Sony said on Wednesday that it would stop releasing new video games for the PlayStation console on disc in January 2028 following a shift in consumer preferences.

“Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only,” the company said on its official PlayStation blog.

In practice, that means gamers will have to download directly from Sony’s PlayStation store or obtain a download code when purchasing a title from a retailer.

The announcement comes as the upcoming exclusively digital release of Grand Theft Auto VI, which is predicted to become one of the biggest-selling cultural products of all time, has caused some consternation among gamers.

There was grumbling on social media that the lack of a physical disc would eliminate any secondhand market for the title. Sony said the upcoming shift “has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format”.

Sony began its move towards digital downloads in 2020 with the release of the latest console, PlayStation 5, which had a version without a disk drive.

“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,” the company said. “We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our fans.”

Piers Harding-Rolls at Ampere Analysis said: “The purchasing trends of gamers are clear.” In 2013, when the PS4 launched, only 13% of game sales were digital, but had risen to nearly 80% in 2025, he noted.

That didn’t stop gamers from complaining, however. “It’s a catastrophe,” said gamer and content creator Conkerax on YouTube.

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“Inevitably there will be concerns from PlayStation gamers around various aspects of this announcement including choice, accessing older physical games on new consoles, the ability to collect physical games and game preservation,” said Ampere’s Harding-Rolls.

He noted that the shift towards digital would have a negative impact on specialist game retailers, and would also hit the secondhand market.

The announcement renewed speculation about the next-generation PlayStation 6 console. Sony’s announcement “pretty much confirms PS6 will be digital only”, said Daniel Ahmad at Niko Partners, a video game market research firm.