PlayStation shook and disoriented the video game industry when it revealed earlier this month that it had plans to cease the production of discs by January 2028. Of course, fans were quick to realize how bleak an all-digital PlayStation future might look, and the community has been ruminating on which games will be the last to be released with a genuine physical copy.
Grand Theft Auto 6’s preorders and edition reveals have started this trend off hot by choosing not to launch with a disc, only a code that comes in the physical case, but it seems as if PS4 and PS5 gamers are waiting for a ticking time bomb to explode in the future anyway. Based on studies that have been conducted, the future isn’t looking great for discs and physical media, no matter how fans slice it.
According to the Canadian Conservation Institute, as shared by GameRant, read-only Blu-ray discs (discs with pre-recorded digital data) may only last “10 to 20 years.” If so, we could hypothetically start to see PS4 discs degrade beyond repair or use by 2033, with PS5 discs equally susceptible to degradation in the same span. Likewise, as GameRant mentions,...
