Sony to end physical PlayStation game discs for new releases starting in 2028

Sony to end physical PlayStation game discs for new releases starting in 2028

Sony Interactive Entertainment will stop producing physical discs for all new PlayStation game releases beginning January 2028. The company announced the decision Wednesday via its official PlayStation Blog, stating that new titles following that date will be available exclusively through the PlayStation Store and retailers in digital formats.

Sid Shuman, Senior Director of Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications, described the shift as a natural direction to adapt to consumer trends where the preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. Sony said the move allows the company to align with how most of its community currently accesses games.

The policy will not affect titles already released or games scheduled to launch on disc before January 2028. However, the announcement follows a similar trend from Rockstar, which decided not to include a physical disc for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI, slated for release this November. Instead, Rockstar is offering a physical version containing only a download code, a move that has led some retailers to refuse to sell the title.

A "Watershed Moment" for Physical Media

Industry analysts suggest the move signals a broader decline in physical ownership. Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere called the announcement a watershed moment for the industry and noted that console gaming has been the last hold-out for physical media. According to Ampere data, digital sales for Sony consoles accounted for only 13% of total full game unit sales in 2013; by 2025, that share rose to almost 80%.

Other financial data highlights the decline of the format:

• Physical software accounted for only 3% of Sony's revenue in 2024, per the company's 2025 corporate report.
• Consumer spending on new physical games reached $1.6 billion in the 12-month period ending in May, down from a peak of $11.5 billion in 2009, according to Circana.
• In 2025, U.S. Game disc sales were $1.5 billion, compared to total global game content sales of $195.6 billion.

Mat Piscatella, an analyst at Circana, stated on Bluesky that physical games will only last as long as console manufacturers allow. Some analysts believe the January 2028 cutoff hints at the release of the PlayStation 6, with Harding-Rolls predicting the standard version of the new console will lack a physical disc drive.

Backlash and Preservation Concerns

The decision has drawn criticism from digital preservation advocates. The social media account Does it play? accused Sony of killing ownership and legal preservation, claiming the move prioritizes bottom lines over the medium. Concerns have also been raised regarding how users will access older physical games on newer consoles.

This announcement coincides with other Sony service changes. The company recently notified users that more than 550 digital movies would be deleted from PSN accounts due to a licensing agreement with Studio Canal, with no mentioned refunds. Additionally, Sony announced the closure of the PlayStation Store on the PS3 and PS Vita in certain countries starting next month.

Competitive Response: Microsoft's "Disc2Digital"

As Sony phases out discs, Microsoft is reportedly testing a feature for Xbox called enabled Disc2Digital. According to reports, this feature would allow owners of physical Xbox Series and Xbox One games to receive a digital copy of the title upon inserting the disc into the console. This digital copy would be tied to the Microsoft account and accessible on other devices, including handhelds and PCs, via Xbox Play Anywhere.

If a game is available on Xbox Cloud Gaming and the user has a Game Pass subscription, it can be streamed without using hard drive space. The feature reportedly includes any downloadable content available via the disc and supports multidisc titles, though it will not work with original Xbox or Xbox 360 games. While the physical disc remains functional after the digital copy is added, the digital version would move to a new account if the disc is sold or lent.

Microsoft's current experiment mirrors a digital library plan first proposed during the Xbox One reveal in 2013, which was reversed following gamer backlash at the time. Microsoft has not immediately confirmed the new "Disc2Digital" feature.