Editor’s note: this post was written on an iPhone while holding a baby. I am late to writing on this topic and possibly have made many more typos than usual.
Sony: Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles
… physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028. Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only. This transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format.
While I know this has been extremely controversial, I don’t think this is a big deal. A lot of games don’t play correctly without an internet connection or software update, and a lot of discs are just licenses for a digital download anyway. On Sony’s consoles, for example, Spider-Man 2 is a vastly improved game now compared to launch, with better visuals and performance. God of War: Ragnarok has received free DLC which is not available on disc. A number of games which game out for the base PS5 have been enhanced for the PS5 Pro and require patches to perform at their best, like Horizon: Forbidden West.
Even third-party titles are not immune to this. Arguably, they’re worse. Elden Ring is one of my favourite games of all time, but it’s been patched and re-balanced so many times that it feels like a very different game now compared to its release. (I beat Malenia, both Radahns, and Elden Beast before they were all nerfed, and those fights were kind of more fun then too.)
In addition to all this, installing a game off a disc is just as troublesome and time consuming as downloading it over the internet. On the Switch, if I pop in a cartridge, I can play the game immediately. Not so with the PS5.
And the fact of the matter is, a digital copy of the game is the same as the disc copy. It’s not like steaming a movie compared to the Blu-ray. If they stop making Blu-rays, I’ll scream bloody murder. They are far superior to streaming. But a digital download of a game and a fully-patched disc will be, byte for byte, the same experience.
Finally, I’ve read many arguments that say physical discs force Sony to discount games on the PS Store. I don’t know if that’s true. What I do know is that the PS Store (when a game is on sale) has been cheaper than buying a physical game in Canada every time for me for about five years now. This is true when comparing used prices too! For example, it’s cheaper for me to buy Mass Effect: Legendary Edition on sale via PlayStation than it is to buy a used disc copy. It’s cheaper for me to buy the Dead Space remake digitally than it would be to buy a disc copy. It is also cheaper for me to buy Red Dead Redemption 2 digitally than on disc. Etc.
In 2026, I find it hard to care about physical discs, despite having a large collection of PS4 games. My PS5 library is tiny on disc and massive digitally because the prices have just been better. I think Sony is far more likely to worry about pricing competition from Steam before they lose any sleep over GameStop.