GoKawiilA PlayStation 5 DualSense controller and a stack of retail game cases are seen, with the Sony logo displayed on a screen in the background, in Athens, Greece, on July 14, 2026. Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that it will permanently discontinue the production of physical discs for all new PlayStation games at the end of 2027. Starting in January 2028, all newly released video games will be available exclusively in digital formats and will be available for purchase via the PlayStation Store. (Photo by Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In June 2013, Sony 's PlayStation put out a short video demonstrating how easy it was to share games on PlayStation.
Then-Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida handed a disc to colleague Adam Boyes, and that was it. But it was viewed as more than just a simple instruction, it was seen as a dig at rival Microsoft Xbox's strict game-sharing policies.
"Trade in the game at retail. Sell it to another person. Lend it to a friend, or keep it forever," then-President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America Jack Tretton said at a conference that same year. "When a gamer buys a PS4 disc, they have the rights to use that copy of the game."
The line sparked a standing ovation and helped intensify the backlash that led Xbox to roll back its restrictive policies.
Now, in the eyes of some, Sony is becoming the very villain it mocked.
PlayStation has announced it will end physical disc production for new games released on its consoles starting in January 2028, making new releases digital-only.
Boxed retail versions, if they are sold, will contain a download code rather than a disc.
One of the first games that will use this model is reportedly Take-Two Interactive 's highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6, published by Rockstar Games and slated for release this year.
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