A new era is upon us soon as Sony just announced that they’ll no longer make physical disc for their game starting in 2028. What does this mean for gaming retailers selling physical copies of their games. Lets find out.
Physical vs Digital
For many years now digital sales for games have skyrocketed in sale rather than physical. However, many consumers still prefer having physical copies of their games due to being able to share with friends and sale as many physical copies can get discounts.
However, according to the Sony report last year in Q4, 85% of game that are purchased are digital through either the PlayStation Network or PlayStation subscription. This would mean that 15% of physical games are sold. Reports also show that consumers tend to buy physical copies of AAA games more than other games. This shows that even though digital sales are high, physical copies are still being bought if the product came with exclusives that tend to be higher in price.
Gaming Retailers Decline
With Sony getting rid of their physical copies, this puts more of a strain on gaming retailers who rely on people buying physical copies of games. Stores like GameStop have been trying to find other ways to make profit by putting more pop figures and plushies inside their store more than games. GameStop has loss 14% in fall 2025 quarterly revenue due to the shift in digital media. GameStop and other retailers are focusing on either retro games or collectibles just to get sales. This could effect non retailers store selling games as well like Target where physical media for games could be non existence.
What does this Mean for the Future
Even though Sony is getting rid of physical copies for their games, this does not mean that physical copies of games is going away. Many people still enjoy owning a game in their collection and old media never truly goes away. Look at Vinyl and CDs for example, Vinyl sales have increase in the past decade as this was a format that was deem to be extinct in the past. Physical copies will never go away, it’ll be around if people continue to buy and support it, but only time will tell. What are your thought? Would you buy a physical copy of a game or digital?
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