Starting January 2028, Sony will no longer produce physical discs for new PlayStation game releases. All games released in January 2028 and after will be available only through digital stores such as the PlayStation Store.
Sony attempts to justify this move by claiming it's a "natural direction" in order to "adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs." Today's announcement says, "this transistion will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today."
It is perhaps no small coincidence that this PlayStation announcement comes mere days after Rockstar Games and Take-Two announced Grand Theft Auto 6 will be available through digital stores only. Sure, you can purchase a "physical" copy of Grand Theft Auto 6 at retailers, but there is nothing inside the box beyond a code to download the game.
Sony isn't completely off base by saying that the current consumer trends show a preference for digital media. Sony's 2025 corporate report (PDF) says that physical software sales accounted for just 3% of PlayStation sales in 2024. What isn't reflected in that report are used game sales.
The complete loss of physical media is a huge blow across several fronts. This is a blow to game preservation efforts. It's a blow to those who prefer to buy used games for far cheaper than buying new. It's a blow to retailers who are often able to offer discounts on physical media, new or used, that you often don't find through the PlayStation Store.
This move also seems like a clear indicator that the PlayStation 6 will not feature a disc drive. Sony already removed the built-in drive from all PlayStation 5 models, with an optional disc drive add-on retailing for $79.
On the XBOX side, Microsoft is currently testing a "disc-to-digital" feature. This feature will allow XBOX owners to turn their physical game collections into digital collections. There is a lot of caveats to this system, but it's certainly better than the current "nothing" that PlayStation has. This disc-to-digital feature does suggest that the next XBOX console, Project Helix, will also lack a disc drive.
Between the imminent death of physical media and the hardware pricing woes, we're just a half step away from the hell that is a streaming only future.
Oh we are so cooked. We are so fucking cooked.
(We should also make money a revokable payment. Revoke the payment without requesting a refund when games become inaccessible. Insurance companies have done it to larger clients like hospitals, why can't we? No ownership? Fine, temporary payment!)