Thousands of PlayStation 5 gamers are expected to put down their controllers next month in a proposed week-long blackout boycott of Sony. The protest is against the company's decision to stop releasing its games on physical discs from January 2028, along with other business practices that have reportedly left fans feeling 'disconnected' from PlayStation.
Who is organising the boycott?
The boycott is being organised by 'Does it play?', a website that advocates for the preservation of video games. Sony's decision to stop making physical copies of its games hinders players' ability to continue playing games long after their release, as their existence relies solely on whether the digital storefront stays live.
Call to action on social media
In a post on X, the website calls for gamers to “give [Sony] a taste of their own medicine”. “Together with other creators we call for a 1 week #PSBlackout in August,” the post reads. “No logins, no play sessions, no purchases on any of Sony's platforms.”
Between August 23 and August 30, the group is calling for PS5 gamers to log out of their accounts, power off the console, and not touch it for the week. The hope is that this will send signals to Sony that players are unhappy with how the company has treated their fans and developers over the years.
Full boycott statement
The statement reads: “For several years now, Sony Interactive Entertainment has continued to grow further apart from its fan base. Whether it's closing beloved studios like Bluepoint, pursuing a misguided live-service strategy, canceling fan events, leaving PS VR2 to die, or being completely out of touch with the franchises players want to see return, PlayStation has never felt more disconnected from its community.
“Ending physical discs in 2028 feels like the last straw. We understand there is only so much SIE can control, but with the decisions that are within its control, the company continues to mismanage the strong position it inherited from the PS4 era.
“There are so many issues with PlayStation right now that bringing back physical games would only be meeting players halfway. There is still much more SIE can do. We miss Twisted Metal, SOCOM, Sly Cooper, and Resistance. We miss PlayStation Experience. We miss Japan Studio.
“With that, we are calling on PlayStation players to participate in an economic and gameplay blackout from Sunday, August 23, at 7:00pm local time through Sunday, August 30, at 7:00pm local time. Players can participate by turning off their consoles or logging out for seven days. We feel that this period gives publishers and developers minimal impact while still giving players a voice.”
Petition and participation doubts
The campaign also links to a petition asking Sony to reverse its decision. The ‘Don’t Kill the Disc’ petition has currently garnered almost 350,000 signatures. Despite the call for a boycott, it is unclear how many players will actually participate – especially given the dates land during the last week of August, when Gamescom is due to take place. Major announcements are expected at Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live on August 25, so it remains to be seen whether PlayStation gamers can hold off their excitement.
Potential impact and sales data
It is also unclear whether such a boycott will have any impact. So far, Sony does not appear to be budging from its decision, and sales data seems to back them up as the vast majority of gamers now purchase their games digitally. As reported by Mat Piscatella on BlueSky, sales data from Circana Sales Tracking Service shows that: “Two PlayStation video games sold more than 10k physical units in the US during week ending July 11, 2026. 7 have sold more than 100k physical units year-to-date.”
