PlayStation games are displayed at the Best Buy store on February 27, 2024 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images
PlayStation will soon end physical disc production for all new games released on its consoles, the company announced Wednesday morning.
Starting January 2028, new games released on the Sony-owned legacy console will be sold either through the PlayStation Store or through retailers in digital formats, a move that comes as consumers deepen their pivot to digital media to access games, stream music and more.
The move was a “natural direction” to adapt as consumers’ digital game preference “significantly outpaces physical discs,” the company wrote in a blog post, adding that the decision wouldn’t have an impact on disc games coming out before 2028.
“This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today,” the post read.
As leading console makers contend with the pull towards digital, skyrocketing memory prices fueled by the artificial intelligence buildout have led to price hikes on consoles.
Sony raised prices on its flagship line of PlayStation 5 consoles in April, hiking its disc edition from $549.99 to $649.99.
Microsoft’s Xbox will also increase prices starting on Aug. 1, with Series S consoles containing 512GB of storage set to go up by about $100 to about $500. Nintendo’s Switch 2 will get $50 pricier in the U.S. starting Sept. 1.
CNBC has reached out to PlayStation for additional comment.
