Sony said Wednesday that it would stop releasing new video games for the PlayStation on disc in January 2028 following a shift in consumer preferences.
"Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only," the company said on its official PlayStation blog.
In practice that means gamers will have to download directly from Sony's PlayStation store or will obtain a download code when purchasing a title from a retailer.
The announcement comes as the upcoming exclusively digital release of "Grand Theft Auto VI", which is predicted to become the biggest-selling cultural product of all time, has caused some consternation among gamers.
There was grumbling on social media that the lack of a physical disc would eliminate any second-hand market for the title.
Sony said the upcoming shift "has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format."
Sony began its move towards digital downloads in 2020 with the release of the latest console, PlayStation 5, which had a version without a disk drive.
"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," the company said.
"We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our fans," it added.
Piers Harding-Rolls at Ampere Analysis said "the purchasing trends of gamers are clear."
In 2013, when the PS4 launched, only 13 percent of game sales were digital, but had risen to nearly 80 percent in 2025, he noted.
That didn't stop gamers from complaining, however.
"It's a catastrophe," said gamer and content creator Conkerax on YouTube.
"Inevitably there will be concerns from PlayStation gamers around various aspects of this announcement including choice, accessing older physical games on new consoles, the ability to collect physical games, and game preservation," said Ampere's Harding-Rolls.
He noted that the shift towards digital would have a negative impact on specialist games retailers, and would also hit the second-hand market.
The announcement renewed speculation about the next-generation PlayStation 6 console.
Sony's announcement "pretty much confirms PS6 will be digital only", said Daniel Ahmad at Niko Partners, a video game market research firm.
Harding-Rolls agreed, and said it will likely mean a delay.
"Ampere’s current expectation is that the console will launch at the end of 2028," he said.
© 2026 AFP
2 Comments
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Oops I Posted Again
That’s just an excise and everyone knows it.
Capuchin
A terrible decision that erodes consumer rights and harms game preservation. A further step into the future where you don't actually own anything you buy. It gives companies the ability to revoke your ownership at any time. The further "enshittification" of everything.
It's also worth mentioning that when the PS5 launched in 2020 it cost 50,000 yen. 5 years later the same console costs 100,000 yen. The first console generation in history where prices have increased over time and not decreased. How much will a digital only PS6 cost at launch?
Gaming will soon be out of reach for the average consumer.
Don't forget to pre-order your physical copy of GTA6 now before they sell out of plastic boxes to put your code in.