# Swapping PS3 Saved games

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swapping-ps3-saved-games/558669>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [October 28, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swapping-ps3-saved-games/558669 "2010-10-28T15:52:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![projectmolcos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@projectmolcos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/projectmolcos)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swapping-ps3-saved-games/558669/1 "2010-10-28T15:52:57Z")

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I’m moving out my folks’ house into my own quarters at university and, for entertainment, I plan on getting myself a new PS3. However, here’s a problem. At the moment, I use my baby brother’s machine, and I have a number of saved games on the PS3 hard drive – games that I’ll be taking with me to Uni and saved on HIS hard drive! Anyone know a way I can copy them from his onto my new machine? I can’t imagine life without FALLOUT 3/NEW VEGAS….

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**Author:** ![projectmolcos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@projectmolcos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/projectmolcos)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swapping-ps3-saved-games/558669/2 "2011-03-09T17:19:15Z")

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Aw, come on, nobody here knows?

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**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swapping-ps3-saved-games/558669/3 "2011-03-09T20:36:01Z")

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You can copy many PS3 saves onto a USB flash drive. Some saves are “copy protected” which means you can’t copy them at all unless you hack the PS3.

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**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swapping-ps3-saved-games/558669/4 "2011-03-11T21:24:14Z")

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> **[PS3™ | Backup Utility](https://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/backuputility.html)**
>
> Sony Computer Entertainment PS3™ Official Online Instruction Manual. Explains how to use the PS3™ system software.

You may be partially screwed. As TBG said, some game saves are copy protected and will not transfer. You can apparently hook up an ethernet cable between the two PS3s and transfer those saves, but it erases everything on the destination machine and not sure what state it leaves the source machine in.

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**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swapping-ps3-saved-games/558669/5 "2011-03-13T21:17:39Z")

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No firsthand experience (I’m not willing to pay for PS+), but apparently if you want to put out the money, Sony will let you [cloud save files](http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20041233-17.html).

> [@projectmolcos](#):
>
> I can’t imagine life without FALLOUT 3/NEW VEGAS….

Well, the early missions can drag a bit, but isn’t it fun to re-roll and experiment with a build you’ve never tried before? Now’s the time to try making that pure evil melee character!