Sony is ending the era of the PlayStation game disc. The company announced that starting in January 2028 it will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation titles, according to The Verge, with future releases available only in digital form.
The shift applies broadly. According to Game File's Stephen Totilo, reported via Techmeme, all new PlayStation games from both first-party (Sony's own studios) and third-party developers will be sold in digital formats from that date, ending physical game discs.
That doesn't necessarily mean games vanish from store shelves. The BBC reports that future games will still be sold in shops, but the boxes will come with a digital download code only rather than a disc inside.
The move fits a direction Sony has already been signaling in its hardware. As The Verge notes, the PlayStation 5 Pro doesn't even include a disc drive, requiring players to either buy games digitally or add an external drive.
CNBC reports the announcement came Wednesday morning, while Engadget and other outlets confirmed the same 2028 timeline for winding down disc-based PlayStation games.
Why it matters: This marks a decisive step toward an all-digital future for one of the world's biggest game platforms, raising questions about game ownership, resale, lending, and preservation once players can no longer buy a disc they physically keep.