Sony Confirms It Won't Back Down on Killing PlayStation Discs in 2028

Sony isn't backing down. After announcing on July 1, 2026, that it would stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games starting January 2028, the company confirmed on July 31 that the plan is moving forward exactly as stated — despite weeks of public pushback.

The decision marks one of the biggest shifts in PlayStation's 30-year history, and it's already dividing the gaming industry.

What's Actually Changing

Starting in January 2028, Sony will stop manufacturing physical discs for any new PlayStation game — not just its own first-party titles, but games from every publisher on the platform. Games released before that date won't be affected and will continue to be available on disc.

Retail stores won't disappear entirely. Instead, Sony plans to sell boxed products that contain a digital download code rather than an actual disc — a "code-in-a-box" model that keeps physical shelf presence without the manufacturing cost.

The Numbers Behind the Decision

Sony says the shift reflects where players already are. According to the company, roughly 80 percent of full-game purchases on PS4 and PS5 were digital in 2025, up from just 13 percent when the PS4 launched back in 2013.

PlayStation communications director Sid Shuman framed the move as a natural response to those numbers, calling it consistent with "consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry" shift toward digital.

Hideo Kojima Pushes Back

Not everyone in the industry is on board. Metal Gear and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima was among the most vocal critics, saying he grew up on physical media and finding the shift genuinely upsetting.

Kojima warned that an all-digital future raises a deeper concern: ownership. If servers go offline or distribution licenses expire down the line, players who paid for digital games could lose access to them entirely — a risk that doesn't exist with a physical disc sitting on a shelf.

Not Everyone Is Worried

The reaction hasn't been universal doom. GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen downplayed the impact, telling Bloomberg the decision was largely irrelevant to the company's current strategy, since GameStop no longer relies heavily on software sales the way it once did.

The Bigger Fight: A $7 Billion Resale Market

The most concrete concern raised by critics involves the used game market. Physical discs can be resold, traded, or lent — digital purchases generally can't. Industry estimates put the secondhand physical game market at around $7 billion, a business that stands to shrink dramatically once new discs stop being made in 2028.

There are also reports suggesting the shift could disproportionately affect players in roughly 122 countries where reliable access to the PlayStation Store, or affordable high-speed internet, isn't a given.

The Timing Wasn't a Coincidence

Sony's announcement landed just days after Rockstar confirmed that the physical edition of GTA 6 would ship as a download code rather than an actual disc — a decision that had already frustrated fans before Sony's bigger announcement arrived.

What Happens Next

Sony hasn't confirmed whether its next console, expected to be PS6, will include a disc drive at all. Given the direction the company has taken — the PS5 Pro already ships without one — most signs point toward an all-digital future well before the next generation arrives.

For now, anything released before January 2028 is safe. What happens after that is, by Sony's own admission, exactly the plan.