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Sony ditches the disc – here’s how you can still save money on games
Lars is a bloodhound when it comes to sniffing out bargains, including on major sales events such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. He is also handy at unravelling tech jargon and anything related to gaming.
As it turns out, play does have its limits. At the beginning of July, Sony announced that physical disc production for the PlayStation 5 will end in January 2028.
This raises plenty of concerns – killing physical discs will strip gamers of consumer choice and could even harm third-party retailers. There are, however, still ways to save money on games.
Read on to see our expert tips, and learn what this transition will mean for gamers.
While this change is a shake-up, we're already seeing it with upcoming releases like Grand Theft Auto VI. Learn more in our guide on the best GTA 6 pre-order deals.
* References to ‘Average price' and 'Cheapest price' are based on Which? market knowledge and information supplied by our partners. Average price is checked for the six calendar months prior to publication. Not all retailers are included in our checks.
Why is PlayStation discontinuing discs?
In a blog post on 1 July, Sony announced it would ditch discs, citing shifts in consumer preferences and how PlayStation users play their games.
While digital games are a popular choice among gamers who want to avoid clutter, you don't 'own' them in a traditional sense.
With digital versions, you own a licence to play a copy of the game you paid for. These are usually revocable and can't be transferred between gamers or accounts.
Your access to a digital game can be revoked if you break any terms of service, if a publisher decides to remove their game from distribution, or if there are licensing issues within the game (such as music rights expiring). The same can't be said about physical discs.
Physical discs also offer an easy way to save money on older games or make some cash back by selling the games you've already finished.
Sony's change won't affect games that are already released or those that come out before the 2028 deadline.
What does this mean for consumers?
Our expert says:
After the 2028 deadline, retailers will still sell PS5 games, but they'll be 'code-in-box' versions. Some retailers already carry these, but they're just the game case with a download code instead of a disc. On the surface, this shouldn't seem like a major change; these days, most games are too big to fit on a disc. Instead, the game's licensing data and core installation files are what come in physical versions. What Sony's decision really affects is second-hand games – from 2028 onward, you won't be able to save money by buying newer releases second-hand. This impacts gamers struggling to keep up with ballooning prices of the top games, and means you also won't be able to share new games with your friends. This change particularly impacts younger gamers who don't have a regular income, and those who can't afford the £60 or £70 price of a new game.
Will you still be able to buy second-hand PS5 games?
Games released before 2028 will still likely have a disc. According to a recent Game File report, Sony told game publishers that they will 'still be able to place re-orders for existing PlayStation disc games'. This means that you'll be able to get physical versions of the games released in 2027, or buy them second-hand at a lower cost from retailers like CEX for the time being.
After January 2028, however, since code-in-box games typically come with a single-use download code, you won't be able to resell your games or buy newer titles second-hand.
Read our advice on whether you should buy a PlayStation 5 Digital, Disc or Pro
Will I still be able to play my physical games on PS5?
While discs for new games won't be available from 2028, you will still be able to play your existing physical games if you own a PlayStation 5 with a disc reader.
Should you buy a digital-only PS5 now that discs are being discontinued?
Now that PlayStation is discontinuing discs, if you were thinking of getting a PS5, it may be worth saving money now on a digital-only version.
Even with the recent price hikes to the console, the PS5 Slim Digital retails for £50 less than a 'standard' PlayStation 5. Compare the best prices on the console below:
PlayStation 5 Slim Digital
*Average price in the last six months: £461 | Cheapest Price in the last six months: £368
Thinking of switching over to PC? Here's how you can get a gaming PC for free
How can you save money on digital games?
It isn't all doom and gloom: you can still expect to see major discounts on newer games from the PlayStation Store. Plus, retailers are still likely to sell PS5 games at competitive prices – they'll just be digital versions.
If you want to save money on games, wait for big seasonal sales from the PlayStation Store.
Just know that you won't be able to resell these games to recoup some of the costs once you're done playing them.
We'll also be keeping our eyes peeled for the best game bargains as part of our coverage on the best PlayStation 5 deals
Is Xbox discontinuing discs?
While Sony has made its stance clear, we still don't know whether or not Microsoft will follow suit in the coming months. Outlets like The Verge report that Xbox will likely stop disc production but will launch a feature that allows Xbox owners to digitise their existing physical game collection.
We hope physical discs will remain a staple of gaming, but we can't say for certain that Xbox won't abandon discs, too.
In the meantime, you can read our round-up of the best Xbox deals – including our picks for bargains on physical and digital copies
