'If discs disappear, anyone who owns a PlayStation will no longer be able to choose where to buy their games and will be forced to purchase them exclusively through Sony's store' lawmakers have argued

Sony continues to face backlash over its decision to ditch discs in the next two years.

Starting from January 2028, new PlayStation games will not be released on a disc. Instead, you'll only be able to get your hands on these titles with a download from the PlayStation Store on console, or buy a download code from a high street retailer. It marks the end of second-hand games or lending a disc to a friend.

The furore from PlayStation owners is particularly strong since Sony won plaudits from across the industry last generation when Microsoft announced plans to tie Xbox One games to online accounts, forcing the console to check in every 24 hours, introducing restrictions that could limit how physical discs were lent, traded or resold,

Sony capitalised on the controversy — confirming that PlayStation 4 would place no new restrictions on physical discs, allowing players to lend, borrow, sell and trade games in the same way as all previous consoles.

It reinforced the message with a now-iconic 22-second video showing one executive simply handing a game to another. The stark contrast helped position Sony as the more consumer-friendly company, while Microsoft reversed its policies before the Xbox One launched, but the damage to its reputation had already been done.

In the wake of the latest announcement, more than 274,000 people have put their names to the campaign, titled "Don't Kill the Disc," launched on Change.org by Jade Pearce, who runs Canadian retailer PNP Games.

Meanwhile, players have flooded its social media posts and comments on YouTube videos with anger about the decision to discontinue physical media for its bestselling console. Sony already sells two variants of its PS5 console, with the model capable of playing game discs and Blu-rays costing more.

And now, Sony faces a formal complaint from lawmakers in Mexico, who believe the decision to cull discs constitutes anti-competitive and anti-consumer behaviour from the Japanese firm. Federal Representative Iraís Reyes and Senator Luis Donaldo Colosio are gearing up to file a complaint with the National Antitrust Commission in Mexico, requesting a formal investigation into the ramifications of the Sony decision.

"If discs disappear, anyone who owns a PlayStation will no longer be able to choose where to buy their games and will be forced to purchase them exclusively through Sony's store,” Iraís Reyes told Levelup.

"Retailers such as Liverpool, Sanborns, and GamePlanet would no longer compete to sell new video games, and the second-hand and game trading markets – which are massive – would also disappear," added Luis Donaldo Colosio.

Forcing millions of players to rely on downloads to access all new video games will punish those without access to a high-speed internet connection.

A modern PS5 game, like Marvel's Spider-Man 2, requires files totalling as much as 100GB. Donaldo Colosio explained: "By forcing everything to become digital, the assumption is that everyone has access to reliable high-speed internet, when we know that isn't the reality throughout Mexico."

Sid Shuman, Senior Director of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said: "As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028."

The Video Game History Foundation has also criticised Sony's move, describing it as "a hit to consumer rights, the resale market, and game creators whose businesses rely on the physical market."

Former Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra has urged gaming companies to make a "digital promise" guaranteeing players can always access their purchases. Sony hasn't responded since the backlash began. The company's PlayStation social media accounts have been dormant for days.

Aside from the petition, gamers are taking other actions by cancelling their PlayStation Plus subscriptions.

This is a paid subscription service for the Sony consoles of the same name that unlocks online gameplay, discounts on new purchases, a downloadable catalogue of PlayStation games, and free trials on new titles.

However, subscribers have said they're getting offers of up to 50% off in a promotion to win them back after cancelling. A Reddit user wrote: "In protest to Sony going all digital, I tried to cancel my subscription. But they hit me with a 50% off if I resubscribe."

Sony's disc-printing facility in Austria, which churns out roughly 600,000 discs daily, has started moving staff and equipment towards producing optical microlenses instead.

The factory's parent company has invested around €30 million (about £25 million) in new machinery and expects disc output to drop to just 10% of current levels by 2028. Rather than making workers redundant, the plan is to retrain approximately 300 employees.

Analyst Daniel Ahmad estimates Sony sold more than 70 million physical discs in 2025 alone.