Image: Damien McFerran / Push Square

Sony has made the decision to cease selling physical PlayStation games starting January 2028, and it’s triggered an emotional outpouring from the fanbase.

This move effectively confirms the PS6 will be a digital-only device, and the organisation is yet to confirm how it will support fans’ large retail collections.

In its PS Blog post on the topic, the company referred to “shifting trends in consumer preference”. But a quick glance at social media would suggest the entire industry is universally against the move. So what gives?

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Well, the latest PlayStation’s financials confirm purchases have only been trending one way: 85% of software purchases in the quarter ending 31st March 2026 were made digitally, up from 80% year-over-year.

For the fiscal year as a whole, 78% of software purchases were made digitally, up from 76% the previous year.

Sony clearly expects a further downturn in physical sales through January 2028, when it’s scheduled to stop manufacturing physical games, so we could be looking at ratios of up to 90% or more.

It should be noted that this data is based on unit sales, where a limited number of physical products are being pitted against a broader range of digital titles – many often available at low prices.

But for a different comparison, in its most recent quarter, physical game sales represented ~$109 million of its revenue. During the same period, digital accounted for ~$1.5 billion.

With GTA 6 shipping without a disc, there’s an air of inevitability to all this. That digital ratio is only going to grow over the next year.

Is it okay to still be upset about this? Of course, yes – but it’s also important to consider the facts and understand why this is happening as well.

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[source sony.com]