Image: Push Square
An astonishing 85% of PS5 and PS4 games were purchased digitally in Sony’s most recent financial quarter, which covered the three month period ending 31st March.
That means the average for the financial year as a whole tallied 78%, an increase of 2% year-over-year and a record high for the brand.
Digital sales represented just 19% a decade ago, and got their biggest bump during 2020, when the pandemic helped push them up to 65%. They’ve been steadily rising ever since.
This all comes against the backdrop of a recent DRM scare involving the PS Store, which prompted fears about digital game ownership.
As it turns out, Sony implemented a new check-in feature designed to deter players from taking advantage of a refund scam, and nothing has materially changed to your experience. Digital games can still be played offline.
As an aside, it’s worth noting that while there’s been a collapse in both the physical % share and units, there will still 70m packaged games sold in the past year for PlayStation consoles.
So yes, the digital ratio is set to surpass 80%, but that 20% is still 10s of millions pic.twitter.com/ek7vKler1R
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 9, 2026
It is worth noting that while physical games “only” represented 20% of PS5 and PS4’s software sales in the previous financial year, this still works out to around 70 million boxed games, which is not an insignificant sum by any stretch.
Considering the sheer size of this addressable market, and the fact PlayStation still commands a global audience, where some customers may not have access to high-speed Internet, it means the PS6 will likely still offer physical media.
However, at this point we wouldn’t expect a disc drive to be included as standard – especially as the rising cost of RAM and other components mean it’ll probably be looking to save money where possible.
We don’t think physical gaming is going away, we just reckon it’s going to become more and more prestigious, a bit like vinyl.
It’d actually be cool to see publishers turn back time and start enhancing their physical editions with art books and other paraphernalia, giving customers who want to pay extra the option of a true, high quality boxed experience.
But where do you stand on all this? Do you still favour physical media, and why? Do you think PS6 will do away with boxed games? Let us know below.
Do you still buy physical games for PS5 and PS4? (371 votes)
Yes, I only buy physical games35%Sometimes, it depends on the game or price37%Rarely, although I’m not opposed to it at all10%No, I never buy boxed games19%
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As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.