The Global Second-Hand Video Game Market Is Valued at $7.2 Billion, but Sony's Decision to Kill PlayStation Discs Threatens to Destroy It, Analysts Say

Sony’s determination to extremity accumulation of PlayStation discs for caller games from 2028 threatens to destruct the second-hand market, analysts person said.

It's a contented arsenic aged arsenic video games themselves. Selling games oregon trading them successful to either marque immoderate wealth backmost connected your acquisition oregon marque buying caller games cheaper has been a invaluable enactment for gamers for decades. I've sold and traded successful countless games implicit the years, particularly erstwhile wealth was choky and I couldn't spend to bargain caller games astatine afloat price.

Of course, I'm alert of the modulation to integer and digital's dominance implicit the marketplace arsenic it stands today. Indeed, I download astir of my games these days (I precocious bought a transcript of Marvel's Avengers for PS5 from eBay for my lad to play due to the fact that it had been delisted from integer storefronts). But still, I was amazed to spot conscionable however large the second-hand video crippled marketplace remains, and that it's projected to grow.

CNBC reported connected estimates from Dataintelo, which valued the planetary second-hand video crippled marketplace astatine $7.2 cardinal past year, and predicted it would turn to $13.8 cardinal by 2034. Consoles are 42.3% of the gross stock of past year’s valuation of the 2nd manus market, with North America the biggest information of that market. As you’d expect, GameStop and CEX led the competitory scenery successful 2025.

Dataintelo said that the second-hand marketplace was fueled by concerns astir affordability (I deliberation we tin each hold connected that one), the increasing retro gaming culture, and what it called “digital-to-physical gaming transitions.”

But Sony’s arguable determination to ditch carnal discs for PlayStation games threatens to destruct this market. Kazunori Ito, manager of equity probe astatine Morningstar, told CNBC that the second-hand marketplace for games volition “keep shrinking and yet disappear.” Michael Pachter, managing manager of strategical readying astatine Wedbush Securities, told CNBC that "brick and mortar crippled retail is doomed,” erstwhile historically, astatine slightest 1 3rd of games person been sold arsenic used.

Sony’s rationale for ditching discs is that it’s simply pursuing user trends. “In effect to shifting trends successful user preference, caller games volition beryllium released connected PlayStation Store and astatine retailers successful integer formats only,” Sid Shuman, Senior Director, Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications, said successful a station connected PlayStation Blog.

“As user preferences and the broader amusement manufacture proceed to displacement distant from carnal discs to digital, carnal crippled disc accumulation for each caller games releasing connected PlayStation consoles volition beryllium discontinued starting January 2028. Following this date, caller games volition beryllium disposable connected PlayStation Store and astatine retailers successful integer formats only. This modulation has nary interaction connected games that already released, oregon volition beryllium releasing, anterior to January 2028 successful disc format.

“This is simply a earthy absorption for Sony Interactive Entertainment to accommodate to user trends arsenic the wide penchant for integer media importantly outpaces carnal discs. This modulation volition alteration america to align much intimately with however astir of our assemblage prefers to entree and play games today."

Reinforcing this trend, Mat Piscatella, Senior Director and Video Game Industry Advisor astatine Circana, said that conscionable 7 PlayStation video games had sold much than 100,000 carnal units truthful acold this twelvemonth successful the U.S.. Only 2 PlayStation video games sold much than 10,000 carnal units successful the U.S. during the week ending July 11.

However, since the announcement, gamers person called connected Sony to U-turn connected its decision, signing online petitions and swarming implicit PlayStation societal media posts to explicit interest astir video crippled preservation and ownership — adjacent overshadowing the merchandise of caller games that person thing to bash with what’s going connected astatine Sony.

Complaints person besides travel from different groups. The UK’s Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) called Sony’s determination “a triumph of firm convenience implicit user choice.”

In a connection published online, Kim Bayley, CEO of ERA, said its information shows that 25% of nether 25s usage discs for gaming, and that discs should stay arsenic a prime connected apical of digital.

“Every year, millions of gamers inactive take to bargain carnal copies due to the fact that they worth existent ownership. A disc tin beryllium shared with family, traded in, collected, preserved and, crucially, inactive played years from now. A download licence often offers nary of those freedoms,” Bayley said.

It remains improbable that Sony volition U-turn connected this, analysts person told IGN. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Japanese crippled manufacture consultancy steadfast Kantan Games, suggested that adjacent if fractional a cardinal radical cancelled their PlayStation Plus subscription successful protest, it would beryllium conscionable a driblet successful the water for Sony.

"I sympathize with carnal media fans, but Sony volition not reverse this decision," Toto told IGN. "They of people knew what the online absorption would look like, and they present hold for this tempest to pass.

"Sony has implicit 120 cardinal progressive PlayStation users," helium continued. "Around 50 cardinal radical subscribe to PlayStation Plus. As a thought experiment, let's accidental 500,000 cancel successful protest, that would beryllium conscionable 1% of that concern gone — of people not capable for Sony to commencement rethinking. Digital is conscionable excessively lucrative."

For Sony, going all-digital for caller crippled releases volition gain it much wealth from each merchantability astatine a clip erstwhile console income are expected to plummet owed to their rising cost. For a first-party PlayStation crippled specified arsenic The Last of Us, Sony volition lone support astir 65% of the wealth from a carnal copy, with astir 30% going to the retailer and astir different 5% connected manufacturing costs. Meanwhile, for a carnal transcript of a third-party crippled specified arsenic the Activision-published Call of Duty, Sony volition get a licensing fee, apt astir 15%.

For downloads, however, the margins are overmuch higher. For a first-party crippled sold via Sony's ain PlayStation Store, the institution evidently keeps 100% of the revenue. For third-party games specified arsenic Call of Duty, meanwhile, Sony keeps a 30% chopped (so, astir $21 for a $70 game).

Piers Harding-Rolls, games manufacture expert astatine Ampere, has said a batch has changed implicit the people of the past 2 generations. "Console gaming is the past hold-out for carnal media successful the gaming sector, but carnal merchandise has been declining successful importance," helium said successful a station connected the Ampere website. "Back successful 2013 erstwhile the PS4 launched, Ampere information shows that lone 13% of full afloat games portion income for Sony consoles were integer (including digital-only games). Fast guardant to 2025, and this integer stock of afloat crippled purchases stood astatine astir 80% of the total.

"Inevitably determination volition beryllium concerns from PlayStation gamers astir assorted aspects of this announcement including choice, accessing older carnal games connected caller consoles, the quality to cod carnal games, and crippled preservation, nevertheless the purchasing trends of gamers are clear."

One expert said fans of carnal media had their accidental and blew it, truthful there’s nary going back. “If gamers and preservationists had bought much carnal games, Sony wouldn’t person seen the integer income ratios that warrant this decision,” Robin Zhu, a games expert astatine Bernstein, told the Financial Times.

Meanwhile, authorities authorities look improbable to beryllium capable to bash overmuch to forestall Sony going done with its decision. Over the play the EU said it was powerless to halt Sony — and so immoderate institution — from sidesplitting discs.

Photo by Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].