Sony’s disc exit raises new concerns over game preservation
Sony says it will stop making physical PlayStation discs in 2028 as it begins winding down older PlayStation digital stores.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Sony plans to stop producing physical PlayStation game discs in January 2028, a shift that will make new PS5 releases digital-only, according to company announcements reported by The Verge. The company also said it will begin winding down the digital stores for the PS3 and PS Vita, putting renewed attention on what happens to games when online storefronts close.
The announcements land as console players have moved heavily toward downloads. Sony’s May financial results said about 80% of PS5 game sales are digital, according to The Verge.
Other publishers are also reducing the role of discs. Rockstar Games said its retail version of Grand Theft Auto VI, due in stores in November, will be sold as a code in a box rather than on a disc, The Verge reported.
Digital sales keep rising
For players, digital games can be easier to buy and manage. The Verge noted that downloads can be prepared ahead of release, stored together on a console and bought during frequent online sales.
The shift also removes some long-standing habits tied to physical media. The Verge reported that digital purchases limit resale and make it harder to lend a copy to another player. For Sony and other platform owners, digital sales also avoid the expense of manufacturing discs.
The bigger concern for historians and collectors is access over time. Console games depend on specific hardware, software formats and platform services, and store closures can cut off legal access to titles that were never released elsewhere.
Store closures can strand games
The Video Game History Foundation said in a 2023 study that 87% of classic games, defined in that report as titles released before 2010, were “critically endangered.” The foundation said its research suggested the problem could grow because older games depend on a narrow set of reissue channels and digital storefronts can be unstable over long periods.
Nintendo has already shown how this can play out. The company shut down the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS eShops two years ago, according to The Verge. Players who previously bought games can still download them for now, but people buying the hardware today cannot purchase store-only titles such as BoxBoy, The Verge reported.
Some companies have tried to soften the problem. The Verge cited Xbox’s work on carrying digital libraries across devices and supporting older titles through backward compatibility. On PC, GOG has a preservation program aimed at keeping older games playable on newer hardware.
Those efforts do not cover everything. The Verge reported that mobile games, despite their popularity, often receive little preservation support outside fan-led projects.
Physical media has limits of its own. The Verge noted that discs and cartridges can deteriorate and often require older hardware. Even so, discs give owners, collectors and archivists more control than a system that depends entirely on a platform holder keeping a store open.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.