Following Sony's plan to discontinue physical discs for new games in 2028, media speculation suggests Xbox may follow a similar path. Recent interesting statistics allow players to see how many users on different platforms are actually buying physical games. The data shows that Xbox games account for just over 4% of newly released physical video games in the US market this year.
According to Circana's monthly report, 63% of newly released physical games in the US so far this year have been on Nintendo platforms, and 32% on PlayStation. When Kotaku journalist asked analyst Mat Piscatella if the remaining percentage belonged to Xbox, he pointed out that there have also been some physical PC game releases this year, such as collector's editions of 007 First Light and Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remastered. Therefore, the final share left for Xbox is just over 4%.
The reason for this disparity is quite obvious. We have long known that Nintendo players purchase physical games at a much higher rate than PlayStation and Xbox players, so it is not surprising that Nintendo holds the majority share.
Nevertheless, PlayStation's clear lead over Xbox is noteworthy. Part of the reason may be that Xbox players can access more games digitally through Game Pass Ultimate, whereas PlayStation players may not have as high a proportion of games available through digital subscription services.
Additionally, several major Xbox first-party titles this year, such as Halo: Campaign Evolved and Forza Horizon 6, have launched or are planned to launch on multiple platforms, which may further reduce the share of Xbox physical game sales.
Regardless, these figures are very interesting as they give us a rough idea of the impact on the market once PlayStation completely stops producing physical discs.
If PlayStation stops releasing physical versions of games, it means that approximately one-third of current physical game sales will either convert to digital sales or disappear entirely.
If Xbox were to take a similar approach, the impact on the overall market would not be as significant. The real focus remains on Nintendo, which is still the dominant force in the physical game market.
However, some third-party games on Switch 2 have already started using Game-Key Cards, indicating that Nintendo might gradually phase out traditional physical media in the future, although that step may still be quite distant.
It's worth noting that, according to data from the same Circana report, new physical software sales in July fell to a historic low of $85 million. It should be noted that this figure represents sales of new games, and since there weren't many major new releases in July, consumers may not have felt the need to purchase physical copies.
Furthermore, as prices rise, more people are tightening their belts and unwilling to spend money on expensive hobbies, leading to an overall decline in consumption. However, sales in January of this year also hit a historic low, suggesting that Sony may have realized that the popularity of physical discs is declining enough to prompt them to abandon the format.
Overall, total content spending in July (including physical software, digital purchases, subscriptions, etc.) decreased by 9% year-over-year, primarily due to a significant drop in mobile spending, along with declines in console and PC content spending. Subscriptions were the only category to see growth. Call of Duty: Black Ops II, thanks to its PlayStation next-gen port, became the projected best-selling game of July (jumping from 67th place last month to 5th), while Black Ops similarly rose from 150th to 5th for the same reason. Black Ops II is currently the fifth best-selling game of 2026 so far.
In second place is EA Sports College Football 27, though Circana notes that if its sales were combined with the MVP Bundle (2026), it would have taken the top spot. The MVP Bundle alone ranked fourth for the month. EA Sports College Football 27 itself also became the tenth best-selling game of 2026.
Other titles that debuted last month and entered the rankings include Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remastered (third place), Halo: Campaign Evolved (sixth place), Splatoon: Raiders (seventh place), and Aincrad: Echoes of New Sound (eighth place).