The hard truth about Sony killing PlayStation games on disc

July 4, 2026 - 01:48

In 2012, I moved to a new flat in London and had to haul over 4,000 CDs, 2,000 12-inch vinyl records, and hundreds of Blu-rays up three flights of stairs. It was a brutal reminder of how much physical media can weigh you down. But for many gamers, that weight is a symbol of ownership and permanence. That is why Sony's slow but steady shift away from disc-based PlayStation games feels like a betrayal to a loyal fanbase.

The writing has been on the wall for years. The PlayStation 5 Digital Edition sold well, and Sony has pushed subscription services like PlayStation Plus Premium. Now, with reports that future console revisions may lack disc drives entirely, the message is clear: physical games are on the way out. The hard truth is that this move benefits Sony's bottom line, not the player. Without a disc, you cannot trade a game, lend it to a friend, or buy it used. You are locked into the PlayStation Store's pricing, which rarely drops as fast as retail sales.

For collectors and preservationists, this is a nightmare. Games on disc can be played decades later, even if servers go dark. Digital games can vanish when a license expires or a storefront shuts down. Sony might frame this as progress, but it feels like a loss of control. The convenience of not swapping discs is real, but it comes at the cost of true ownership. That is the hard truth no one at Sony wants to admit.