PlayStation is taking another major step toward an all-digital future, announcing that all first-party game releases from January 2028 onward will be sold exclusively in digital format.
Sony announced on the official PlayStation Blog that future first-party releases will be available exclusively through the PlayStation Store or as digital download codes sold at retailers.
The company assured that there won’t be any impact on already-released titles or those scheduled to hit the shelves before the scheduled digital-only rollout.
Post-disc gaming world
The decision reportedly stemmed from changing consumer trends, pointing to gamers preferring digital over physical game discs.
According to Ampere Analysis, digital downloads accounted for just 13% of Sony’s full-game sales in 2013. By 2025, that figure had climbed to around 80%, making physical releases an increasingly smaller part of the business.
The company seemingly “soft-launched” this transition during the launch of the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition which shipped without the 4K Blu-ray disc drive.
With this announcement, it is expected that the next-gen console will also exclusively play digital games, rendering the existing physical discs unplayable in more modern units.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: ‘Tekken’ shifts from hyperrealism to cute in unexpected spinoff
Why digital?
For players, digital releases mean instant access on launch day without waiting for stores to open or deliveries to arrive. Digital libraries also eliminate the need for shelves full of game cases.
Publishers also benefit by reducing costs for manufacturing, shipping, and retailer cuts for digital titles.
The end of collecting?
The announcement has also reignited a long-running debate over game ownership.
The discussion mirrors the backlash that followed reports of Grand Theft Auto VI’s digital-only release, with many players lamenting what they see as the slow death of physical media.
Many players argue that physical discs offer protections digital purchases cannot. Games on disc can be traded, resold, borrowed, or preserved even if a title is eventually removed from online storefronts.
Others worry about relying entirely on digital licenses, which could become inaccessible if storefronts close or licensing agreements change.
Collectors, meanwhile, say they’ll miss seeing rows of PlayStation’s iconic blue game cases lining their shelves.
While digital gaming has been the industry’s direction for years, Sony’s announcement marks one of its clearest signals yet that the era of buying new PlayStation games on disc is approaching its final chapter.
READ NEXT: Pinoy power joins ‘Street Fighter 6’
Hazel Camba 
Geoffrey H. Latayan 
Ciara Mina