US physical game sales have reached a new low, with only seven titles selling more than 100,000 physical copies in the past 12 months, according to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella. The data underscores why Sony is proceeding with plans to stop releasing physical PlayStation games after 2027, despite ongoing backlash on social media.
Piscatella shared the statistics on Bluesky in response to complaints about Sony's digital-only future, which have flooded PlayStation social media posts and YouTube videos. While the seven best-selling physical games were not named, they likely include titles from Circana's overall best-sellers list for 2026, such as Resident Evil Requiem, Crimson Desert, MLB: The Show 26, 007 First Light, Forza Horizon 6, Pokémon Pokopia, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
Physical Sales Plummeting
During the week ending July 11, only two PlayStation games sold more than 10,000 physical copies. These figures highlight the declining demand for physical media, which has been exacerbated by the closure of major retailers like UK chain GAME. The collapse of physical retail creates a vicious cycle: fewer stores lead to lower sales, which further reduces the incentive for publishers to produce discs.
Physical game enthusiasts have launched a petition demanding Sony reverse its decision, which recently surpassed 334,000 signatures. However, industry trends suggest the battle was lost years ago.
Developer Weighs In
Chet Faliszek, a veteran video game writer who worked on Half-Life 2 and Portal at Valve, argued in a recent YouTube video that consumers themselves drove the shift to digital. “You, the consumer, have made a choice, and your choice is for digital,” Faliszek said. He noted that Sony's fiscal report shows 85% of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game sales in the last quarter were digital. “They’re reacting to your purchases. They had a system set up and you said, ‘No, we don’t like this. What we like is buying it digital. We want it instantly. We want to be able to download and play it right away.’”
The move to digital-only has drawn criticism over ownership and refund policies, as digital games often come with restrictive licenses. Sony's refund policy for digital PlayStation games remains limited, adding to consumer frustration. Nevertheless, the sales data indicates that the market has already made its preference clear.
