In a significant shift towards a fully digital gaming future, Sony announced on Wednesday that it will discontinue the production of physical discs for new PlayStation games starting in January 2028. Following this date, all new game releases will exclusively be offered digitally through the PlayStation Store and other online retailers, while existing titles released prior to the cutoff will remain available on physical discs.
The decision to phase out physical copies, which have been a mainstay in gaming culture, is expected to evoke mixed feelings among players. Sony indicated that this move aligns with the current buying habits of gamers, as the majority now prefer digital formats.
“This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today,” the company stated in its announcement.
According to Sony’s financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, digital downloads represented a staggering 85% of full-game software sales on both the PS4 and PS5 consoles, with physical copies making up the remaining 15%.
The decline in physical game sales is evidenced by the shrinking presence of retail stores that once thrived on such products. Notably, GameStop has reportedly closed over 1,300 stores in the last two fiscal years, further illustrating the trend towards online purchases.
This announcement follows recent backlash from fans of Grand Theft Auto 6, who expressed disappointment upon discovering that the game’s “physical” edition would only contain a download code rather than an actual disc, underscoring the sentiment among some gamers who still cherish physical game collections.
In addition to the disc production announcement, Sony also revealed plans to close the PlayStation Store on the PlayStation 3 in specific markets later this year, with a global shutdown of the PS3 and PlayStation Vita stores set for next year. Once these stores are closed, players will no longer be able to purchase new digital content for those systems, although previously acquired games and content will remain available for download for the foreseeable future.
