Target Planning to Stop Selling Physical Media Online and In-Store by 2025 (Update)

Update: Target confirmed to IGN it’ll be more selective moving forward regarding physical media sold in-stores, but this will not impact physical copies of video games.

Original: According to a new rumor, retailer giant Target is planning to stop selling physical media both in-store and online by 2025 in what would be a substantial blow to the physical media market, including the physical games market. Each year, the gains of the digital market chip away at the health and wealth of the physical media market. In 2024, you may be hard pressed to find physical media for your favorite movie or TV show. The physical games market has faired far better, but this would be a blow to it as Target is one of the biggest retailers in the United States. Further, it would be a continuation of reports of Walmart and more doing the exact same thing in the near future. 

As for the rumor itself, it comes the way of popular X account “President Of Physical Media.” As the name suggests, they specialize in physical media, and thus it is reasonable to expect this specific scoop from them. Despite this, it’s unclear how extensive or reliable their track record is, so keep this in mind as well. 

The rumor doesn’t say much beyond noting that “Target sources” have told President of Physical Media that the retailer is planning to stop physical media both online and in-store by 2025, likely because of the declining market and the cost of selling physical media compared to digital media. 

For what it is worth, while this is symbolically a big deal, given the size and stature or Target as a retailer, they have not been carrying much physical media the past few years. Suffice to say, if this rumor is true, it’s not going to surprise many. 

At the moment of publishing, Target has not addressed this rumor in any capacity. We don’t particularly expect this to change for a handful of reasons, but if it does, we will be sure to update the story accordingly, regardless of whether the comment or statement is salient. In the meantime, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think. What do you think of this potential decision from Target? Is it the right call? 

Target — for all those who may not know — is an American retail corporation that operates a massive chain of discount department stores and hypermarkets. The company is based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota and is the seventh-largest retailer in the United States.