No physical discs for Playstation games (1st & 3rd party) from 2028 onward

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Fezzik1983
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Fezzik1983
Following on from Rockstar making GTA 6 digital only, and Microsoft's repeated attempts over the years to make Xbox adorably digital, Sony just killed the physical gaming market. No more discs, no more launch discounts (or really any discounts at all with no competition for the PS Store), no second-hand market. It's over.

blog.playstation.com

Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles

In response to shifting trends in consumer preference, new games will be released on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only.
blog.playstation.com blog.playstation.com

Also pretty much confirms that the PS6 will be digital only, so backwards compatibility is out the window for anyone with a PS5 disc collection.
 
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If the Gran Turismo franchise continues wonder how it'll be managed. Since online only has been the thing for the recent two games plus My First GT.
 
Ralph Wiggum Danger GIF
 
This is sad. NGL I mostly buy digital games myself but I do have a few physical games as well. Have a few physical copies of games that were delisted like PC1 & DriveClub. So I guess now once games are delisted that's it no physical discs.
 
kjb
This is sad. NGL I mostly buy digital games myself but I do have a few physical games as well. Have a few physical copies of games that were delisted like PC1 & DriveClub. So I guess now once games are delisted that's it no physical discs.
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Same here. I'm 80-90% digital simply for the convenience, but that's because I always had the option. There are some games I just wouldn't have bought if they were only digital because I wanted the option of selling them if I didn't like them (hello PMR).

PC gaming works as all digital because there is competition with all the storefronts. I doubt very much Sony is going to open up Playstation to other storefronts (unless the EU makes them), or let publishers sell PS digital game codes on other sites.
 
Can't remember the last time I bought a physical game, however, it is still a shame to see that the choice will be removed.

Physical editions just aren't the same any more anyway, you used to get thick manuals with loads of information about the game, car and track lists in the case of racing games, and that made it worthwhile. Obviously that was the era were digital purchases didn't exist but still, the incentive to buy them waned over time.
 
I was already starting to be priced out of gaming but this kills it for me 100%, PS5 will be my last console, to be fair to them they gave us plenty of warning.

Corporate greed trying to cut out the second hand market and ownership to a certain extent.

I feel like the gaming industry is overdue a big crash with the budget of some of these AAA games, the forever games taking a huge portion of players and the rising costs of hardware and software.
 
I have a few physical copies of certain games, but to be honest I mostly buy digital, convenience often wins.

I've been a PlayStation fan since the PS1, but the news regarding Sony these past weeks is not positive imho.
 
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I think we're in the middle of another "crash" in the industry. Maybe not on the level of 1983, but definitely a downturn at the very least.

This is only my personal experience, but from those I've talked to, nobody's really "interested" in new games anymore.

There would be one a few they were interested in, but nothing substantial.

I think 2027-2028 is when we're going to see some of the "Big ones" shutting down or put up for sale, like Ubisoft, as they've been struggling for years.
 
I’m ok with that. Means my kids won’t get the discs and cases mixed up anymore, or even better- the cases and discs won’t lay around anymore.
 
Kinda sad that physical disc will be gone soon. I've own several disc for years and last time I brought a physical disc was Resident Evil 4 remake on PS5 for my little brother but I've already moved on from physical purchase to digital by that point.
 
Ryan81
I prefer digital so no biggie for me. I'll just keep any discs that I have for my PS5 and Series X.
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As someone who hasn't bought a physical game this decade, I didn't think it would matter much until I realised the knock-on effects it would have. The biggest is the second-hand market, where publishers and platform holders now have complete control over the value of games and when, or even if, they go on sale.

Like @MagpieRacer said, the appeal of physical games faded once you started getting far fewer extras in the box. Some games came with unique artwork and posters, long before premium editions were commonplace. Once they stopped including the basics like manuals, I knew it was time to make the switch.

Even so, this news is still devastating. I'm hoping the backlash is enough to make them change course.
 
I respect those who have physical media, I get it, I really do. But now, I'm actually hoping Gamestop goes under now and stops ripping off gamers to stay a float. I never understood why gamers wanted to save GS. 'They rip me off every time I go in there, and I love it!' F- that company. I know it's nice to get 'something' back for your games and to loan them out to friends. Times are a changing, remember when apple dropped the audio port? Kinda reminds me of that. So now I just have bluetooth instead and go on.


Jerome
 
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I've got ONE disc game on PS5 and I only have that because it came with the PS5. I've gone from every game on disc to no game on disc.

The other news is the they are also ending the stores for PS3 and PS Vita as well and that shows a remarkable inability to access this game or that game in the future.
 
Jump_Ace
I respect those who have physical media, I get it, I really do. But now, I'm actually hoping Gamestop goes under now and stops ripping off gamers to stay a float. I never understood why gamers wanted to save GS. 'They rip me off every time I go in there, and I love it!' F- that company. I know it's nice to get 'something' back for your games and to loan them out to friends. Times are a changing, remember when apple dropped the audio port? Kinda reminds me of that. So now I just have bluetooth instead and go on.


Jerome
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I stopped going to Gamestop a long time ago. I usually buy games off eBay, pawn shops and the mom & pop electronic shops. GS does overcharge for their used games IMO.
 
I buy digital mainly because of the lack of space and also because of all the moving I've done over the years. Made it a pain in the neck carrying over my collection from one place to another.

That said, I still prefer physical games as I'm a strong advocate for ownership. This decision will effectively throw the concept of ownership out the window and kill off the second-hand market.

I worry about the domino effect it's going to create when companies have a greater degree of control over where game are sold and at what prices they allow them to be sold.

With the way things are trending, I feel like gaming will become less of a hobby and more a luxury. It's a sad state. :(
 
Jump_Ace
I respect those who have physical media, I get it, I really do. But now, I'm actually hoping Gamestop goes under now and stops ripping off gamers to stay a float. I never understood why gamers wanted to save GS. 'They rip me off every time I go in there, and I love it!' F- that company. I know it's nice to get 'something' back for your games and to loan them out to friends. Times are a changing, remember when apple dropped the audio port? Kinda reminds me of that. So now I just have bluetooth instead and go on.


Jerome
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My problem with this is, if you didn't like GameStop, there's other used games stores and websites out there. If you go all digital, with the exemption of PC, you don't have a choice.

they can charge whatever they like, because you don't have a choice. You can't say to them "I don't like your prices, I'm going to [store B]", because nobody else competes.
 
Carpocalypse
My problem with this is, if you didn't like GameStop, there's other used games stores and websites out there. If you go all digital, with the exemption of PC, you don't have a choice.

they can charge whatever they like, because you don't have a choice. You can't say to them "I don't like your prices, I'm going to [store B]", because nobody else competes.
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This is the biggest point by far.
Expect big releases to be £80/£90 for at least a year of not more.

No competition is bad for every customer, this will lead to higher costs even for digital games.
 
Blitz24
Not enough people buying the discs to justify production. Also didn't help that the discs were usually not the full games.
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That makes sense.
The last physical game I bought was GT7 for the PS4 at release.
After I sold that console—along with my games—to buy a PS5, I switched entirely to digital.
It might be more expensive, but I find the format more convenient, with no need to wait for delivery or going to the physical stores.
 
Carpocalypse
My problem with this is, if you didn't like GameStop, there's other used games stores and websites out there. If you go all digital, with the exemption of PC, you don't have a choice.

they can charge whatever they like, because you don't have a choice. You can't say to them "I don't like your prices, I'm going to [store B]", because nobody else competes.
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Yup. On PC, Valve has competition in the form of the Epic Game Store, GOG and other smaller platforms, all of which help keep prices in check, despite there being no physical element to PC games anymore. You want a new game for your Playstation? Your only true/realistic option will be to buy it digitally on the PS Store, and that's it. Maybe you can get a card with a 1-time download code from a physical retailer, but that card comes to the retailer directly from Sony, and instantly loses all value once the code is used. There's also no chance in hell that Sony will allow another digital marketplace on their own platform to directly compete against them.

This is a long-term net-negative that takes ownership of media away from regular folks, imo. It also raises the concern, as @Joey D just posted, of what happens if and when Sony (and other distributors/platforms for that matter) up and decides that nobody is allowed to have a specific piece of media in their library any longer, even if they spent actual money on it.
 
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NotThePrez
Yup. On PC, Valve has competition in the form of the Epic Game Store, GOG and other smaller platforms, all of which help keep prices in check, despite there being no physical element to PC games anymore. You want a new game for your Playstation? Your options are either to buy it on the PS Store, or maybe you can get a card with a 1-time download code from a physical retailer, which comes to the retailer directly from Sony, and instantly loses all value once the code is used. There's also no chance in hell that Sony will allow another digital marketplace on their own platform to directly compete against them.

This is a long-term net-negative that takes ownership of media away from regular folks, imo. It also raises the concern, as @Joey D just posted, of what happens if and when Sony (and other distributors/platforms for that matter) up and decides that nobody is allowed to have a specific piece of media in their library any longer, even if they spent actual money on it.
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I'm okay with no physical game discs anymore. I've not bought one in years, i've downloaded digitals for a long time now.

I can see why people still want to buy physical copies of films and music, as pointed out above, streaming services and Sony have been known to just take them away from customers who've paid money for those digital copies they thought they'd have and to hold for ever and ever. I guess potentially a game studio could fall out with Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo and not allow those platforms to use their intellectual property anymore (unlikely i know) - but with these services being always online now, even a physical disc game could be bricked.
 
I'm the (anecdotally rarer than I thought I was?) disc-focused buyer that is hit harder by this news.
There was already enough bad news every week, and I vehemently dislike the cold weather... and now this. The death of the physical video game. The end of the purpose of the video game console. If this plan is followed through none of us will hold Gran Turismo 8 in our hands, or be able to borrow the next Ratchet & Clank. All of a sudden, Final Fantasy VII Revelation changes in my mind from "a major game release" to "will this be the last multi-disc RPG ever made?" As much as a trendsetter Grand Theft Auto VI is and will be, did it have to be so soon —over four months before launch— that its status as digital-only (and derisible code-in-a-box) should dictate the whole future of the industry before it happens?

The convenience of digital gaming has its place, same as digital movies and TV series; alongside higher-quality, tangible, practical, useful, long-lasting and archivable physical discs. On that point, an all-digital PS future is terrible for the Blu-Ray market, which, while it is also in major-label decline, sees a huge amount of niche and boutique releases every year. There have been thousands of low print-run PS4 and PS5 indie physical releases since 2020, too. To never see another collectible shmup after 2028, might not affect most people, but it's awful for a community, and unlike zines, there's no way to unofficially publish PS games (but the scene will continue on Dreamcast :cool:)
Joey D
This is nothing compared to what Sony did with movies people bought digitally:
arstechnica.com

Sony erases digital content from libraries; we're reminded we don’t own what we buy

Sony has been scaling down its digitial store for a few years.
arstechnica.com arstechnica.com

If buying isn't owning, then pirating isn't stealing.
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This is part of the same process, but this is worse. Ending all game disc production is worse than stealing all digital copies of 551 movies that people paid for. Now it's a matter of time until that happens with several licensed games. Actually, even in my disc copy of TopSpin 2K25, there's a message on the inner paper cover, under the disc, with the date that the career mode will become unplayable (or earlier on T2's whim).

Imagine if it were announced that in 2028, no blank or pressed CDs would ever be made again, no music would ever be put to vinyl, no movies would ever again be made for DVD, BD or 4K UHD. Losing PlayStation game discs (and I'm certain Xbox will follow) is just as great a loss. I'm gutted. I don't want the dystopia-thriving corpo-squids to win this one. I want to push this back. You keep that disc factory open, Sony. Ask us if we still want it in 20 years, and we will. Not everything in the world exists for maximum profit, some things make people happy, and cost 20% more. :banghead::(
 
I feel as if this bad, but if I reflect on myself I haven't bought a physical copy since 2015. So yeah it's just an end on era I guess. The same with cd's. I don't even have a cd player anymore. So yeah. I can understand their descision
 
TheCracker
I'm okay with no physical game discs anymore. I've not bought one in years, i've downloaded digitals for a long time now.

I can see why people still want to buy physical copies of films and music, as pointed out above, streaming services and Sony have been known to just take them away from customers who've paid money for those digital copies they thought they'd have and to hold for ever and ever. I guess potentially a game studio could fall out with Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo and not allow those platforms to use their intellectual property anymore (unlikely i know) - but with these services being always online now, even a physical disc game could be bricked.
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Even I buy digitally, I don't think that taking away physical is a good idea from a consumer standpoint. Less options means that there's more potential of Sony (Or whoever) screwing us over.

If I don't like Sony's prices or business practices, I can buy them from Amazon, Or Game (The UK version of Gamestop), or Argos, or a multitude of other options.

If Sony stops doing that, the competition is gone, because you're still reliant on Playstation Network. There's nothing stopping Sony from jacking up the prices even higher, because you're locked into their ecosystem, their sales platform. You don't have another choice. It's either PlayStation Store, or nothing.

In addition, If they just put a code in a box, why not just go the full way and replace them with the little plastic cards you sometimes see with Xbox:

1782924909166.webp


Continuing to make the Blu-Ray boxes is a waste of plastic when there's no disc inside, and it doesn't need to be that big.

In my opinion, less competition is bad.
 
This is very obviously going to have negative consequences even for people who already buy digital mainly/only and it's so weird that this isn't being appreciated by some who are acting like they've not bought physical games in a while so this isn't a problem for them.

We've certainly come a very long way from Sony making fun of Microsoft for this exact same thing...



bad milk GIF by mintmobile
 
Discs are pretty much just glorified license keys nowadays. This was inevitable given how large games have become. I'll miss them about as much as I miss DVDs or CDs.
 
Nintendo is now the last bastion for physical games, who would have imagined! Their controversial game keycards are still sellable. I own digital games only because they were cheap thanks to the secondhand market of physical games. I fell for the trap of cheaper digital games just like millions of others.

Now I am going to pay for it with dynamic price of digital games in future.
 

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