Physical PS5 games remain cheaper than digital, report finds as Sony ends disc manufacturing

Sony has announced it will end manufacturing of physical PlayStation discs beginning January 2028, shifting all future releases for PlayStation 5 and every other publisher to digital-only formats.

Retail prices for PS5 games typically fall over time while PlayStation Store prices do not. A report published by Dutch website Tweakers examined historical prices for 16 first- and third-party PS5 titles over four years. Data came from Tweakers' Pricewatch service tracking Dutch retailers and PSprices for Dutch PlayStation Store listings, starting from 8 July 2022.

The analysis shows that retail prices drop as games age, but PlayStation Store titles often remain at full launch price years later unless included in a promotion. When the store runs a sale, prices return to their prior level afterward. Retail prices fluctuate more frequently and do not follow the rigid structure of Sony's digital storefront.

First-party PlayStation exclusives are almost never cheaper on the PlayStation Store than at retail. The report found that these titles rarely receive permanent base-price reductions. Only Horizon Forbidden West has seen its initial €80 price permanently lowered to €60; other first-party games such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart remain at launch pricing even years after release.

Third-party games sometimes receive permanent price drops on the PlayStation Store, but this remains uncommon. The report concludes that if a buyer purchases a PS5 game now, the physical version is statistically most likely to cost less. Retail price reductions also tend to continue declining over time, unlike digital listings.

Retailers will still sell physical copies but only as code-in-box or voucher products after 2028. Sony's decision eliminates second-hand game sales because no physical media will exist to resell or share. Retailers could still compete on pricing of the digital vouchers included in those packages.

The announcement has drawn widespread criticism. Hundreds of thousands signed a petition urging Sony to reverse course, while the company's social media accounts and a 2013 PS4 anti-DRM video have received millions of new comments criticizing the move. Experts consulted after the news identified retailers and price-sensitive customers as the biggest losers, noting that Sony will retain a larger share of revenue per game sold.

Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier calculated that for a typical $70 game Sony could earn as high as 54 percent of revenue, and 40 percent on third-party titles. The report highlights that physical retail has historically offered better value for shoppers seeking lower prices throughout the year.