PlayStation is closing the book on physical games

Digital Editor

PlayStation plans to end physical disc production for new games in 2028, shifting to fully online releases.

Sony laid out the decision Wednesday in a company blog post, saying its decades-long policy of releasing games on discs will disappear by January 2028.

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Instead, new game purchases will be made through the PlayStation Store or in digital format from retailers.

“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,” the blog post reads in part.

The transition has no impact on games that have already been released or that will be released prior to January 2028 in disc format.

It’s a major change for the video game industry, marking the end of an era for Sony PlayStation, which has been releasing physical copies of its games since 1994.

Sony began its move toward digital downloads in 2020 with the release of the PlayStation 5, which included a version without a disc drive.

Wednesday’s announcement also comes amid the upcoming exclusively digital release of Grand Theft Auto VI, which is on track to be one of the best-selling games of all time.

The transition to entirely digital storefronts has sparked widespread debate among gamers, raising concerns about ownership, preservation, consumer rights and long-term access.