Starting in January 2028, no new PlayStation game will be released on disc. Sony announced this week that it will stop producing physical discs for all new PlayStation games beginning in January 2028. The decision is not surprising. Rather, the announcement marks the final step in a process that has been unfolding for years, with earlier signs already visible, such as the launch of the PS5 Pro without an optical disc drive.
At this point, the question is no longer whether this major shift would happen, but how players and physical game collectors will adapt to it. Although many expected this move, seeing a specific date attached to it hit the gaming community hard.
Sony has provided a specific date: January 2028. From that point onward, all new PlayStation titles will be available exclusively in digital form. This applies both to the PlayStation Store and to games sold through retailers, which will continue offering boxed editions, but instead of a disc, the box will contain a download code.
The decision does not affect games that have already been released or titles scheduled to launch before 2028. Those will still receive physical disc editions. Sony described the move as "a natural direction" that reflects changing consumer preferences, as fewer and fewer players choose physical media.
"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." - Sid Shuman, Communications Director at Sony
At the same time, Sony announced that it will begin shutting down the digital stores for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita in selected markets starting in August 2026, with a global shutdown expected by July 2027. Previously purchased games will remain available for download, but new purchases will no longer be possible.
This is not a decision made on impulse. According to Sony's financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, digital downloads already accounted for 85 percent of full game sales on PS4 and PS5. Physical copies made up the remaining 15 percent.
The direction had been clear long before the official announcement. The PS5 Pro launched in 2024 without a disc drive, retail chains such as GameStop closed more than 1,300 stores over the past two fiscal years, and the boxed games market has increasingly become a business of selling download codes rather than physical media.
The entertainment industry has followed the same path for more than a decade. Music and movies moved to digital distribution years ago, while PC gaming abandoned discs even earlier. By switching to a fully digital model, PlayStation becomes the first major console manufacturer to completely leave physical media behind. Microsoft and Nintendo still offer hardware that supports discs or cartridges, although both companies have been steadily encouraging players to move toward digital purchases.
Statistics do not always tell the full story. They primarily show what people buy, often while having limited alternatives. Sony's announcement came just days after criticism surrounding Grand Theft Auto VI, whose "physical" edition turned out to be a box containing a download code rather than a disc. That situation showed that many players still place significant value on physically owning their games. It remains a strong opinion, even if it represents a minority in absolute numbers.
Without discs, the used games market also loses its most important foundation. Buying, selling, and trading second-hand games has long served as an affordable option for players on tighter budgets. For publishers, however, it has always been a source of frustration because it generates no additional revenue.
Perhaps the biggest concern is game preservation. Without physical media, access to purchased games depends entirely on servers, user accounts, and company policies. The history of other digital platforms has shown that online libraries can shrink or disappear altogether once maintaining a service is no longer considered worthwhile.
Industry observers already believe that the next generation of PlayStation will most likely launch as a console without a disc drive from day one. The open question is whether Sony will offer any solution for players with large collections of physical PS4 and PS5 games, or whether those libraries will simply remain locked in the past.
Sony presents this change as an adaptation to the way people already play. That is true, but it is not the whole story. For the company, it is also a way to reduce manufacturing, packaging, and distribution costs while simplifying its sales model. For players, it means greater convenience and instant access, but also a final farewell to the idea of truly owning a game in physical form. This compromise has felt inevitable for years, and Sony has now decided to take the first official step.
