Starting in January 2028, PlayStation says all newly released first-party and third-party games on its platforms will be digital only. New disc releases are ending.
Sony ties the decision to the way people already buy games. In fiscal Q4 2025, 85% of full PS4 and PS5 game sales were digital, according to the company. Going all-digital also cuts out the cost of manufacturing discs, printing packaging, shipping stock, and selling through retail, while giving Sony tighter control over pricing and promotions. Once the cutoff arrives, the boxed PlayStation games you see in stores will likely turn into code-in-box products. Grand Theft Auto 6 could be one of the first major examples, if reports about a physical edition with only a download code turn out to be accurate.
If you still buy discs regularly, this matters. A smaller disc market means a weaker used-game business, and it brings back the usual concerns around digital ownership: in a lot of cases, you’re buying a license rather than permanent ownership. Sony’s earlier StudioCanal removals already showed how that can play out. Preservation gets harder too if storefronts shut down, games are delisted, or rights change hands.
The switch will also hit harder in parts of Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa, where large downloads can be expensive or unreliable. Same goes if you rely on offline installs, or if you simply prefer collecting and archiving your games.
PlayStation says the policy applies to new PlayStation game releases starting in January 2028.
Author: Jesús Bosque
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