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PlayStation goes digital only in 2028, game disc production to end

PlayStation goes digital only in 2028, game disc production to end

2 minute read

By Thomas Harrison-Lord

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PS5 will go digital-only a year from January 2028, with presumably the PS6 never offering games on disc.

The age of physical media, for gaming at least, is coming to an end.

Sony, the maker of the market-leading PlayStation consoles, has confirmed it will end disc production for video games in January 2028.

It says the move is to “adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs.”

The original PlayStation utilised the Compact Disc format in a significant shift for the gaming market, away from cartridges and using Sony Music’s know-how. In 2009, the Japanese tech giant flirted with a digital-only console, the PSP Go; however, it was not a sales success.

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During the fumbled launch of the Xbox One in 2013, with the console locked down behind online-only requirements and punitive DRM, PlayStation capitalised by releasing a now infamous promotional video about game sharing by simply passing a disc to a friend.

The current PlayStation 5 launched in digital-only or disc-supporting SKUs. There is an attachable disc drive available as an option for the digital-only PS5, such as the Pro. This is for games, but also Blu-ray movies.

According to industry analyst Mat Piscatella on Bluesky and Circana Retail Tracking Service, US sales data indicates that just under 75 per cent of all PS5s sold in the nation actually have a disc drive.

Director of Research & Insights at Niko Partners, Daniel Ahmad, published data on X that 78 per cent of full-game PlayStation sales (as of Financial Year 2025) were digital.

The news follows the announcement that Grand Theft Auto VI will be available from retailers, but the game case will simply include a download code instead of a disc. On the same day, Sony announced the closure of the PS3 and PS Vita digital stores.

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