Five major PS5 titles cost roughly $162 when bought on disc at the best retail prices. The same games on the PlayStation Store run about $320, according to data compiled by Dutch tech site Tweakers and reported by GameRant. That gap of nearly double is not a rounding error — it reflects the structural pricing advantage physical media has long provided, one that disappears entirely in 2028. Starting that January, Sony will stop producing physical discs for all new PlayStation releases, per BBC reporting, meaning the cheaper option simply ceases to exist. Whatever “physical editions” remain on store shelves will just be boxes with download codes inside, per Polygon and WCCFTech. This isn’t a format war. It’s the elimination of the only price competition Sony’s storefront ever faced — and consumers who are already paying too much in markets where competition has dried up will feel this shift most.
The Discount You’re About to Lose
Used discs routinely undercut digital prices by staggering margins — and that entire pricing tier vanishes in 2028.
The numbers are uncomfortable. Analyses by TechSpot and GadgetReview show physical PlayStation games — especially used copies — undercut PS Store prices by 40–90%. Titles like Elden Ring, Black Myth: Wukong, and Death Stranding 2 showed gaps exceeding 90%. Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare sat at $59.99 digitally while GameStop sold used discs for roughly $9.99.
Here’s what the data actually looks like across a broader sample from Ars Technica’s analysis:
- The PS Store’s standard price was the most expensive option for 15 of 19 games examined
- The best digital sale prices were available only 13–33% of the time over a full year
- Used discs were still the cheapest option for 7 of 19 games, even after accounting for every digital sale window
“No discs means no second-hand market and no alternative to the PlayStation Store,” a Dutch consumer group warned, via WCCFTech.
Yes, PS Store sales occasionally beat disc prices — Ars found digital won on 10 of 19 titles during sale windows. But those windows cover a fraction of the year, while cheap used discs are available whenever you want them. The PC comparison doesn’t hold here either: Steam prices race to the bottom because Epic, GOG, and key resellers compete directly for your money. PlayStation has one store, one gatekeeper, and one price setter — and no competing storefront to keep the floor honest. Broader game-industry trends, including why international developers are reconsidering GDC 2026, point to a publishing landscape increasingly shaped by a handful of powerful platforms.
It’s Not Just the Price Tag
Losing discs eliminates resale value, trade-ins, and lending — while a €457M legal claim already looms over Sony’s pricing power.
Physical discs let you resell, trade, or lend games — recovering real money after you’ve finished them. Digital licenses offer zero residual value, like buying a concert ticket that disintegrates after the show. A Dutch class-action claim seeking €400–457M argues Sony’s digital pricing practices harm consumers, according to Yahoo Finance. The irony flagged by critics: Sony’s own 2028 plan reportedly undermines its legal defense that players always had a cheaper physical alternative, since Sony itself is choosing to eliminate it. The history of video games is already full of episodes where platform power clashed with consumer access — this may be the most consequential yet.
Digital distribution gives Sony a bigger share of the pie “with zero savings passed to the consumer,” according to Forbes.
From 2028, the only pricing levers left are Sony’s chosen sale schedule and PS Plus subscription tiers — both of which have already trended upward. The bargain bin was never glamorous. It was just the thing keeping prices honest.
