Sony Interactive Entertainment will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games from January 2028, fully shifting future titles to digital distribution as the industry continues its move away from packaged media, the company said Wednesday.
Under the plan, all new games released after the cutoff will be available either through the PlayStation Store or sold by retailers in digital code formats. Sony said the change reflects a “natural direction” driven by consumer behaviour, with digital downloads now significantly outpacing physical disc sales.
The company said the decision will not affect games released on disc before 2028, which will continue to be produced and supported.
The move marks a major milestone in the long-running decline of physical game media, as console makers adapt to increasingly digital ecosystems spanning downloads, subscriptions and cloud gaming.
Sony’s announcement comes amid broader industry cost pressures, including rising memory and storage prices linked in part to demand from artificial intelligence infrastructure. These cost increases have already contributed to price adjustments across the console market.
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Microsoft has also signalled higher prices for its Xbox consoles, while Nintendo is preparing price increases for its upcoming Switch 2 system, highlighting the wider strain on hardware costs.
Sony has previously raised prices on its PlayStation 5 range, including its disc edition, as production and component costs increased.
Analysts say the shift away from discs reflects both changing consumer habits and the growing dominance of platform-based distribution, where players increasingly access games through online stores rather than physical ownership.
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The company did not indicate whether any form of physical media would remain in production beyond legacy titles already scheduled for release before 2028.
