New PS software to end disc sales from January 2028

2026-07-04

Digital shift and higher profitability

Sony Group will end disc-format sales of new software for its PlayStation home console. Titles released from January 2028 onward will be available only as downloads. New discs will no longer line store shelves, marking a possible turning point for Japan's games industry.

The company has already shifted sales toward digital. Of the 2.64 trillion yen in software sales for the year ending March 2026, disc sales fell to 5%. Users can buy without going to a store and do not need to keep physical copies. Sony Group also stands to improve profitability if it no longer has to bear manufacturing costs for disc readers in PS production.

Impact will spread to retailers and the used market

The effects, however, will not be limited to consumers. The main sales channel for disc versions is retailers such as electronics stores, and one manager at a major chain said, 'If the software disappears, the game section will feel lonely.' Since the 1980s, it has become common for gamers to line up in front of stores on the release day of much-anticipated titles, but some worry that ending disc sales on PS may mean 'it will no longer be possible to draw crowds like an event.'

If new titles have less in-store exposure, games outside popular franchises are more likely to lose contact with consumers. Opportunities for impulse purchases at mass retailers could also be lost with a full shift to downloads. In this environment, the developer of the action game GTA 6, set for release in November, will switch the retail version to a download code. Hideki Yasuda of Toyo Research Advisory expects sales of code-in-box packages to spread at electronics retailers, and says the end of disc versions is unlikely to have a major impact.

The impact on used game sales is also unavoidable. One used game retailer sees the possibility that a decline in the circulation of packaged software could have some medium- to long-term effect on buybacks and sales. A major flea market app operator said it will keep a close eye on developments, noting that while higher scarcity could boost buying and selling on its site, there is also concern that listings could decline over the medium term.

Consumers and the next generation console

Along with used-game stores, consumers may be the most affected. With digital versions, it is effectively difficult to sell completed software secondhand. Many users sell games after finishing them to help fund new purchases, and even dedicated fans who keep packages for collection purposes will be hit.

Nintendo's Nintendo Switch 2 supports a cartridge-type 'key card' for some software, which can be inserted into the console to download data to the device itself or to an SD card. The cartridge itself contains no data, but it can still be bought and sold like conventional software.

More than five years have passed since the PS5 launch, and the introduction of a successor has also been the subject of speculation. Ending disc sales at the January 2028 mark is seen by some as groundwork for the next-generation model. Yasuda said, 'The next-generation model is highly likely to be download-only.' The impact of Sony Group's decision on the PlayStation, which has driven the games market since the 1990s, is likely to become clearer in the months ahead.

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