PS6 release date likely 2028 – and it’s almost guaranteed to be a digital-only console
Kiss your discs goodbye
💿 ‘Sony will stop including discs with physical PS5 games starting in January 2028
📅 The PS6 is expected to launch in 2028 as a digital-only console without a disc drive
👉 Sony will prioritize digital software and subscription services over physical backward compatibility
📈 Rising manufacturing costs suggest the PS6 will be a premium-priced device rather than a loss-leader
Sony just announced that physical PS5 games released after January 2028 will no longer include a disc – and the news has given us a clearer insight into the Japanese company’s plans for the PS6.
With the announcement, it’s basically guaranteed that the PS6 will not launch with a disc drive and will also launch in 2028. Similar to the PS5 Pro, it will be a digital-only console, though we’re unlikely to see Sony offer a disc drive add-on this time around.
Why? Well, Sony won’t be releasing any discs for the PS6. Sony will hope that anyone who wants to play PS5 games will either: a) own them digitally; b) buy them digitally; or c) keep their PlayStation 5 to play them on.
That might sound rather brutal, but backward compatibility isn’t where Sony will make its money. As much as Microsoft grabbed headlines with its excellent backward compatibility program, it didn’t transform the console’s dire sales. It’s nice to have for most people, but not a moneymaker like subscriptions or new software sales.
Sony could offer some sort of physical to digital upgrade path, but we haven’t seen anyone implement this promise, despite rumors that Xbox was working on a similar scheme. Again, Sony may crunch the numbers and decide it’s more hassle than it’s worth.
A 2028 release date for the PS6 also makes sense in the current climate, where memory and components are exponentially more expensive than they’ve ever been. The longer Sony can hold out, the more chance it has of being able to secure parts at a cheaper price, if the AI boom slows down, of course.
A new report suggests the PS5 has already jumped $200 to manufacture, and may have exceeded $1,000. With Sony stating that it’s reluctant to take a loss on each console sold, all signs point to a premium-priced console, and one that won’t have a disc drive.
Up next: PSP 2 could become a reality, as Sony hints it’s making a portable console
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.