The End of Physical Games?

Sony announced they will stop producing physical copies of their games in early 2028. Find out the details. Sony is also closing their PlayStation 3 and Vita digital storefronts. All this and the rest of the news from the week. Let’s go. 

Sony goes discless in 2028

Citing “shifting trends in consumer preference,” Sony announced it will stop production of physical discs for PlayStation consoles in January of 2028. The announcement comes the week after Grand Theft Auto 6 announced its November launch would be digital-only, with retail sales containing a code in the box. 

With their announcement, most now expect that the PlayStation 6 will be a digital-only console.  Unsurprisingly, most enthusiasts were not happy about the move away from physical media, especially as Sony also announced they are closing multiple digital storefronts (more on that below). This also comes on the heels of Sony removing purchased movies from consumer’s devices.

Consumers were not the only group to voice their concerns. Game publishers were also “profoundly disappointed” in Sony’s decision to kill the disc. Game preservation leaders are worried the only way to preserve games going forward is piracy. Even legendary game designer Hideo Kojima spoke out, saying access “may suddenly be cut off.” Meanwhile, the video game industry’s trade association the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) refuses to discuss digital ownership. 

One of the unintended consequences of Sony’s announcement is players are moving towards piracy, as Google searches for “PS5 jailbreak” are up 20 percent. Also, Nathan Grayson of Aftermath asks what is the point of a video game console now?

PlayStation 3 and Vita digital stores to close

The digital stores for PlayStation 3 and Vita will start going offline in August 2026, with a global closure of the stores happening in 2027. 

According to Sony’s press release:

• 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, PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita will close in July 2027.

While new purchases from these stores will be prohibited, Sony says “players will still be able to download previously purchased content after the closing date for the foreseeable future.” The company does not define how long the “foreseeable future” will be, but it’s probably a good time to grab your games from these services now. 

Sony previously attempted to close both these digital storefronts in 2021 before then-president Jim Ryan reversed course.

Side Quests (more stories worth reading)

⚔️ The Kingdom Come: Deliverance board game will cost $30 more in the U.S. because of tariffs. 

💿 Microsoft is reportedly working on a way to convert disc versions of Xbox games into digital versions. 

💰 According to a new report, miHoYo, the studio behind Genshin Impact, is the most valuable private gaming company in the world.

🚓 IGN has a breakdown of all the controversies involving the various Grand Theft Auto games.

😩 A former director who worked on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League described how the experience made him want to stop making games entirely. 

❎ Microsoft is reportedly halting deals with developers to add their games to Xbox Game Pass. 

🇧🇷 The Brazilian government may have inadvertently leaked that a new Metroid game is coming for the Switch 2. 

⛔ Peripheral maker Dbrand canceled their Companion Cube Steam Machine case after not getting approval from Valve to use their intellectual property. 

🃏 The Pokémon card game revealed their 30th anniversary celebration product lineup. 

👏🏼 The developers of Subnautica 2 will get their bonuses after their parent company Krafton reached a settlement with studio leadership.

🔞 Marvel Rivals’ new Captain America skin feels pretty NSFW. 

⛔ Upcoming Sony game Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls will be blocked in 132 countries due to a lack of access to PlayStation Network.

🏆 Cooperative board game Take Time was named the Austrian game of the year.

🚗 Stranger Things actor Millie Bobby Brown says she is a huge fan of Grand Theft Auto, and can’t wait for GTA6. 

📅 The release date for Onimusha: Way of the Sword was moved up from September 25 to September 4.

🏢 Former 2K president Christoph Hartmann was tapped to lead Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy franchises.

🤖 Game engine Godot is banning AI contributions to their software, saying “AI cannot take responsibility, and we can’t trust heavy users of AI to understand their code enough to fix it.”

📺 A Persona live-action series is reportedly in development for Netflix. 

📈 Round numbers: Cyberpunk 2077 sold 40 million copies while Meccha Chameleon sold over 15 million copies.

New Releases this week:

Check out our article on 10 new games to play in July. 

7/6: Esports Manager 2026 (PC)
7/7: Moonlight Peaks (Switch and PC)
7/9: Assassin's Creed Blackflag Resynced (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
7/9: Backyard Baseball (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
7/9: Cat Mail Co. (PC)
7/9: EA SPORTS College Football 27 (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
7/9: Echoes of Aincrad (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)

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