Overview
- Sony announced on July 1 that it will cease producing physical discs for new PlayStation games from January 2028, a policy the company says remains unchanged as of July 21.
- After the cutoff, new titles will be sold only through the PlayStation Store or as boxed packages that contain download codes, while games released before 2028 and publisher reorders for older titles are not affected.
- Sony frames the decision as a business response to shifting demand, citing that physical software made about 3% of PlayStation revenue in 2024 and industry estimates put digital sales near 80% of PlayStation software.
- The move has drawn strong pushback from players, developers and retailers, spawned large petitions and legal complaints, and raised fresh fears about digital ownership after Sony confirmed removal of more than 500 films from the PlayStation Store and the planned PS3/PS Vita store closures.
- Retail chains and disc makers are already adapting — an Austrian plant is retraining staff for non‑disc production — and analysts expect the change to shrink resale markets and sharpen regulatory scrutiny of platform control and game preservation.