Sony ditching PlayStation discs threatens $7.2bn used game market, analysts say

The looming end of physical PlayStation discs threatens to dismantle a $7.2 billion global market for pre-owned video games, according to analysts reacting to Sony’s decision to cease disc manufacturing by January 2028. That valuation, calculated by Dataintelo and reported via CNBC, represents the total value of second-hand game sales, console hardware, accessories, and peripherals transacted in 2025. The firm projects this figure could climb to $13.8 billion by 2034 if the market were allowed to continue. Consoles alone accounted for 42.3 percent of that $7.2 billion revenue stream.

North America dominates the pre-owned sector, contributing 36.8 percent of global second-hand revenue, or roughly $2.65 billion. In the United States, more than 38 percent of all video game transactions in 2025 involved a used game. Key players in the region include GameStop, Amazon, eBay, and Decluttr. Europe holds the second-largest share at 28.3 percent, with the UK, Germany, France, and the Nordic countries leading adoption. CEX is the dominant European retailer in this space. Asia Pacific ranks third with an estimated 24.6 percent, while Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa together account for 10.3 percent. Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa have seen the fastest growth.

Sony’s move will devastate most brick-and-mortar retailers, even if some continue selling code-in-box options or digital vouchers. Michael Pachter, managing director of strategic planning at Wedbush Securities, put it bluntly: “Realistically, at least one-third of games have been sold historically as used, and the games that were sold also provided currency to the gamer who traded them in as cash to pay for new games. Brick and mortar game retail is doomed.”

The second-hand market thrives primarily on affordability, though it also supports retro gaming and hardware. By eliminating physical discs, Sony removes consumer choice, forcing players into digital purchases that recent reports show are almost always more expensive than retail copies. Kazunori Ito, director of equity research at Morningstar, expects the pre-owned market to shrink steadily before vanishing entirely. “There is an important difference between players accepting that shift because they see value in it, and having it effectively forced on them by taking away the alternative,” Ito said. “Most would prefer to make that transition in their own way and at their own pace, rather than having it driven by the end of physical discs.”

Sony’s decision applies only to future releases, leaving existing discs unaffected. However, the move strongly signals that the PS6 will likely lack a disc drive. If the next console remains backward-compatible with PS5 games, it will probably support only digital copies. Microsoft has not confirmed whether its next-generation Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will also drop the disc drive, though reports indicate the company is exploring ways for players to digitize their physical collections.