Sony's plan to kill PS5 discs by 2028 is a financial nightmare for Indian players

I still buy almost all my PS5 games on physical discs. If you live in India and play on consoles, you know exactly why. Our relationship with gaming is shaped by a harsh financial reality: there is zero regional pricing on the PlayStation Store.

When a major release launches, it costs ₹4,799 to ₹4,999 digitally. That is a massive chunk of money for a single game. The only way many of us afford to play these games at launch is through a very simple, very necessary loop: we buy the physical disc, play it over a couple of weeks, and resell it on websites like Gameloot, Gamenation, or directly to other players on Reddit and WhatsApp groups.

If you buy a game for ₹4,799 on disc, finish it, and sell it for ₹3,500, your actual cost of playing that game was ₹1,300.

Now, Sony wants to kill that entire ecosystem.

The 2028 Deadline

If you haven't been following the news, reports are circulating about Sony aiming to phase out physical media entirely by 2028. It started with rumors, but now indie developers are getting dragged into the crossfire, with some players blaming smaller studios for not supporting physical releases. Let’s be clear: this isn’t on indie devs. It is a calculated, top-down corporate decision by Sony to control the marketplace.

If Sony removes the disc drive, they remove your choice. They build a walled garden where they dictate the price of every single piece of software you buy.

If you buy a digital-only PS5 today, you are locked into the PlayStation Store. If a game is three years old and Sony decides to keep it at ₹3,999, you have to pay that price. On the physical market, you could easily grab a used copy of that same game for ₹1,200. I recently wanted to replay Ghost of Tsushima. On the PS Store, the Director's Cut is still listed at full price. I walked down to a local shop in Karol Bagh and picked up a pre-owned disc for ₹1,500. Under Sony's 2028 plan, that option simply ceases to exist.

Why This Hits India Harder Than Western Markets

In the US or Europe, players can rely on frequent digital sales, better subscription options, or higher disposable incomes to offset the cost of digital-only gaming. In India, console gaming is already a luxury. We pay a premium just to get the hardware into the country due to import taxes.

Then there is the infrastructure issue. Downloading a 150GB game like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor or the latest Call of Duty isn't a minor task for everyone. Yes, fiber internet has spread rapidly across Tier-1 Indian cities, but step outside those zones and a 100GB+ download is a weekend-long project that eats up data caps. Popping in a disc and downloading a small day-one patch is infinitely more viable for millions of players.

And let's look at the Nintendo Switch for contrast.

If you’ve never owned a Nintendo console because you grew up playing mobile games or PC, the physical cartridge market is the ultimate argument for buying a Switch in India. Nintendo games almost never drop in price digitally. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still an expensive digital purchase years after launch. But because of physical cartridges, there is a thriving local trade. You buy the game, play it for 80 hours, and swap it with someone else for Super Mario Odyssey. The cartridge holds its physical value.

Sony is looking at this physical freedom and trying to shut it down to protect their digital margins.

What Happens Next?

If Sony successfully kills the disc drive, they will alienate a massive portion of their audience in developing markets. PC gaming is already highly attractive in India because of Steam’s regional pricing and cheaper hardware entry points if you build a budget rig. If console gaming becomes a strict ₹5,000-per-game hobby with no option to resell or buy used, the PS6 is going to be a incredibly tough sell here.

This isn't about progress or a natural transition to the digital age. It's about taking away consumer ownership. When you buy a digital game, you are only purchasing a temporary license to play it. When Sony decides to pull a game from their servers, or if your account gets flagged or hacked, your library is gone. With a disc, you actually own the product.

If you are planning to buy a PS5 soon, do yourself a favor and get the disc version. Enjoy the flexibility of buying used, trading with friends, and actually owning your library while you still can. Because if Sony gets their way by 2028, console gaming in India is going to get a whole lot more expensive.

Are you already digital-only on PS5, or are you holding onto physical discs like I am? If you've tried to rely solely on the Indian PS Store sales, how much are you actually spending a year?