PlayStation confirms our worst fears following GTA 6 disc backlash

The gaming world feels like it’s in freefall right now, and while it looks like we're gearing up for one of the biggest years in recent memory, all that success is in danger of being wiped out by some major decisions from up high.

Although the new Xbox boss, Asha Sharma, was praised for bringing down the price of the Xbox Game Pass, there are alarming reports that Microsoft is preparing to shutter a ton of its own studios.

Elsewhere, Sony looks like it's abandoning plans for PC release and is instead focusing on AI, and we're in the midst of RAMageddon as prices of everything go up.

If all of this wasn't enough to contend with, there's another nail in the coffin of physical media.

Just like the era of the DVD rolled over as streaming services took hold, the digital gaming market has exploded.

There was recent backlash when Rockstar Games confirmed both the $79.999 Standard Edition and $99.99 Ultimate Edition of GTA VI won't include physical discs, meaning we won't be getting some fancy Collector's Edition with a disc coming in a giant light-up margarita glass.

What does the future hold for physical PlayStation games?

Although some companies are still sticking by physical media to give us steelbooks that come with actual discs, Sony has just confirmed the worst when it comes to the future of PlayStation releases.

In a new PlayStation blog, the gaming giant confirmed that the production of physical discs will cease in 2028.

From January 2028, games will be available via the PlayStation Store and from retailers in digital-only formats. Sony said this comes as "consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital.”

The writing was unfortunately already on the wall, and in 2025, it's said that only around 5% of the entire gaming market's sales were physical. While a lot of that was down to a boom in mobile gaming, digital downloads and streaming still dominated the market.

Sony's 2025 corporate report paints even more of a grim picture, claiming that just 3% of its software sales in 2024 were physical.

Describing it as a 'natural direction', Sony reminds us that it comes as digital media continues to outpace the demand for physical media. Doubling down on its decision, Sony’s post added: "This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today."

Gamers mourn the loss of physical games

It's no real surprise that things are going this way, with the soaring price of game consoles meaning disc-free versions are more attractive than ever. A PlayStation 5 with a disc drive now starts at $649.99, while the Xbox Series X will soon be hit by a new $799.99 price tag.

Trying to soften the blow, PlayStation promised it will continue to innovate in terms of how we can access our games and where we buy them from. Still, there's been an instant backlash.

Taking to X, one angry gamer wrote: "My shifting trend is I will never spend a dollar on PlayStation again. If I am forced to pick a digital store it sure as sh*t isn’t Sony's."

Another said: "What's amazing is how everyone is fully aware that consumers hate this, but they're doing it anyway, and they'll get away with it."

A third chimed in saying: "It's been amazing seeing Microsoft and Sony go back and forth the last 2 weeks to see who can make the dumbest decisions. The console wars are back!"

Others were less bothered, as one person concluded: "This is the Apple headphone jack issue. Everyone will hate this, other companies will make fun of it...and then everyone will prefer and do this in 3 years. Physical media is gone."

Many in the comments said they're 'done' with PlayStation after this latest reveal, but whether players actually vote with their wallets remains to be seen.