GTA 6 pre-orders went live last week, with many gamers happily snapping up the latest Grand Theft Auto title. But the lack of a physical disc – even for physical copies – quickly became a talking point among fans. Even if you choose to reserve a boxed copy, you’ll simply receive a GTA 6 box with a download code inside… leading to backlash and memes such as this one.

Now, PlayStation has officially announced the end of physical discs for its consoles, marking the end of an era for game collectors. On top of that, it will no doubt be a kick in the teeth for physical game stores stocking pre-owned titles, essentially removing the possibility of gamers picking up a used copy of a PlayStation game for dirt cheap moving forward.

Physical discs for PlayStation will be discontinued in January 2028

In an official post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony says it is ending production of physical discs in January 2028. From that date, all new games released to PlayStation consoles, presumably covering the PlayStation 5 and maybe even the PlayStation 6. We still don’t know when the PS6 will be coming out, but the move may point towards the next-gen console becoming a fully digital experience.

Shortly after GTA 6 pre-orders went live, we saw rumors suggesting the game will be getting a physical disc in the future, but not until after the game launches. This information was based on a leak, which was then seemingly backed up by Rockstar Support, which talked of a “physical copy” – but this may simply refer to the boxed versions with a download code inside.

A more recent report from The Hollywood Report suggests there will never be a disc available. Not now, not months after launch – just never. According to the report, the email from Rockstar Support (responding to a user ticket) only provides false hope, and an unnamed source says “there are no plans for Grand Theft Auto VI discs to be printed”.

PlayStation’s new announcement may prove to back up that bombshell.

Digital-only media dominates the landscape, from music to film, as well as games, but the complete end of physical game discs will still face backlash. PC gamers have been doing digital-only for more than two decades, with Steam as the catalyst, and now with a launch as big as GTA 6 doing the same for consoles, it’s easy to imagine other publishers will follow suit.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.