Sony is switching to an all-digital production for its games and will no longer make physical discs for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles from January 2028. In an announcement on Wednesday, the company says that the move does not affect games already released, or the ones that will be released before January 2028.
“This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today,” Sony shared in a PlayStation blog post.
The move has attracted a lot of outrage on social media for players who like to collect physical discs, but the transition from Sony is backed by data. As part of its fourth quarter financial results for the fiscal year 2025, 85 percent of full game software sales on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 were digital downloads, while physical CD sales only accounted for 15 percent.
Sony’s announcement comes days after Rockstar Games revealed that the physical edition of its upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI would only contain a redeemable digital code with no actual game CD.
In related news, Sony also announced it will be closing the PlayStation Store on PS3, as well as on the PS Vita. While players will still be able to download previously purchased content after the closing date for the “foreseeable future”, new content purchases, however, will no longer be possible.
Below is the timeline for closure:
- Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua – PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting August 2026.
- Additional Latin American and Middle Eastern countries – PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting late 2026.
- In all other countries, PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita will close in July 2027.
