Connecting the dots: One of the primary criticisms of Sony's decision to end the production of new games on physical PlayStation discs in 2028 centers on the likelihood that it will increase the average prices users pay. Recently compiled data from a price tracker illustrates just how much more people migompaht be forced to hand over after switching from retail to digital.
Dutch price tracker Tweakers recently compared the price histories of physical and digital versions of several PlayStation games. Unsurprisingly, retail copies are often dozens of euros cheaper, even without counting the used market.
The website compared its pricing records starting in 2022 with Dutch PlayStation Store prices from psprices.com. New copies of many titles were over 30 euros cheaper at retailers, with gaps sometimes reaching 50 euros.
Although the PlayStation Store periodically offers discounts that closely resemble retail pricing, they are far too infrequent to match the permanent price drops from brick-and-mortar stores. As a result, physical copies of critically acclaimed titles such as Resident Evil, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, or Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are usually at least 70% cheaper than digital. The discrepancy can exceed 90% for games such as Elden Ring, Horizon: Forbidden West, Black Myth: Wukong, and Death Stranding 2. The effect is greater with Sony's in-house titles, which experience fewer price drops and discounts.
Users shopping for PlayStation games released after 2027 will, more often than not, have no choice but to purchase digital copies at full price, but the majority are likely already doing so by choice. While up-to-date statistics revealing the split between physical and digital sales of games available in both markets remain elusive, Sony has likely calculated that losing a few disc-only customers is worth it to earn more revenue via digital sales.
The most recent available figure on the topic comes from Sony's end-of-year fiscal statement for 2025, which reveals that it shipped nearly 70 million new physical discs that year. Older data stolen from Sony-owned developer Insomniac Studios suggests that the physical-digital divide for AAA games was nearly even in the early 2020s, but it has likely since shifted in favor of digital.
While newer reports show that more than 80% of Sony's game-sales revenue comes from digital purchases, the figure includes titles that are unavailable at retail, which comprise most of the PlayStation Store. Still, information regarding second-hand sales remains scarce.
Data shows physical PlayStation games can be up to 90% cheaper than their digital versions
