When purchasing a new video game, consumers currently have options of getting it digitally or from a physical store if they want a disc to go along with it. However, as more and more games opt to only include a game code inside the physical version, including Grand Theft Auto VI, the console giant PlayStation is going all in on this digital-only future.
Today, Sony announced that physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles is being discontinued entirely. This is slated to happen in January 2028, giving publishers and developers time to prepare.
"Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only," explained the company. "This transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format."
Sony called this a "natural direction" for the company to go in, considering consumer trends and the rising preference for digital media on its platforms.
This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today," adds Sony. "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."
The wording suggests that physical retailers will still have games for sale, but this will only come with a code for redeeming the PlayStation console, requiring a full download.
While it's not outright said, this sounds like the next PlayStation will be a fully digital console. It will be interesting to see how it will support PlayStation 4 and 5 discs, if there is backward compatibility support, for players who want to keep access to their years-old libraries.