The Quiet End of Owning Your Games

July 3, 2026 - 19:59

Sony Interactive Entertainment recently announced it would stop producing PlayStation physical discs in 2028. The news came with little surprise, but the way it was delivered stood out. Sony framed the decision as a natural shift driven by consumer preferences, pointing to how the entertainment industry has moved away from physical media. While digital copies of PlayStation 5 games do outsell physical versions, the real reason comes down to money. Saving it and making it.

The uncomfortable truth is that in many cases, you are not buying a physical game. You are renting it. Aggressive DRM rules let developers and publishers take back what you paid for. They do not break into your home. They just tell you that you cannot download it anymore. Or they require you to check into a server to play, and then they turn off that server.

The shift to digital is not mysterious. What is interesting is how different platform holders have gone about making it happen.

PC gaming had no single flashpoint. You could point to the launch of Steam in 2003 as the start of the slide, but it happened gradually. In 2004, you could download an encrypted version of Half-Life 2 and play it on release day without a trip to the store. But no matter how you bought the game, you had to install Steam and activate it. There was pushback, but Steam kept growing. Ten years later, physical PC games were nearly gone.

Nintendo took a different path. In 2012, the company announced plans to sell games in stores and online. Satoru Iwata stressed the value of keeping box copies at retailers. Nintendo spent years fighting against digital-only releases. Recently, the company found a middle ground with Game-Key cards. These cards hold no game data. They download the full game and must stay in the slot to play. You can still lend, sell, or buy them used. But the data lives on servers, so your ability to reinstall it lasts only as long as those servers stay up.

Microsoft had a spectacular failure with the Xbox One. The company pushed too hard, requiring regular online check-ins and restricting disc resales. The backlash was so strong that Microsoft reversed course. Don Mattrick left the company within weeks. At the time, Sony mocked Microsoft, pointing out that the PlayStation 4 had no such DRM requirements.

Now the irony is heavy. Thirteen years after mocking Microsoft, Sony is doing something worse. In 2028, the company will stop producing physical game discs. There is no word on whether digital replacements will allow reselling, lending, or continued play after servers shut down. Just last week, Sony announced it would delete hundreds of movies users thought they had purchased, because a license with StudioCanal was expiring. The company also said stores for the PS3 and PS Vita will shut down by summer 2027.

What can fans do? Not much. The one power is the wallet. The biggest test of digital-only will be GTA 6, which ships with a box but no disc, just a download code. It is the worst place to try and prove a point, because the publisher knows nothing will slow it down. But hope is not lost. Supporting DRM-free options, publishers who still press discs, and the secondhand market can make a difference. Music and movies have seen a resurgence in physical ownership, because people realized ownership was worth the inconvenience. A niche, if it gets loud enough, can change things.