Physical Game Fans, Beware: Digital Downloads Hit an Astonishing 85% on PS5, PS4 Last Quarter

by

During the first three months of the year, a remarkable 85% of PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 games were bought online through the PlayStation Store, according to Sony’s latest financial report.

Overall, the brand achieved an average score of 78% for the entire financial year. This is 2% higher than last year and represents a new record high.

Ten years ago, only 19% of sales happened online. That number jumped significantly in 2020, thanks to the pandemic, reaching 65%. Online sales have continued to grow consistently since then.

This situation follows concerns raised by a recent issue with digital rights management (DRM) on the PlayStation Store, which made people worried about truly owning the games they purchase digitally.

Sony recently added a new sign-in step to help prevent refund fraud, but it shouldn’t affect how you normally play. You can still play downloaded games without an internet connection.

Although physical game sales made up just 20% of total software sales for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 last year, that still equates to roughly 70 million copies – a substantial number that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Given the large potential audience for the PS6, and because many PlayStation players worldwide don’t have fast internet access, it’s probable the console will continue to support physical game discs.

We don’t anticipate a disc drive being included by default, particularly because increasing costs for components like RAM will likely push the manufacturer to cut costs wherever possible.

We believe physical copies of games won’t disappear, but will likely become more like a premium collectible item, similar to how vinyl records are seen today.

It would be great if publishers revisited the idea of including extras like art books and special items with physical copies of games. This would give players who are willing to spend a little more the chance to get a really nice, collector’s edition package.

Just so you know, this page contains links that may earn us a small commission if you buy something through them. You can find more details about this in our FTC Disclosure.

Read More

2026-05-10 01:36