Sony announced on July 1, 2026 that it will stop manufacturing physical game discs for new PlayStation games starting in January 2028. Reuters independently confirmed the announcement the same day.

This change only affects brand-new games released after January 2028. Games that come out on disc before that date can still be manufactured and restocked afterward. Instead of selling game discs, retailers will sell cards or boxes that contain download codes — the same way many PC games are sold today. The game itself is downloaded to your console from the internet rather than read from a physical disc.

Why This is Permanent

Sony is converting its disc-manufacturing factory in Salzburg, Austria to make something else instead. The company spent millions retrofitting the production line. When a company invests that heavily in changing a factory, it means the decision is final, not something they might reverse later.

On the same day, Sony also announced it will shut down the online store for older PlayStation systems (PS3 and PS Vita) by July 2027. The two announcements point in the same direction: Sony is moving away from physical media.

What Happens Next

Industry experts quickly concluded this means the next PlayStation console — likely the PS6 — will probably not have a disc drive at all. If Sony stops making discs in early 2028 and a new console comes out a few years later, there would be almost no games available on disc by the time people buy the new system.

Sony has already started moving this direction. The PS5 came in two versions: one with a disc drive and one without (the Digital Edition, which costs less). More and more PlayStation players buy games by downloading them online.

There is one thing to pay attention to. Sony said publishers can still order reprints of older games after 2028, but the company hasn't explained how that process will work or what it will cost. For smaller game companies that rely on selling copies to collectors and specialty stores, those details matter. A card with a download code also works differently than a disc from a retailer's point of view — the profit margins change — so how stores decide where to put these cards on their shelves is uncertain.

Physical game discs won't disappear overnight. Collectors, people who buy games as gifts, and gamers in parts of the world with slow internet will keep buying discs for years. But January 2028 is the firm date when you won't see any brand-new games on disc. Game makers have about 18 months to plan whether they want to release a final physical version before that deadline closes.