Sony To End Physical Disc Production for New PlayStation Games in 2028

According to CNBC, Sony Interactive Entertainment said it will permanently stop producing physical discs for all new PlayStation games at the end of 2027, with all newly released titles available only in digital format from January 2028 through the PlayStation Store. Boxed retail editions, if sold, will include a download code instead of a disc, and existing physical games released before the cutoff will not be affected. Michael Pachter, managing director of strategic planning at Wedbush Securities, said the move should save Sony some money, but consumers will lose optionality because discs can be resold, traded in, lent, gifted or kept. Kazunori Ito, director of equity research at Morningstar, called the shift ironic and said Sony previously won goodwill by presenting physical discs as the consumer-friendly choice.