Games released prior to January 2028 won’t be affected, according to Sony.

PlayStation will stop making physical game discs in 2028

Games released prior to January 2028 won't be affected, according to Sony.

By Nick Romano

Nick Romano

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in Vanity Fair, Vulture, IGN, and more.

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July 1, 2026 10:48 a.m. ET

PlayStation to stop making physical game discs starting in 2028. Credit:

- PlayStation will cease to release physical discs for games starting in 2028.

- Games already released or will be released prior to January 2028 won't be affected.

- The news comes during massive moments of change for the gaming industry.

PlayStation announced a radical change regarding distribution of its upcoming games.

Starting in 2028, PlayStation will no longer produce physical discs for video games, instead shifting entirely to digital downloads.

"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," a statement published to PlayStation's official blog on Wednesday reads. "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."

PlayStation 5 console.

The company points to sales, calling the decision "a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs."

The statement continues, "This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today."

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The news comes just days after Sony disclosed that more than 500 movies and TV shows will be deleted from users' PlayStation Store digital libraries starting this September, even if they had been purchased previously. This is a result of content licensing agreements with Studio Canal. Those titles include *The Evil Dead*, *Terminator 2: Judgment Day*, *This Is Spinal Tap*, *Inside Llewyn Davis*, *Paddington 2*, and *American Gods*.

It's already been a difficult time for the gaming business, which has faced rising hardware sales due to AI and inflation on console storage component costs, as well as widespread of studio closures and layoffs. But even more dramatic changes appear to be already in effect.

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Bungie, the makers of the *Destiny* games, confirmed "a reduction in force" last Thursday, citing how *Destiny 2* "fell short of expectations." A statement read, "With our future projects still in early incubation, we unfortunately could not continue operating at our previous size."

Xbox, too, signaled a major reset at the Microsoft subsidiary. Various reports in the press predict massive studio closures and game cancelations across the board — and it's already happening.

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IO Interactive, which just released the much-hyped James Bond game *007: First Light*, revealed this week that "a relationship with an external partner on our own IP, *Project Fantasy*, has come to an end." That partner was later confirmed to be Xbox.

"This means we have to adapt to this new reality and its short-term consequences, including staffing decisions, which is what is happening as we write this update, and we are fully committed to supporting those affected through this challenging transition," according to an IO Interactive statement. "*Project Fantasy* is a game, a world, and an IP that we absolutely love and remain 100 percent committed to, now and in the future. This wonderful universe will see the light of day."

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Source: “EW Gaming”