Play has limits afterall as Sony has announced that they are discontinuing production on all physical discs for new games in 2028, and will go fully digital. PlayStation stores for PS3 and PS Vita stores are also shutting down.
The games will only be available to buy digitally in the PlayStation Store and codes purchased via other retailers to redeem, starting from January 2028. This means that the next PS6 console is likely to be without a disc drive entirely, Sony already tested the waters with this by selling disc drive-less PS5 consoles.
Why is Sony shutting down production on physical discs for games?
Sony writes in their PlayStation blog: ‘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.’
According to Sony’s fiscal quarterly earnings report: 85% of PlayStation games sold in FY2025 Q4 were digital, and physical games only made up 15% of the sales. Although, these are profits recorded which reach Sony, this doesn’t take into account the secondhand market sales.
The company choosing to do this causes damage to secondhand markets, issues with consumers never properly having ownership over digital content; as it can be revoked at any time compared to physical media ownership. With future PS games also no longer being sold in the secondhand market, Sony would have more control over setting prices as nobody will be able to get cheaper used PS games elsewhere, unless an external retailer sells a code of a game at a discount (which all codes would be new anyway).
Recently, Rockstar Games took the plunge with announcing that Grand Theft Auto VI will only be a code in a box for the ‘physical versions’, and the game is digital only.
Sony and Studiocanal also decided to part ways as the licensing deal ended between them both, causing 551 movies and shows to be deleted from customers’ video libraries in the UK, starting from September, 2026.
PS3 and PS Vita PlayStation Stores shut down
In a second announcement, Sony also revealed that PlayStation stores for PS3 and PS Vita are also shutting down.
‘As the PlayStation Store continues to evolve to support modern commerce systems, including updated payment processing standards, PS3 and PS Vita are no longer able to support these updates at the level required’ – Sony cites in their PlayStation blog.
The locations and dates where stores are closing down:
- Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua – PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting August 2026.
- Additional Latin American and Middle Eastern countries – PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting late 2026.
- In all other countries, PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita will close in July 2027.
Sony has mentioned this affects new purchases however ‘players will still be able to download previously purchased content after the closing date for the foreseeable future.’
Will XBOX follow-suit after this announcement from Sony? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Do you still own a PS3/PS Vita? What do you think about physical games being discontinued by Sony? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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