Disc-based PS5 consoles are now arriving at retailers with a printed notice stating that physical game releases end in January 2028 — Sony’s disc exit, made explicit on the box in several languages.
“Important notice: from January 2028, newly released games on PlayStation will be available for purchase on PS Store and at retailers in digital format only. Discs for games released before January 2028 can continue to be played on this console.”
The wording was spotted by BehindTGames on X and reported by Push Square. It adds nothing to what Sony said in July, when it announced that physical disc production for new PlayStation games ends in January 2028 — a decision we covered at the time, and one the company has since insisted it will not reverse.
What the sticker does is put the decision in writing at the point of sale. That is mostly legal housekeeping: anyone buying a disc-based PS5 today has been told, in advance, what the machine will and will not play three years from now. It is also the clearest physical proof yet that the exit is set in stone.
Sony’s behaviour since the announcement points the same way. It has begun retraining staff at its Austrian disc plant, and on its latest earnings call CFO Lin Tao said the backlash is having no measurable effect: “At this point in time, we are not seeing any impact on our business.” The company is forecasting a record year for the PlayStation division.
The numbers back the calm. Only seven boxed games have sold more than 100,000 copies in the US this year, while Activision’s digital-only Call of Duty: Black Ops ports have sold more than 11 million copies combined, per estimates from Alinea. Fans plan a week-long “blackout” protest from 23 to 30 August; Sony’s forecast suggests it is not losing sleep.
What the 2028 cut-off changes
For anyone holding a disc collection, the change is narrower than the headline. Games released before January 2028 keep working on the console, and Sony has clarified that older games can still get new print runs after the cut-off. What ends is new physical releases — and, in time, the second-hand market they feed.
Will used PS5 games disappear after 2028?
Not on a fixed date. Second-hand discs will keep trading as long as collections exist, but with no new discs being pressed after the cut-off, supply shrinks.
Will Sony keep making any discs after January 2028?
In limited form. Sony says it will retain capacity to manufacture some game discs beyond the cut-off, and older games can still get new print runs. The January 2028 date applies to new releases.
Will the PS6 have a disc drive?
Sony has not said. The January 2028 cut-off lands in the expected PS6 window, and observers expect a digital-only machine, but nothing is confirmed.
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