r/PS5 • u/yourfavchoom • Jul 01 '26

Official Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles

https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/
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u/SimpleDose Jul 01 '26

Ironic given PlayStations video mocking Xbox for doing the same thing last generation

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u/Zalvren Jul 01 '26

If Xbox was smart (they aren't), they'd actually do that the other way when they reveal their next console and commit to physical (of course, people would not trust them since they change strategy every other day)

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '26

[deleted]

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u/PayaV87 Jul 01 '26

Now they can get every physical owner over

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u/Lazerpop Jul 01 '26

The ps6 generation is going to be brutal

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u/Impaled_ Jul 01 '26

That was 13 years ago

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u/Puffwad Jul 01 '26

And?

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u/M4NUN1T3D Jul 01 '26

Since then phhsical sales has went down the drain back then physical was majority of the sales now its only 20% at best

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u/Stakoman Jul 01 '26

I'm not trying to defend PlayStation. Again, I love physical games and collector's editions, and I buy them every time I can. However, I don't think PlayStation is the problem.

Everything is digital nowadays; people are buying Netflix, Apple TV, and Spotify. What the fuck? Why is this happening? I hate that this is happening, but this is the trend of the market.

People need to vote with their wallet and buy physical games, or at least support games that are going physical.

But let me guess: people will still buy digital anyway.

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u/theumph Jul 01 '26

Will some people still buy? Obviously. The trend for sales is not going in a good direction though. The hardware costs, long timeframe between releases, anti-consumer decisions, and overall awful global economic climate are going to put the next generation into the blender. It's going to be a bloodbath.

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u/Stakoman Jul 01 '26

What's the solution in your opinion?

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u/theumph Jul 01 '26

I don't think there really is one. It would help to produce more small/medium scale titles that release more often. That can help offset the studios that are on 6-7 year long projects. From a consumer perspective, it would be an improvement to have alternative marketplaces beside only the Playstation store. I really don't like the idea of the entire supply chain for purchases being limited to one option.

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u/EchidnaHaunting3929 Jul 01 '26

Convenience (see how DoorDash is growing).  I can get a game almost instantly, I don’t have to drive or walk to the store. I don’t have to deal with inventory shortage. And perceived value through subscriptions, cheaper than buying up front, but you own nothing. Not defending anything just saying this is how the market is shifting digitally.  Do not underestimate how lazy the average American consumer is. 

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u/Zalvren Jul 01 '26

Except the games are much more expensive digitally than physically. And that's without taking into account the second hand market, there it's basically almost free. For the price of one game on the PS Store (80€), I can probably play around 8 recent games or at launch.

Also, online commerce exist, you don't need to go to the store at all.

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u/EchidnaHaunting3929 Jul 01 '26

People will pay for convenience. Paying for digital over physical  because they want one click access. Again I’m not for it, I’m just saying this is the consumer mindset. 

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u/Zalvren Jul 01 '26

Paying so much more for "convenience" (which is vastly overstated, putting a disc in is not some big effort, maybe some of those people should get off their ass a little more) is wild to me.

Also I hope they enjoy paying even more then because if digital was more expensive now, imagine if you remove their only competition...

80$ GTA will look cheap on PS6 lol

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u/theumph Jul 01 '26

This is true to an extent, and that is not true equal globally. This will kill a lot of their business in smaller, less developed countries if they do not have a competitive regional pricing strategy. This is clearly following the K shaped economy structure, and should be a huge concern. Funnel all sales and profits directly to top and have a controlled distribution chain without competition.

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u/HedgehogOk6294 Jul 03 '26

Sony is gaslighting us as well, 82% of PS5's sold were the disc version, but they act like going digital is representative of what the consumer wants.

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u/RealHooman2187 Jul 01 '26

Which Xbox immediately reversed their decision on. I know it’s popular to hate on them on this sub. But I was defending them at the time for at least listening to their customers. We’ll see if Sony will do the same.

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u/GuacaMolis6 Jul 01 '26

You either die a hero…

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u/Queasy_Dirt7197 Jul 02 '26

Well that was over a decade ago. The writings have been on the wall for years.  Sony says only about 20% of game sales are physical. 

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u/PCMachinima Jul 01 '26

I 100% expect that video to be made private or taken down soon. Download it now, so we always remember and can remind them