Physical copies of video games are increasingly becoming a thing of the past, and new data from the gaming industry shows how much the market has changed over the past few years. According to current analyses and industry reports, about 85% of PlayStation 5 game purchases today are for digital versions, while physical releases continue to see a strong decline.
The trend towards digital distribution has been present for years, but during the current generation of consoles, it has become more pronounced than ever before. Sony has further pushed the digital direction by launching the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition model without a disc drive, while the PlayStation 5 Pro also arrived without a built-in optical drive.
Industry analysts indicate that convenience, faster game downloads, online stores, and ongoing digital sales are among the main reasons why players are increasingly choosing digital versions. On the other hand, physical markets are facing reduced shelf space in stores, weaker distribution, and fewer new releases on discs.
Data for the U.S. shows that sales of physical video games fell to their lowest level in 2025 since such statistics have been tracked, dating back to 1995. Total spending on physical games amounted to about $1.5 billion, representing a new historical low for the market.
However, physical copies still have a large fan base among collectors and some players who prefer the option of resale, lending, or permanent ownership of games. On social media and forums, many players emphasize that they do not plan to completely give up on discs even in future generations of consoles.
Interestingly, there is also increasing mention of the possibility that physical games may become a sort of collectible premium product in the future, similar to what has happened with vinyl records in the music industry.
Although physical media have not yet disappeared, it is clear that the gaming industry is rapidly moving towards a digital future – and the PlayStation ecosystem is one of the best examples of this significant market shift.
