Some gamers are concerned about the future of game ownership after Sony’s announcement today that it won’t produce physical discs for PlayStation games as of January 2028. On that date, “new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only,” Sony said in a blog post
Ditching discs is “a natural direction” for Sony “to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs,” the post said
During Sony’s fiscal year ending on March 31, 2026, digital downloads accounted for 78 percent of full-game unit purchases, up from 76 percent in fiscal 2024
“We’ll continue to prioritize our reovide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games, whether that’s at retailers or PlayStation Store,” the blog said
No companies other than Sony subsidiary Sony Digital Audio Disc Corporation make PlayStation discs, so today’s announcement signals the end of physical copies of PlayStation games and marks Sony’s evolution toward a licensing-only sales model
You don’t own digital copies
Digital copies of games can make it easier to quickly acquire and play games, receive updates, own many games without needing much physical space, and can help reduce waste. The gaming industry has already mostly moved to this model
However, buying a digital download is not the same as owning a game. Per PlayStation’s terms of service:
When you order or purchase a product from PlayStation Store, you buy a personal license to use that product for private, non-commercial use. That license is not transferable unless your local applicable laws say it must be. This means you can use a product in the ways described in the license, but do not own the product
Gaming companies rarely delete previously purchased games from customers’ libraries, but it is possible. In 2013, Valve pulled copies of Order of War: Challenger from customers’ libraries after the game’s servers shut down, rendering those copies useless. It would be shocking and unpopular for Sony to remove purchased games from gamers’ digital libraries, but considering that you “do not own the product,” as Sony puts it, the risk remains
Furthering this concern, Sony also announced today that it will close the PlayStation Store on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, with the US losing access in July 2027. Although the number of gamers relying on those stores is declining, it remains notable that Sony shied from committing to making previously purchased PlayStation 3 and PS Vita games downloadable for customers’ lifetime
“To ease the transition, players will still be able to download previously purchased content after the closing date for the foreseeable future,” Sony said
Both blog posts have comments decrying Sony’s announcements and their implications for ownership and long-term access to PlayStation games
One user going by Mosquito53, for example, commented:
Another disappointing decision made in the same day. No matter how many users still use these stores, they should remain open. So much content released digital-only, even on these platforms, these games will be lost to time
Imagine what will happen in the future when this same decision is made for PS4 or PS5 or even the eventual PS6, which now looks to be all digital with the announcement of no more physical disc production
We will own nothing, it’s truly sad
Sony has repeatedly reminded PlayStation customers that digital libraries can be temporary. In September, users in the United Kingdom will lose access to previously purchased titles from movie and show production and distribution company StudioCanal. Sony previously pulled StudioCanal content from customers’ PlayStation libraries in Germany and Australia. And in 2024, Sony deleted customers’ Funimation digital libraries despite Funimation previously claiming that customers would be able to access these digital copies “forever but” with “some restrictions.”
Sony has also shown a wavering commitment to its digital stores. In 2021, it stopped selling movie and show rentals/purchases. Leaving the door ajar for customers to potentially lose access to digital games they bought for PlayStation 3 or PS Vita doesn’t boost confidence around the digital-only future
Further, the removal of storefronts could mean beloved games released only digitally become virtually impossible to find. We’ve seen this happen with Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games. After those digital storefronts closed in 2023, the number of Game Boy games released during Game Boy’s lifetime that were still available dropped from 155 out of 1,873 to 25, according to a 2023 report from the Video Game History Foundation
“This is why physical media matters,” a user named Radgatt commented on Sony’s PS3 and PS Vita announcement. “More and more proof that you’re just buying a license that can be taken away whenever companies feel like it
Scharon HardingSenior Technology Reporter
Scharon HardingSenior Technology Reporter
Scharon is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer gadgets and services. She’s been reporting on technology for over 10 years, with bylines at Tom’s Hardware, Channelnomics, and CRN UK.
