Sony has announced plans to end production of physical discs for new games starting in January 2028. Following that date, new PlayStation games will only be available to purchase digitally on the PlayStation Store and at retailers.
In a short PlayStation Blog post, Sony states that it is making this move in response to “shifting trends in consumer preference” favoring digital media, which the company says “significantly outpaces physical discs.” The transition will have no impact on physical games already released or scheduled for release before January 2028.
Here is Sony’s full message:
As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028. Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only. This transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format.
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.
We’ll continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games, whether that’s at retailers or PlayStation Store. We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our fans and we thank you for your continued support.
In a separate post, Sony also announced that it will shut down the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. The announcement comes days after PlayStation sparked concerns from physical media advocates by notifying certain users that it was removing hundreds of purchased movies and TV shows by Studio Canal from their digital libraries due to expiring content licensing agreements. It also comes after the recent news that Grand Theft Auto VI will be a digital-only title, which has caused an uproar amongst some players.
Though entertainment media has trended in this direction for years, it’s still surreal to see one of the three major console manufacturers and publishers finally make the full transition to digital games. What do you think of this seismic announcement? Let us know in the comments.
