Sony ends PlayStation game discs in 2028

Sony will stop releasing new PlayStation games on physical discs in January 2028, moving its console business fully into digital distribution as players increasingly buy games online.

The company said new titles released after that date will be available through the PlayStation Store and at retailers, where boxed products will contain digital codes rather than discs, the BBC reported. Sony said the change will not affect games that have already been released on disc or titles scheduled to come out 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,” Sony said in a statement. “This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.”

In a blog post cited by the BBC, Sony said the decision comes “as consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital.”

The move marks a major shift for PlayStation, a brand that began with a disc-based console. Sony, originally named Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K., was founded in Japan in 1946. It released the first PlayStation in 1994, a gray console equipped with a CD-ROM drive, and has launched several generations since, including the current PlayStation 5.

The announcement follows Rockstar’s decision to release Grand Theft Auto VI without a physical disc. Analysts expect GTA 6 to be the most lucrative entertainment industry launch ever, CBS News reported. The game, commonly called GTA 6, is now expected to be released on Nov. 19 after several delays. Its predecessor, GTA 5, was released in 2013.

The BBC reported that GTA 6 will cost £70 and that its physical edition will not contain a disc.

The change has drawn criticism from some players and industry observers who say the end of discs could limit lending, resale and game preservation. Gaming journalist Vikki Blake called Sony’s decision a “body blow to consumer rights.”

“It’s of huge concern for game conservation and a massive problem for gamers with lower disposable incomes who rely on part-exchanging or loaning games from friends to keep up with the AAA price tags,” Blake told the BBC.

“Just one console cycle ago, Sony made a tongue-in-cheek advert about how easy it is to share games on PS4 as a dig at competitor, Xbox,” she added. “It’s not funny anymore, is it?”

Gamers previously told the BBC they were concerned that a download-only GTA release would prevent them from lending the game to friends or selling it. The BBC said it asked Sony whether it plans to make it possible to transfer ownership of digital games in the future, but the company had not commented.

Industry data shows how sharply physical game sales have fallen. Players spent $1.5 billion on new physical video games in 2025, the lowest total since market research firm Circana began tracking the measure in 1995, according to Mat Piscatella, Circana’s senior director and video game industry advisor. Spending on physical games peaked at $11.6 billion in 2008, Piscatella said.