You've likely amassed a whole heap of unlocked game modes, vehicles, weapons and more in your games; but what happens if your hard drive dies?
The PlayStation 3 offers three different ways to backup your games.
Backing up to the cloud
You must be a PlayStation Plus member to use this feature.
May 12, 2013 Has the ability to backup PS3 game saves to USB been removed in a recent firmware update or something? When in the save game utility, I only. I was at level 18 and when the game loaded it doesn't pop up with my saved game instead it only shows new game. So I open my Saved Game Data Utility and the saved game is there. So i started the game again and still the same problem. Ps3 Game data Utility and Save data question.?
Firstly, sign in to your PSN account.
On the Cross Media Bar (XMB), move the selection to Game and then move down to Saved Data Utility (PS3). Select it, then move down to the game you want to backup the saves for. Press triangle on your controller, then select the Copy option. Choose Online Storage, and your game will be backed up to the cloud.
Backing up to USB
Firstly, sign in to your PSN account, then insert your USB storage device, whether flash drive or hard drive.
Note that the USB storage device will need to be formatted with FAT32 for the PlayStation to be able to use it, although, unlike the Xbox 360, your stick will not be wiped on first use.
Navigate to Game on the XMB, then move down to Saved Data Utility (PS3). Select it, then move down to the game you want to backup the saves for. Press triangle on your controller and select the Copy option. Choose USB Device, and your game will be backed up to your external drive.
Perform a complete backup
Free Ps3 Game Saves
Unlike the Xbox 360, you're able to backup and restore most of your PlayStation 3 hard drive.
Firstly, sign in to your PSN account, then insert your USB storage device, whether flash drive or hard drive.
Then in the XMB, navigate to and select System Settings. Navigate to and select Backup Utility, and then choose Back Up. Say Yes to the prompt, then select USB Device. The backup will begin. Restoring is just as easy — head to Backup Utility, choose Restore and then pick the date of your backup.
Ps3 Game Save Files
Your trophies won't be backed up
Ps3 Game Save Downloads
Trophies aren't included in your backup — they're tied to your PSN account, and generally saved online.
If you've been playing offline (or haven't yet set up a PSN account), you'll need to get your PlayStation online to back-up your trophies.
Ps3 Game Save Utility Online
To make sure they're safe, log in to your PSN account, go to Game in the XMB, browse down to Trophy Collection, then press the triangle button and select Sync with Server.