Sony ends – Sony says it will stop releasing physical disc copies of PlayStation games starting in 2028, moving new titles to digital formats only while pledging that games scheduled before 2028 won’t be affected.
A PlayStation disc could soon become a relic—one that collectors keep, but companies stop manufacturing.
Sony said Wednesday it plans to stop releasing physical disc copies of PlayStation games starting in 2028. “New games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only,” the company said.
Sony also drew a clear boundary around the change. It said the shift is a response to evolving industry and consumer trends and won’t affect any titles scheduled for release before 2028.
The decision lands in a market already reshaped by how people buy and play. Sony’s PS5 is sold in two formats—one all-digital and one with a disc drive—and the disc drive model costs $50 more. Both versions offer nearly identical performance.
That pricing and product split matters because it reframes what “physical” means in practice. In many homes, the disc has stopped being the whole game. In some cases. physical media for other games—including various Xbox and Nintendo titles—increasingly require users to download additional data to play. In other cases, the disc serves little more than as a download code for online content.
The industry’s momentum toward downloads has also been loud from major studios. Last week, game studio Rockstar Games told the Hollywood Reporter that its hotly anticipated “Grand Theft Auto VI” will not include physical media and will only be available as a digital download.
Sony’s move follows confusion it helped spark earlier. The company earlier referred to a physical version of the game, saying in a press release last week it would be a download code sold in a box.
For retailers, the shift is already visible on store shelves. Big box retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart have devoted less sales floor space to physical copies of gaming and entertainment titles as streaming and downloadable options have become more common.
Taken together, Sony’s announcement turns a slow industry drift into a hard cutoff date. Starting in 2028, buyers looking for a disc copy of a new PlayStation game won’t find one—only digital availability via PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats.
Sony PlayStation physical discs digital downloads PS5 gaming retail Best Buy Target Walmart Grand Theft Auto VI Rockstar Games Xbox Nintendo
So basically they’re just killing discs huh. That’s kinda messed up.
I don’t get it, my cousin still buys physical because he likes to collect cases. But if 2028 is when they stop, won’t people still be able to play the old ones they already bought? Seems like a future problem.
Wait if it says PS5 disc releases end then does that mean the disc drive PS5 is going away too? Like are they gonna brick it with updates or something? Also GTA VI not having physical doesn’t sound real, I swear I saw a preorder for a box.
This is what happens when everyone streams everything. Next they’ll charge you monthly to keep the game you already bought. I’m not even trying to download on my internet, it’s slow as heck, like I’ll be stuck waiting to play while the store is like “just buy digital”…