PlayStation to Stop Physical Game Production by The End of 2027

Sony has made a shocking announcement that PlayStation will stop all production of physical games by the end of 2027.

The news came following a heated discussion about Rockstar Games’ decision to ship physical copies of Grand Theft Auto VI with only a redeemable digital code.

This signals the beginning of the end of physical copies, where fans and analysts feared that foregoing physical copies would kill the second-hand games market and digital preservation movement, as digital games can be removed from the marketplace at any time.

Announced in the PlayStation blog, Senior Director of Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications Sid Shuman confirmed the company’s direction into digital media.

“As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028,” he explained.

Shuman said that this is a natural direction that PlayStation needs to take to align themselves with gamers’ preferences. Meanwhile, all games released prior to the 2028 window will still release in physical media.

In an ironic twist, Sony also announced in a separate post that they will also stop selling digital games on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

The PlayStation Store closure for these platforms will be implemented in staggering waves, starting from the Caribbean, LATAM, and Middle East regions in 2026, before finally closing the lid on all regions in July 2027.

“We know this news may be disappointing to PS3 and PS Vita players who hold a special place in their hearts for this generation of gaming. PS3 and PS Vita represent an important era in our PlayStation history, so this was not an easy decision for us to make,” Shuman added.

Players will be able to download their purchased games on PS3 and PS Vita before the closure date.