait for the process to complete, and you should be able to access your GTA Online character.
The bad news is that this process does come with a few catches you definitely need to know about:
- You won’t be able to try GTA Online‘s new “Career Builder” while using an existing GTA Online character. If you want to try that option, you’ll need to create a new character. If you’re already at your character limit, you’ll need to delete a character before starting a Career Builder profile.
- Do not turn your console off druing this (or any other) part of the migration process. Doing so may corrupt your save data.
- While you can start a GTA Online profile from scratch on your next-gen console, it’s highly recommended that you transfer your save data when prompted to do so. That will ensure you’re safely able to access it if you ever need it, and you can always delete data from there.
GTA 5 and GTA Online: Can You Transfer Data Between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC?
Here is where things get weird.
While it’s possible to transfer your GTA data between platforms, Rockstar has placed some restrictions on which platforms they will allow you to transfer GTA 5 “next-gen” data between.
The whole thing is pretty complicated, so here’s a simple rundown of which cross-platform transfer options will work and which will not:
GTA 5 and GTA Online: Compatible Cross-Platform Transfer Options
Xbox One – Xbox Series X/S
Xbox One – PS5
PS4 – PS5
PS4 – Xbox Series X/S
GTA 5 and GTA Online: Incompatible Cross-Platform Transfer Options
PC – Xbox Series X/S
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PC – PS5
Xbox 360 – Xbox Series X/S
Xbox 360 – PlayStation 5
PS3 – PS5
PS3 – Xbox Series X/S
Basically, you’re not allowed to transfer older versions of GTA 5 to next-gen platforms (you’d need to use your PS4 and Xbox One as a buffer) and you’re currently not allowed to transfer data between PC and Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Rockstar may hopefully ease those restrictions in the future to at least allow for PC to next-gen console transfers, but there’s been no indication that they intend to do so at this time.
More importantly, you should know that you are not able to transfer any GTA currency that you’ve purchased via microtransactions between competing platforms (in other words, PlayStation to Xbox or vice-versa). While you will be able to retain any currency you’ve earned via gameplay when you complete a cross-platform transfer, that microtransaction currency will be lost.
If you’re still interested in completing a cross-platform data transfer, you just need to follow the steps we mentioned above while ensuring that you ultimately download your desired GTA data on the console that you wish to use. As long as you’re using the same Rockstar account between platforms, you should be able to complete the rest of the transfer process as normal.
Why Am I Seeing a Black Screen Whenever I Try to Migrate my GTA 5 and GTA Online Data?
If you find yourself staring at a black screen when you try to transfer your GTA 5 or GTA Online date, it’s likely because the process is taking longer than expected. While it’s possible that the transfer has frozen entirely, most people say they were able to simply wait this out and eventually complete the transfer.
You should also know that some players are reporting that they are not currently able to complete the transfer process if they previously migrated their console save data to PC. However, Rockstar says that is an unintentional restriction that they are working to fix as soon as possible.