New US and UK data highlights the accelerating shift toward digital game purchases
Summary
– Only seven PS5 games have sold more than 100,000 physical copies in the United States during 2026
– Just two PS5 titles surpassed 10,000 boxed sales during the week ending July 11
– Selling 1,000 physical copies could have secured ninth place on the recent UK chart
New sales data paints a troubling picture for the physical PlayStation 5 market in the United States and United Kingdom.
Circana analyst Mat Piscatella reported that only seven PS5 games have sold more than 100,000 boxed copies in the United States during 2026.
Physical sales were also limited during the week ending July 11, when only two PS5 games surpassed 10,000 boxed units.
The available data did not identify all seven games that crossed the 100,000-copy mark.
Conditions appear equally difficult in the United Kingdom.
Christopher Dring of The Game Business reported that selling approximately 1,000 physical copies would have been enough for a game to reach ninth place on the recent UK boxed chart.
The figures provide additional context for Sony’s decision to end physical-disc production for newly released PlayStation games beginning in January 2028.
Sony said the move reflects consumer trends as digital distribution continues to outpace physical purchases.
The decision has faced strong criticism from players concerned about ownership, preservation, lending, and reselling games.
Physical releases remain valuable to collectors and players with limited internet access, but the latest sales figures show how small the boxed market has become.
The decline does not mean every physical release is unsuccessful, but major sales milestones are becoming increasingly difficult to reach.
