Sony dropped a bombshell today with an announcement that has raised the ire of many gamers. Beginning in January 2028, Sony will no longer produce game discs for new games. What that means is that, as of January 2028, Sony is forcing everyone to go fully digital if you want to play new titles in their ecosystem.

The full statement is below:

“As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, 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.  

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. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.  

We’ll continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games, whether that’s at retailers or PlayStation Store. We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our fans and we thank you for your continued support.”

There was a lot of fervor when Rockstar announced that GTA VI would not be on a disc at launch. Instead, you will find a digital code to redeem inside the box. On Rockstar’s website, the company states that this is only “while supplies last,” leading some to believe that Rockstar might eventually release GTA VI on disc. With Sony’s announcement that they are taking choice away from consumers altogether, it looks kind of bleak for physical collectors.

The primary concern here is the lack of ownership over the games you buy. Of course, gamers haven’t owned the game they have bought in quite a long time, but this still sets a scary precedent. It is one thing if a third-party company does it, but when a first-party does, it can have serious consequences. What happens if a contract expires or there is a licensing issue and the game gets removed? Sony has recently announced it will remove many movies from its online service that people have bought, meaning these customers no longer have access to what they paid for and will not be getting their money back. Nobody wants this to happen with games, although it already has in a few instances.

Some gamers online have blasted Sony all day over this decision, claiming that the PlayStation 5 will be the last PlayStation console they ever buy. It will be interesting to see if they actually mean that or are just angry in the moment. For me personally, I have been buying games digitally a lot, but I also have a big collection of physical games as well. Sony deciding to take this choice away from consumers could come back to bite them in the ass. Only time will tell.

Tell us what you think on Bluesky and Twitter. Does this announcement mean you won’t be buying any more PlayStation consoles, or are you an all-digital gamer anyway, and you don’t see the issue?