Why is Sony putting stickers on PS5 boxes?

To comply with consumer protection laws in Europe and to clearly inform every buyer that the physical format is disappearing in January 2028. It's a way of getting ahead of complaints and highlighting the information before purchase.

Will my disc-based games still work after 2028?

Yes, absolutely. Discs for games released before January 2028 will continue to work on PS5. Only new titles from that date onward will be exclusively digital.

How many PlayStation sales are already digital?

In the April-June 2026 quarter, 82% of PlayStation game sales were already digital. The figure shows that all-digital is no longer a hypothesis, but a firmly established trend.

Will Sony reverse its decision in the face of boycott calls?

No. CFO Lin Tao acknowledged the "strong reactions" but confirmed that Sony would move forward "cautiously" without changing course. Economic reasoning takes precedence.

What's the real problem with this decision?

Beyond the shift to all-digital, it's mainly game preservation and used game resale that raise concerns. Without physical discs, you never truly own the game, you're just renting a digital license.

PS5: Sony is sticking warning labels on the boxes

Sony is no longer content with just announcing the end of physical games on PS5 in January 2028. The company is now sticking a warning directly on its console boxes, as if to carve the message into the cardboard.

The sticker, spotted on stock sold through European retailers, states:

From January 2028, new PlayStation games will only be available in digital format on the PlayStation Store and at retailers. Discs for games released before this date will remain playable on this console.

This notice also appears on some Amazon product pages in Europe, likely to comply with the region's consumer protection laws.

The detail that stings: Sony could have settled for an official statement and let the matter quietly die down in the FAQs. Instead, every new PS5 buyer runs into the reminder as soon as they open the box, before even inserting a disc.

The decision keeps raising hackles. Calls for a boycott have been circulating since the initial announcement, and the pressure doesn't seem to be letting up. Asked about it this week during an investor session, Sony's CFO, Lin Tao, acknowledged that the announcement had sparked "strong reactions", while confirming that the company would move forward "with caution" but without changing course.

The economic reasoning holds up: over the last quarter (April-June), 82% of PlayStation game sales were already digital. All-digital is no longer a hypothesis, it's a settled trajectory. What remains is the question of preservation and used game resale, which is likely to weigh heavily in the debate between now and 2028. A relentlessness that, as we may well see, risks being very poorly received...