Like many of you I was very surprised to hear Sony’s announcement that starting Jan 2028 Sony will no longer be producing new games on Disc.
It’s strange how I was surprised despite the fact that I think we all knew this day was coming.
For me personally, I’m very surprised it’s happening during the current generation (PS5) and not for the launch of the PlayStation 6.
As some have speculated it could be because of Rockstar’s announcement that GTA 6 will not have a physical edition that lead Sony to pounce on an all digital future.
What to do?…
As it so happened, I had already started my exit plan even before this announcement.
Yes, I have some digital games on my PS5 (from the PS4 and PS5 era), but I still have a lot more Physical than Digital.
However, I was OK with a mixed physical and digital world …until now.
Slowly I’ve been returning to PC gaming.
This is where I started back in the 80’s with my Texas Instruments IT 99/4a and in the 90’s more seriously with my first 386 and later a 486 PC. Yes, I had and loved my Sega Master System, Genesis and SNES during this time too. But with games like Doom, Quake, Command and Conquer (and so many more) those years surrounding the 2000’s felt like they belonged to PC gaming. It wasn’t until the Xbox 360 (which I got well after launch) when I really moved to gaming in the living room.
The console offered convenience and a truly good multiplayer experience.
Very recently I returned to Steam, for a short time, and then I pivoted to Good Old Games (gog.com). I do love Steam and all the work Valve has put into the Steam Deck and Steam Machine and Proton. Thank you Valve, there is a tremendous amount of good will built on all this great work.
But with GOG.com my games are DRM (digital right management) free and I can download my installers. No corporation will be taking my games from me.
What else can we do? Consider signing the “Don’t Kill the Disc” petition. A petition against Sony’s plans to stop producing physical game discs (I’ve signed).
Here’s a screen shot of my growing game library on GOG:
What’s the downside? Well, Good Old Games does not have every game I might want. In these instances I will go to Steam or do without.
OR, (are you listening Sony?) anyplace where I can get a complete and whole physical copy of the game to own.
Here is my pledge. For as long I can, I will stop buying digital games from Sony. This includes games on disc that can’t really be played without an update. This, of course, means that I plan to Not buy the PS6 and continue to watch my PS5 take backstage to all my other gaming options.
This also means that the last digital PlayStation game I bought was the arcade style off-road racing game called Gravel. Which brings up another point. The direction that modern AAA video games have gone has left my entirely uninterested.
I love multiplayer arcade racing with my friends.
We have played the heck out of Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered (which we bought very late for about $5 CAD on PSN). *What an amazing arcade racing game. 10/10.
Then the well dried up. AAA racing games like The Crew 2 (and many others) spend so much time not racing that I got fed up and walked away. Gravel is not a AAA release and lacks some very noticeable polish …but, you pick an event, pick a car and start racing. Thank God. I’ll take it.
It really bothers me that Sony probably doesn’t need my generation or the one after to pull off a full digital gaming future. It’s the very young generations that will make this happen (or not.. is there hope?).
But I will still do my part and not participate for as long as I can. Which I hope is forever.
Ready to go on a tangent? April 10th 2026, I left Microsoft Windows; which I had been using since my 386 days. My very old (but good PC) cannot run Windows 11. Microsoft was allowing my Windows 10 to limp along with some security updates, but the end was nigh!
It took a long time before it dawned on me to just leave Windows. But when the idea hit, I watched some videos on Linux and did lots of reading and now my PC is running Linux; Zorin OS. And it’s amazing. I am not going back.
With the onslaught of AI, hardware shortages, subscriptions for everything, monetisation of everything, a lack of ownership and the consumer becoming the product it’s impossible to ignore the fact that we have to start fighting back in a significant way.
I have been working hard to claw back my privacy, reclaim my hardware and truly own the things I think I should have ownership of. These are not good times we live in, but I feel very good about the steps I have been taking.
On a brighter note and very strongly grounded in the physical gaming world, I recently pulled the ‘trigger’ on a very well known grail. More detail in my next post.
I’m sure you’ve already read it, but just in case…
Sony’s Announcement:
“In response to shifting trends in consumer preference, new games will be released on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only.
Sid Shuman (he/him)Senior Director, Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications
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.
For important updates on PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita announced today, please click here.“
I couldn’t agree more. I’m grateful for my retro game room and all the old jewels in there. They will be playable for many years to come ^_^ I left Playstation long ago.. I still have Xbox One Series X as my go to media station for apps and game pass for trying out some new games with my daughter (and Minecraft for her of course) and the occasional little indie game that catches my eye in the digital store. But when it comes to collecting or buying new games it’s still mainly retro or Nintendo Switch! If I’ve played a game I wish to keep on the Xbox it sometimes get a physical release on the Switch through Limited Run, PixelHeart, 1st Press, Special Reserve Games or Strictly Limited. I love how they pick up these digital only released games and make a physical copy that will hopefully work even in the future <3 What's your view on these?
//Heidi
Hi Heidi!
I think there are a lot of us who see the move to all digital media as a very bad thing. I’m worried that they’re aren’t enough of us.
But yes, you and I do have a great collection of physical games that will last a life time 🙂
I don’t have much interest in GTA6, but what happens when Half-Life 3 comes out? At least it will be on Steam; which at the moment is a far superior option to Sony.
I like when upgrades feel meaningful and change how you approach the game, rather than just increasing numbers.