PlayStation digital sales reach 85% of PS5, PS4 purchases

Sony reported that 85% of PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 game purchases were digital in the quarter ended March 31, a record for the brand, according to the company’s financial results.

For the full fiscal year, digital sales averaged 78%, up two percentage points from the prior year.

Digital distribution has increased over the past decade. Ten years ago, digital accounted for about 19% of PlayStation software sales. During 2020, amid the pandemic, digital share rose to roughly 65% and has continued to climb since then.

Sony addressed consumer concerns about a new PlayStation Store check-in feature, explaining it was introduced to deter a specific refund scam and does not prevent playing digitally purchased games offline. The company described the change as not materially altering the consumer experience.

Physical software continues to make up a portion of sales. Sony reported boxed games were about 20% of PS4 and PS5 software sales in the previous fiscal year, which the company said equates to roughly 70 million physical units sold.

Physical formats remain in markets with limited broadband access and among customers who prefer collecting discs or cartridges.

Some industry analysts have pointed to rising component costs as a factor that could lead manufacturers to remove disc drives from some future console models while still offering physical formats in select SKUs. Sony has not announced plans for its next-generation hardware.

Sony’s financial report did not include new guidance on how it will balance digital and physical offerings going forward. The company highlighted the size of its digital business within its software and services revenue while noting boxed-game sales remain part of global demand.