On July 1, 2026, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced on the PlayStation Blog that it will stop producing physical discs for all new PlayStation games starting January 2028. After this date, new games will only be available digitally through the PlayStation Store and select retailers. Existing games or those planned for release before January 2028 will not be affected.

Sid Shuman, Senior Director of Content Communications at Sony Interactive Entertainment, stated, "This is a natural progression for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer preferences, as the demand for digital content continues to outpace physical discs." This decision follows a consistent decline in physical game sales, which have dropped by an average of 9.26% annually over the past nine years. From 168 million discs shipped in the 2017 fiscal year, the number fell to 70 million by 2025. Notably, in the fourth quarter of 2025, 85% of PlayStation games were purchased digitally.

Alongside this announcement, Sony confirmed the closure of the PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita between August 2026 and July 2027, raising concerns among gamers about game ownership, resale rights, and long-term data preservation.

In response to Sony's announcement, various brands outside the gaming industry quickly jumped on the bandwagon with humorous takes. KFC Spain, with over a million followers, jokingly declared it would stop selling physical chicken, offering only "consumption through an app in the form of a fake PNG file," featuring an image of fried chicken on a transparent background. They also announced a new DLC sauce pack, encouraging customers to "pre-order the PNG file before it runs out," ending with a playful nod to copyright warnings.

Domino's Pizza UK also joined in with a mock official statement, claiming that starting April 1, 2027, they would cease production of physical pizzas, shifting entirely to selling "digital pizza codes" for customers to enjoy "through the power of imagination." This isn't the first time Domino's has poked fun at Sony this year, previously comparing the absence of Kratos in the new God of War game to a pizza missing pepperoni toppings.

Blaze Entertainment, a retro gaming company, took a more subtle jab by recreating a 2013 Sony advertisement that mocked Xbox One's digital rights management policies. The original video showed a person simply handing a game disc to a friend, while Blaze's version featured their team exchanging a Neo Geo game disc, highlighting the absurdity of Sony's decision.

Not all reactions were light-hearted. Game rental service GameFly reaffirmed its commitment to physical products, promoting a renewal package for existing customers. Collectible retailer iam8bit and independent game studio Aeternum Game Studios also voiced their support for physical media. Frank Cifaldi, Director of the Video Game History Foundation, warned that relying solely on self-uploaded game preservation is not a long-term solution.

Interestingly, Bethesda also weighed in, posting a promotional video for the physical disc version of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. This was seen as ironic since Bethesda had previously released games that only included activation codes without actual game data. As Sony's transition to a completely digital future approaches, the gaming community remains divided over the implications for game ownership and preservation.