In a huge blow to game ownership, PlayStation confirms end of physical games mere days after GTA 6's disc-less pre-orders

Date:
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:40:47 +0000

Description:
PlayStation sets out its stall for a digital-only future by announcing that
no new games from 2028 will be on disc.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter PlayStation has today announced that no new PlayStation games will be released on physical disc from January 2028 onwards.

In a huge blow to the concept of physical ownership, the gaming giant has
said this move is "a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs" in a new PS blog post . It goes on to argue that, "This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today." Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

The move is unlikely to be popular with fans and particularly with game collectors, and comes just days after the disc-less GTA 6 pre-orders, which saw Rockstar ditch the disc in favour of code-in-a-box game box releases.

Not only this, but this decision also comes a matter of days after
PlayStation removed some movies that console owners had bought digitally from their libraries with no compensation. You may like 'I got a disc drive for my PS5 Pro just for this' GTA 6 fans disappointed with the lack of physical edition disc aren't alone, as some retailers have dropped the game from sale completely 'Everyone is still on physical what is this the 20th century?'
GTA 6 might not be getting a proper disc, but fans were already debating
their value over a decade ago for GTA 5 GTA 6 physical copies have a download code in the box and fans aren't happy 'The biggest game to ever launch and thats all the effort youre putting in for physical?'

It all points to a digital-only future, with a physical disc drive only being useful for games released before January 2028 on PlayStation. Sony's next PlayStation console being digital only by default now seems very likely.

It's a far cry from Sony's famous dunk on the PS4's competitor, the Xbox One, at the beginning of the last console generation, when the latter appeared to be announced with a function that would block resale and sharing of physical games. Microsoft quickly rowed that back. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The under-30-second video clip published by PlayStation has been viewed millions of times and is part of a series of famous 'wins' for PlayStation's console over Microsoft's back in 2013 that set the scene for that generation and beyond and is part of gaming folklore.

Now, however, it's all changed. This decision will further bring the concept of owning one's own games under scrutiny when publishers and platform holders will simply retain the right and ability to pull the plug at will, with consumers not necessarily owning a copy of the game they bought. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/in-a-huge-blow-to-game-ownership-playstation- confirms-end-of-physical-games-mere-days-after-gta-6s-disc-less-pre-orders


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