The controversy over Sony’s announcement that it will discontinue the production of physical PlayStation tablets in 2028 is still ongoing, and one of the most discussed issues is the impact this decision will have on the second-hand market. Although many analysts believe that this is indeed a problem to worry about, relevant data points out that the sales of “physical games” themselves have been declining for many years.
Although it is often difficult to take into account the circulation of the second-hand market when calculating the sales performance of a game, it has always been one of the important channels for some players to purchase games. Whether it is exchange among friends, consignment to physical retail stores, or direct online auctions, for players, this gives them the opportunity to buy the game they want at a cheaper price than the official price.
However, with physical discs from PlayStation consoles officially becoming a thing of the past, that option will disappear too. To make matters worse, according to predictions by well-known analysts, when the next generation of consoles completely abandons physical tablets, the second-hand market will be the first to bear the brunt, and may even gradually disappear over time.
The used games market is worth a total of $7.2 billion?
Although the second-hand market will still sell retro games, old-generation works, and Nintendo Switch cartridges in the future, in a recent interview with “CNBC”, Morningstar Equity Research Director Kazunori Ito said that when subsequent new PlayStation games no longer release physical copies, physical retail stores will begin to “continue to shrink” until they disappear completely.
In addition, Michael Futter, founder of the game industry consulting company F-Squared, criticized Sony’s decision as not only “extremely anti-consumer” but also without any rationality. It also fully demonstrated their contempt for players in their own ecosystem.
According to estimates from market research firm Dataintelo, including game consoles, accessories and peripherals, the second-hand game market currently has a market value of approximately US$7.2 billion, and is expected to grow to US$13.8 billion in 2034. It is not difficult to see that the physical market still has huge business potential.
The financial pressure on die-hard gamers will become even more severe
Michael Pachter, managing director of strategic planning from the Wedbush Securities team, also said that at least “one-third” of games will eventually circulate in the second-hand market, and the cash earned by players from selling second-hand games often becomes one of the important sources of funds for them to purchase subsequent new games. Even so, he admitted that the form of physical games seems to be destined to die, and full digitization has become an inevitable trend.
When Sony officially eliminates physical games, it means that game-related revenue will be completely limited to PlayStation’s own closed ecosystem. All game-related software purchases can only be completed through the official platform, and players will completely lose a channel to buy games at a cheaper price. Not to mention that many rumors currently suggest that the next generation of game consoles may be priced close to $1,000, and even games priced at $80 will become more and more common, which means that players will be under greater financial pressure.
Although players are still generally difficult to accept this new policy, the latest data suggests that PlayStation physical game sales seem to have already declined in the North American market, so this seems to be an inevitable choice for Sony.
The decline of the physical game market has already revealed clues to digital decision-making
According to a recent statistical report released by Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, as of July 11, only two physical versions of PlayStation games have successfully sold more than 10,000 units in North America this year, and only 7 have accumulated local sales of more than 100,000 units this year.
In addition, Mat Piscatella once again shared the data he released in May 2026, pointing out that the entire gaming industry’s new physical game spending has actually been showing a steady downward trend since 2009, and major console publishers have paid close attention to these data for many years. Although the sales of physical games are still quite enthusiastic in some areas, that is only in some places where digital forms are more difficult to obtain.
Reposting the US physical software sales trend for folks wanting more context.Circana tracks the Americas, other firms track other regions.I'm no fan of physical going away, but it wasn't my call.And I get people are passionate on this topic. I'm not saying people shouldn't be. Live your life.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-07-21T10:46:29.558Z
GTA6 gives a new solution to the coexistence of entities and numbers?
This is undoubtedly regrettable news for players who prefer physical game collections and are worried about future preservation. Even though hundreds of thousands of players have signed a petition hoping that Sony can reverse this decision, what is certain is that they will not change their minds that easily.
Interestingly, the most anticipated super-heavy masterpiece “Grand Theft Auto 6” in 2026 also brought an unexpected decision after opening pre-orders in June. That is, although the game will still be released in a physical version, the game package will not include a game disc, but a serial number card.
Therefore, some players believe that perhaps PlayStation’s “physical version” games will be launched in a similar form starting in 2028, maintaining sales of physical versions while being digital, so that some physical stores can still sell their games.
Source: KOCPC Chinese