The debate over the eventual disappearance of physical video game formats has intensified in the gaming community, a shift widely seen as inevitable in the years ahead. For Sony and PlayStation, that transition already has a date: 2028.

Despite vocal resistance from many players, market realities paint a challenging picture for physical media, with revenue from disc-based sales steadily eroding.

Recent figures from one of the industry’s most respected analytics firms offer crucial context, illustrating just how sharply the once-dominant format has fallen from its peak.

Circana’s Mat Piscatella Weighs In on Physical Game Sales’ Decline in the United States

Mat Piscatella, a prominent analyst at Circana, has weighed in on the discussion by offering a data-driven perspective on physical game sales in the United States.

In a post shared on his Bluesky account, Piscatella published a chart tracking revenue from physical copies between 2007 and the present day.

According to the data, the format reached its zenith in 2009, a period when the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 were locked in fierce competition. By that time, all three platforms had already launched online stores offering digital games and downloadable content, yet physical discs still accounted for the vast majority of purchases. That year, physical game sales generated a staggering $11.5 billion.

From 2009 onward, however, revenues began a steady decline. Through the current year, 2026, physical sales have brought in approximately $1.6 billion, a dramatic 86% drop over the course of 17 years.}

Ventas de juegos físicos en EUA
La caída en la venta de juegos físicos en Estados Unidos - Gráfico: Circana

An All-Digital Trend Whose Impact in the Market Is Unequal

Piscatella noted that an essential aspect of this analysis is recognizing that game publishers themselves possess comprehensive data on both physical and digital sales trends.

He also emphasized that while physical copies retain stronger relevance in certain regions, others have embraced digital purchasing with far greater enthusiasm, prompting companies to adapt accordingly.

A separate report from TweakTown, which examined the top digital pre-orders on the PlayStation Store across 9 countries, further underscores this shift. Beyond revealing a clear consumer preference for the immediacy of digital downloads, the data also highlights a willingness to pay premium prices, with deluxe and special editions priced above $70 or $80 ranking among the most pre-ordered titles before their official release.

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