PlayStation disc phaseout petition hits 120,000 signatures in just four days

Q: How might the disc phaseout impact pricing and availability of PlayStation games compared to current digital-only releases?

The primary article says petitioners worry discs provide tangible ownership while digital copies are effectively revocable licenses, raising concerns about pricing and long-term viability of digital-only sales. It implies the phaseout could reduce consumer choice and hurt retail and secondhand markets, potentially affecting availability and perceived value compared with current digital-only releases.

Sony's plan to end disc-based PlayStation games by 2028 has sparked backlash, with a petition hitting 100,000 signatures in four days.

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Jak Connor

Tech and Science Editor

Published Jul 6, 2026 7:32 AM CDT

1 minute & 45 seconds read time

TL;DR: Sony's plan to end physical PlayStation game discs by 2028 has sparked backlash, with a petition gaining 120,000 signatures in four days. Critics cite concerns over ownership, pricing, and the impact on retail and secondhand markets, arguing digital sales offer only revocable licenses, not true ownership.

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Sony's plan to phase out physical disc production for new PlayStation games by January 2028 has triggered a massive gamer revolt, with a Change.org petition hitting 120,000 signatures in just four days, and that comes after a separate petition held by tech experts Digital Foundry, which received 45,000 signatures calling for Sony to reconsider its decision.

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The "Don't Kill the Disc" petition, created by the Canadian retail platform PnP Games, focuses on Sony's phasing out of physical PlayStation disc games beginning January 2028. The petition focuses its concerns on ownership, pricing, and the long-term viability of digital-only game sales.

Petitioners argue that discs represent tangible ownership, while digital codes offer nothing more than a revocable license and a complete lack of actual ownership of the title purchased. The petition points to instances in which people have purchased digital copies of movies from platforms and then had those movies already purchased deleted from their libraries.

Read more: 45,000 gamers urge Sony to reconsider killing physical PlayStation games

PlayStation disc phaseout petition hits 120,000 signatures in just four days 2

The backlash reflects the strain the gaming industry is currently experiencing as hardware prices rise, with companies passing those costs on to gamers, and now news that physical discs that represent real ownership are on their way out.

While this transition to entirely digital is undeniably inevitable, just look at the PC market; many believe Sony is pushing too fast and disregarding consumer choice and the livelihoods of retail and secondhand markets.

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The petition also called out a promise Sony made in 2013, in which the company assured PlayStation players that they could "keep their games forever." Sony has yet to respond to the recent backlash, and it remains unclear whether these petitions will be enough to persuade the company to reconsider its decision.