- US physical video game sales have seen a steep decline since 2009, according to data from Circana.
- Even with a 3% sales increase in 2026 compared to last year, overall sales remained near the historic low touched in 2025.
- The report sheds new light on Sony's decision to kill physical video games.
A new US physical video game consumer report has revealed a consistent drop in sales year after year since 2009. Sales hit rock bottom in 2025 and haven’t recovered much in 2026 either. This is likely a big reason why Sony decided to kill physical game discs for good.
According to Mat Piscatella of Circana, US physical video game sales saw a 3% increase in 2026, compared to last year. However, the overall trend has been steadily going downward ever since the sales peaked in 2009.
Sony’s decision to go digital-only likely stems from this downward trend. Despite record-low sales for physical discs, Sony received major backlash from gamers. Over 120k signatures were filed in a new Don’t Kill the Disc petition as gamers continued to push back against Sony’s announcement.
What came as a complete shock was that Sony didn’t inform their own publishers before announcing the end of physical discs for PlayStation. However, Sony’s decision may have been grounded in facts.
The above report clearly shows a declining interest in the physical disc market. In my personal opinion, if Sony had to decide due to finances, they could have done so starting with the release of PlayStation 6.
Making a major decision like killing physical games after charging additional money for disc drives from PlayStation 5 users is a clear breach of trust. What’s more, without discs, players can also say goodbye to video game trades.
But all may not be over for physical discs, as a recent leak had mentioned that Xbox Project Helix plans to keep the disc drive alive. If this is true, then gamers may shift to Xbox with the next-generation consoles. I continue to believe that physical discs are essential for keeping game ownership alive for players. Killing it off completely can raise all kinds of issues, especially with the worrying Sony ToS clause.
What’s your opinion on Sony’s decision to stop making physical game discs in the future? Do you see their side as well, with the reveal of the new US sales report? Tell us in the comments section below.
