Do you really own digital PlayStation games? Sony’s disc decision explained

It’s not been a great few months for Sony. Not only did the company announce price hikes for the PS5 and PS5 Pro, but it has recently revealed it plans to stop the production of physical game discs from January 2028.

But what does this really mean for gamers with an extensive disc collection? Do you really own digital games and can you resell such games once you’re finished with them?

As the PS5 is easily one of the best games consoles, we’ve put this guide together to help clear up the confusion about Sony’s decision to stop physical disc production in January 2028, and whether or not you really own digital PlayStation games.

What has Sony actually announced?

Sony announced that from January 2028, physical disc production for “all new games” on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued. That means from January 2028, new PlayStation games will only be available in digital formats.

Sony explains that this is a “natural direction” to adapt to consumer trends as, according to the company, the “general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs”. However, Sony has disclaimed that this transition has no impact on games that are already released or are releasing prior to January 2028 in disc format.

Do you own digital PlayStation games?

A key question that many are asking is whether gamers actually own digital PlayStation games, and it’s not quite as simple an answer. 

According to Sony’s terms, when you purchase or download a digital product from the PlayStation Store, be it a game, music or a movie, you’re only buying the personal license for private use of such products. That means although you have access to the game, movie or music, you do not own it.

What’s more is that if your purchasing account is suspended, deleted or closed then you may lose access to your game. 

Put simply – no, you don’t technically own digital PlayStation games according to Sony’s terms. Instead, you own the personal license to access and play the game.

What happens if a game is delisted from the PlayStation Store?

Games can be delisted for numerous reasons, whether that’s expiring copyright licenses or if servers are shut down. This shouldn’t necessarily be a major issue as, generally speaking, if you already bought or downloaded the delisted game from the PlayStation Store then it should remain available in your library and playable.

Having said that, if the game is online-only and requires multi-players or relies on external servers, then it will likely be rendered unplayable.

Can you lend, resell or pass on digital PlayStation games?

One of the biggest knock-on effects of making PlayStation games digital-only is that gamers will lose the ability to resell or exchange their discs with others. As you don’t technically own digital games, and instead own the license, you aren’t able to pass on or sell your titles.

What happens to existing PS5 discs and older games?

Fortunately, Sony has said that this won’t affect existing PS5 discs. Although Sony will stop production from January 2028, older discs will still be playable. 

What should PlayStation players do now?

For now, PlayStation users shouldn’t really need to worry too much as this won’t come into practise until January 2028. Having said that, there are a few things you can do to future-proof your gaming set-up.

Firstly, if you do prefer discs then it might make sense to stock up on physical copies of games that you want to own permanently, rather than just license. We’d also recommend upgrading your console’s storage, as being digital-only will undoubtedly require much more space than you might expect. We have a guide on how to install an SSD in your PS5 or PS5 Pro to help.