- PlayStation has announced that it will not release games on physical discs from January 2028
- This comes days after GTA 6 pre-orders were digital or code-in-a-box orders only
- The decision appears to pave the way for a digital-only PS6, likely to be released in 20-28 at the earliest
PlayStation has today announced that no new PlayStation games will be released on physical disc from January 2028 onwards.
In a major blow to the concept of physical ownership, the gaming giant said the move is “a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly surpasses physical discs” in a new PS blog post.
It goes on to claim that “This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.”
The move is unlikely to be popular with fans and especially with game collectors, and comes just days after the discless one GTA 6 pre-orders, prompting Rockstar to drop the disc in favor of code-in-a-box releases of game boxes.
Not only this, but this decision also comes a matter of days after PlayStation removed some movies that console owners had purchased digitally from their libraries without compensation.
It all points to a digital-only future where a physical disc drive is only useful for games released before January 2028 on PlayStation. Sony’s next PlayStation console will be digital-only by default, now seems very likely.
It’s a far cry from Sony’s famous dunk on the PS4’s competitor, the Xbox One, at the start of the last console generation, when the latter appeared to be advertised with a feature that would block the resale and sharing of physical games. Microsoft quickly rowed back.
The sub-30 second video released by PlayStation has been viewed millions of times and is part of a series of famous ‘wins’ for PlayStation’s console over Microsoft’s back in 2013 that set the stage for that generation – and beyond – and is part of gaming folklore.
But now it’s all changed. This decision will further scrutinize the concept of owning one’s own games, when publishers and platform owners will simply retain the right and ability to pull the plug at will, where consumers do not necessarily own a copy of the game they have purchased.
What do you think of Sony’s decision to no longer release new PlayStation games on physical discs from 2028? Vote in the poll below or leave a comment.
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