New sales data provided by Circana director Mat Piscatella reveals a difficult year for physical retail, with only seven PlayStation 5 games managing to sell more than 100,000 physical copies in the United States throughout 2026.
The data underscores a broader shift in consumer behavior, as digital storefronts like the PlayStation Store now account for an 85% share of total game sales. In the week ending July 11, 2026, only two PS5 titles exceeded 10,000 physical units sold, highlighting the diminished footprint of boxed media in the current market.
UK Market Context
The trend extends to the UK, where physical sales figures have reached historic lows. According to Christopher Dring of The Game Business, selling just 1,000 physical copies in a single week would have been enough to secure a top-ten spot in the UK charts as of mid-July. Even recent releases, such as the new Star Fox remake on Nintendo hardware, struggled to clear that 1,000-copy threshold during the same period.
Impact on Sony's Strategy
These figures provide the context behind Sony's recent announcement to cease the production of physical PlayStation discs beginning in January 2028. Despite intense social media backlash directed at the company, the data suggests that physical sales are currently insufficient to justify continued large-scale production.
While specific titles were not confirmed in the report, the seven games that managed to surpass the 100,000-unit milestone are expected to be the year's most high-profile releases, such as Resident Evil Requiem, Crimson Desert, and 007 First Light. The decline has also affected indie developers, who have faced criticism from some consumers despite the broader market shift toward digital-only distribution.