Sony’s PlayStation disc plan alarms retailers and game archivists

Sony’s plan to stop producing discs for new PlayStation games starting in January 2028 is raising alarms among game preservationists, boutique publishers and independent retailers. The shift matters because discs support resale, lending, collecting and archiving in ways digital-only games often do not, according to people and groups working in those fields.

Cody Spencer, co-owner of the small retail chain Pink Gorilla Games, told The Verge that Sony’s decision hurts players by weakening their ability to sell, share and possess games. He said new physical PlayStation 5 game sales had already been falling, so the immediate effect on stores may be limited.

Spencer told The Verge he expects a different effect over the next five to 10 years: higher prices for PlayStation discs released before 2028 and continued demand from a smaller collector audience. Longer term, he said stores like his could resemble record shops, serving enthusiasts rather than a broad base of customers.

Preservation groups warn about access

Frank Cifaldi, executive director of the Video Game History Foundation, said in a statement that the move is bad news for people who still buy physical media and a blow to consumer rights, resale and creators who depend on physical releases. Cifaldi also said professional preservation groups have been preparing for a market where discs are no longer a reliable long-term answer.

The Video Game History Foundation said the issue goes beyond Sony because most video games from the past two decades were not made for dedicated home consoles or pressed to discs. Cifaldi also noted that many disc releases depend on launch-day patches, meaning the data on a disc may not match the version most players experienced.

Andrew Borman, director of digital preservation at The Strong National Museum of Play, told The Verge that digital preservation problems are not new or limited to games. He pointed to required online connections, frequent updates and digital-only development tools as existing preservation challenges.

Borman said consumer choice still matters, especially for players without reliable high-speed internet and for buyers who prefer a stronger sense of ownership. He also said used and new physical games are likely to retain a market, comparing their potential appeal to the revival of vinyl records.

Publishers and platforms respond to a digital shift

Boutique publisher iam8bit said in a statement that it was disappointed by Sony’s decision and argued that physical games support preservation, ownership and consumer choice. Lost in Cult said in a separate statement that it intends to keep working to preserve video games for as long as it can.

The industry has been moving toward digital distribution for years. The Verge cited Capcom’s report that 93 percent of its game sales in its last fiscal year were digital, and Sony has already sold hardware without built-in disc support, including a cheaper PlayStation 5 model and the PSP Go handheld.

The PlayStation 5 Pro also requires a separate drive to play physical games, according to The Verge. Those hardware choices put Sony’s 2028 disc plan in line with a longer move away from packaged games.

Some platform holders are preserving older games in limited ways. The Verge reported that Sony has an IP Preservation team, Microsoft has used backward compatibility to make older Xbox games playable on newer hardware, and Nintendo Switch Online offers a catalog of older titles, including some from the GameCube era.

Cifaldi called on trade groups such as the Entertainment Software Association to provide legal paths for archives and museums to preserve digital-only games and make them available for research. He said expecting museums to download a game and hope it still runs decades later is not a preservation solution.

This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.