Sony Phasing Out Physical Discs for PS5, Closes PS3 and PS Vita Stores

The era of physical gaming media appears to be coming to an end, at least for Sony, which announced on Wednesday that it will cease production of discs in 2028. This move would appear to be an indicator that the PlayStation 6, which has yet to be announced, will be a completely digital console. 

Starting January 2028, new games will only be available for sale in digital formats via the PlayStation Store and retailers, according to a post on the PlayStation Blog. Games released before that date will still be released on physical discs. 

“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 said in the blog post on Wednesday. “This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.”  

Sony didn’t provide any additional details on whether it will stop producing PS5s with disc drives after that date. 

Physical game sales have been declining from their peak of $11.5 billion since 2008, according to Matt Piscatella, the senior director and video game industry advisor at retail analytics firm Circana. In a BlueSky post from March, he says last year was the lowest rate of decline of physical sales since 2021, thanks to the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, but the $1.5 billion in sales for 2025 was the lowest that number has been since 1995. 

Along with the discontinuation of physical discs, Sony also says it’s going to close the digital stores for the PS3 and PS Vita. This means those who still use those devices will not be able to purchase any new games. The closure will roll out by region starting this August, with the US closure happening in July 2027:  

• Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua — PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting August 2026.
• Additional Latin American and Middle Eastern countries — PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting late 2026.
• In all other countries, the PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita will close in July 2027.

Sony says players will still be able to download previously purchased content after the stores close “for the foreseeable future.”