It’s only been a few days since fans expressed outrage at the lack of a physical disc for Grand Theft Auto 6. Now, a new announcement from PlayStation has dealt yet another blow to physical media. In a July 1st post on the PlayStation blog, the company confirms it plans to completely stop physical disc production in January 2028.
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Though it’s true that many gamers have shifted towards digital ownership, some strongly prefer to truly own a physical copy of their games. PlayStation itself recently removed some digital media from customers’ libraries, proving the point that you don’t really own something if you have a digital license only. Now, PlayStation will halt physical game disc production “for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles.” This change is effective January 2028, so there’s still a bit of time for physical PS5 games before they go away for good.
PlayStation to Halt Physical Disc Production, Citing Consumer Preferences
Naturally, this announcement isn’t likely to make PS5 owners happy. But it doesn’t come entirely as a surprise, either. After all, several PS5 models don’t even have a disc drive. So it stands to reason Sony might not consider the cost of printing physical discs worthwhile, particularly if the PS6 will go fully disc-drive free.
Specifically, PlayStation will stop physical disc production “for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles” starting in January 2028. From that date forward, new games will only be available to buy via the PlayStation Store or from retailers “in digital formats only.” In reality, this likely means that the PlayStation Store will be the only way to buy PlayStation games moving forward. After all, third-party retailers do not sell digital versions of PS5 games, and it’s probably safe to assume the same will be true for the PS6 whenever it releases. The lack of physical copies will also essentially do away with the ability to buy and sell used games.
According to the blog post, Sony is moving away from physical game disc production because “consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital.” The post goes on to claim this is a natural direction for the company as part of an attempt to adapt to consumer trends. Indeed, the data does support the reality that fewer people are buying physical game discs. A report from Circana earlier this year confirmed that 2025 was a record low for physical game sales.
Given the drop in physical sales and the PS5’s move away from disc drives, this move from PlayStation isn’t exactly surprising. If you have big plans to get an upcoming PlayStation release as a physical disc, you should be able to do so for now. Any games already planned to release before January 2028 in disc format won’t be affected. So, upcoming PlayStation releases like Marvel’s Wolverine will still have physical discs. In fact, Insomniac recently confirmed a physical PS5 disc for the game following the GTA 6 backlash.
Taken together, the GTA 6 debacle and this latest PlayStation announcement aren’t good news for physical media. It seems like the trend towards digital-only releases will continue, despite some consumers’ strong preferences for physical ownership. At this rate, I won’t be surprised if next-gen consoles do away with disc drives altogether.
What do you think about PlayStation’s move away from printing physical game discs? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Forum Conversation: Sony Will Stop Printing Physical Games for PlayStation
Go to ForumI buy all of my games digitally so this won’t have any impact on me. But I feel for the people who still enjoy collecting physical copies.
Seeing this is making me wonder when/if Blu-rays are going stop being made. Movies are the only medium I still get physically.
It’s always weird to think piracy is doing more for games preservation (and movies, and comics) than the actual company that makes games… Going all digital is the wrong move and makes me even less likely to care about the next PlayStation.
PlayStation just announced it will move away from physical game discs entirely by 2028. The timing is wild after the backlash for GTA 6’s “code in a box” physical edition. What do you think about this major move towards a digital-only gaming landscape?
Personally, I don’t really buy physical games because of the space and convenience of digital. But I still don’t like companies making everything digital, especially when they’ve got a history of yanking licenses away from people.