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How it started

As a child, I enjoyed visits to Best Buy, GameStop, and the local mall to look through video games. I enjoyed flipping through titles and discussing upcoming releases with friends at the store. On the rare occasions I purchased a new game, I savored reading the entire manual during the ride home. Over time, I assembled a collection of games that brought me pride.

Those days feel distant now. After college, I parted with my older games and hardware since I no longer used them and needed funds for other pursuits. (Likely nights out.) Beginning with the Nintendo Switch in 2017, I shifted to digital purchases because it proved simpler to download titles without adding physical cases. Today, I hold no physical games: My Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam libraries exist entirely in digital form.

I am far from alone in this shift toward digital games. Digital libraries offer growing convenience, particularly as console makers emphasize backwards compatibility across generations. Some players lack access to physical games entirely, since PlayStation and Xbox introduced all-digital PS5 and Xbox Series options at lower prices than disc-drive models. On PC, digital platforms like Steam have dominated for years. Capcom reported that 93 percent of its game sales were digital in its most recent fiscal year, with expectations of reaching 95.4 percent soon. Many top titles, such as Roblox and Fortnite, exist only in digital formats.

Whether for better or worse, most players now purchase and enjoy digital games. Yet within one week, two major companies took steps that further diminish physical games, or perhaps seal their fate.

How it’s going

On June 24th, Rockstar Games revealed pricing for Grand Theft Auto VI ahead of its planned November 19th launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X / S: $79.99 for the standard edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition. The costs aligned with recent trends, including Nintendo’s $79.99 releases for major titles. More striking was a detail in Rockstar’s announcement: The physical edition will include only a download code rather than a disc.

This move signals trouble for physical games. While code-in-box sales are not new, GTA VI represents the largest title to adopt the approach. Rockstar’s decision may encourage other publishers to follow suit. Limiting the game to digital stores prevents easy sharing or resale once finished.

Reliance on digital storefronts also carries risks. Games can vanish due to licensing issues or platform closures. This may not affect GTA VI, as Rockstar will likely keep it available across platforms for years, much like the 13-year-old GTA V. Still, users must guard against account lockouts that could erase access, even without cause. (In 2023, some PlayStation accounts faced unexpected bans before Sony restored them.)

PlayStation added to the concerns days later when Sony announced it would cease producing physical discs for new games starting January 2028.

The news sparked broad online backlash. Sony faced criticism across platforms, as Kotaku noted, and the PlayStation account stayed silent for six days afterward. Comments on Sony’s 2013 PS4 game-sharing ad, which showed disc passing, now include fresh jabs at the company. Sony itself highlighted the drawbacks by announcing the same day that it would close digital stores for PS3 and PS Vita.

Retailers and preservationists voiced strong objections too. “This is unfortunate news for those who still prefer buying games on physical media, and is certainly a significant hit to consumer rights, the resale market, and game creators whose businesses rely on the physical market,” said Frank Cifaldi, executive director of the Video Game History Foundation.

Sony explained its rationale clearly: “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 stated. “This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.” Its data supports the shift, with 85 percent of PS4 and PS5 full-game software sales being digital downloads in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025.

What happens next

Observers await confirmation on whether Grand Theft Auto VI launches November 19th and if a disc version ever appears. Despite prior delays, the pricing and preorder push suggest the release will proceed as scheduled.

Attention now turns to Microsoft and Nintendo. Xbox has not detailed plans for discs on Project Helix, its next console, but reports indicate the company will likely end physical disc production soon. It is also testing tools to let users convert physical collections to digital.

Nintendo appears set to retain physical games longer. Digital sales made up 54.6 percent of its games last fiscal year, leaving physical as a major segment. The Switch 2 launched only a year ago, making an abrupt shift unlikely. Yet the console offers game-key cards, physical cartridges for borrowing or resale that hold no game data and instead unlock downloads.

Stores and preservation groups must adapt as physical games grow scarce. Cifaldi noted that museums already prepare for this reality “with the expectation that putting discs on a shelf isn’t going to be a long-term solution for preserving new games.” He urged trade groups to create legal paths for preserving digital content, an area the Entertainment Software Association has resisted. “The industry needs to meaningfully come to the table on this issue, because asking museums to download a copy of Grand Theft Auto VI and hope it’ll run in 50 years is not a preservation solution,” Cifaldi says.

Sony must manage the transition amid ongoing criticism while releasing new titles. Reversal seems improbable, especially after repurposing its final disc factory.

By the way

The PS5 Pro lacks a built-in disc drive, which adds $79. After a recent price increase to $899.99, a disc-equipped PS5 Pro approaches $1,000.
PlayStation studios now confirm physical versions will include discs, as Insomniac did for September’s Marvel’s Wolverine and Santa Monica Studio did for God of War Laufey. The latter also indicates a launch before January 2028.
Physical media sales for music, including CDs, show signs of growth.

Read this

Comedian Trevor Noah commented on PlayStation’s decision, noting that “for a lot of gamers physical discs are the only way they could afford to play games because they could get them secondhand. You can also give games to your younger siblings, which is a great way to introduce them to the games you were playing.”
In a post titled “Sony Nerfs Videogame Ownership,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation observed that “Unlike other digital media like film and TV, video games require a ton of storage. Access to high speed internet is still abysmal in the US, making the high-speeds needed for digital game downloads a luxury some of us may take for granted.”
Circana analyst Mat Piscatella shared a chart the day after the GTA VI news showing physical game sales peaked in 2009.

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Jay Peters