RIP, PlayStation game discs: Sony is pressing eject on physical media

The dustbin of history is about to get a lot shinier.

Sony said Wednesday it plans to stop releasing physical disc copies of PlayStation games starting in 2028. “New games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only,” the company said.

Sony said the change is a response to evolving industry and consumer trends and won’t affect any titles scheduled for release before 2028.

Sony’s PS5 is sold in two formats — one all-digital and one with a disc drive — with the disc drive model costing $50 more.

Both offer nearly identical performance.

Last week, game studio Rockstar Games told the Hollywood Reporter that its hotly anticipated “Grand Theft Auto VI” will not include physical media and will only be available as a digital download.

The company earlier sparked confusion when it referred to a physical version of the game, which it said in a press release last week would be a download code sold in a box.

Physical media for some other games, including various Xbox and Nintendo titles, increasingly require users to download additional data to play.

In other cases, the disc serves little more than as a download code for online content.

Big box retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart have also devoted less sales floor space to physical copies of gaming and entertainment titles as streaming and downloadable options have become more common.