PlayStation games will soon be all-digital. 

Sony Interactive Entertainment announced some shocking news this week: the company is halting all physical game disc production for new games starting from January 2028. Following that date, new PlayStation games will be sold in a digital format, and discs will only be available for games released prior to that date. 

Additionally, Sony is shutting down the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. 

Why is PlayStation ending physical disc production for its future games?

The future of PlayStation is digital. Sony Interactive Entertainment is officially discontinuing physical game discs for PlayStation games starting from January 2028. The decision, which does not affect games released prior to January 2028, appears to be permanent–meaning that a potential PlayStation 6 console would only be able to run digital games. 

In an official post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony explained that this was a “natural direction” for the company to “adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.”

The company has stated that it will prioritise providing more ways for players to “purchase new games, whether that’s at retailers or PlayStation Store.” Past January 2028, the company states that digital games will continue to be sold in retail stores. However, these game packages will no longer contain discs. 

When is the PlayStation Store shutting down for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita?

Sony had an additional announcement to share this week: the PlayStation Store is officially shutting down on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. However, the marketplace’s closure will be staggered throughout this year and the next, depending on the regions and hardware involved. Players will still be able to download any of their previously-purchased games even after the PlayStation Store shuts down. 

Sony stated that while “the PlayStation Store continues to evolve to support modern commerce systems, including updated payment processing standards, PS3 and PS Vita are no longer able to support these updates at the level required.”

Here’s the timeline for the planned PlayStation Store shutdowns in different regions: 

  • Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua: PlayStation Store on PS3 will shut down in August 2026.
  • Additional Latin American and Middle Eastern countries: PlayStation Store on PS3 will shut down in late 2026.
  • All other countries not mentioned above: PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita will shut down in July 2027.

The PlayStation Store will continue to be available on later-generation devices.