A Massive 75% of UK Game Sales Were Digital Last Month

It’s the wave! 180+ games on my console and no clutter in my house. Yes, there are pros and cons. But my statement alone is “pro” enough for me.

nods For whatever reason gaming is the last major holdout of physical media that requires a dedicated device to enjoy (unlike books, which require no dedicated device; you just pick the book up). If physical was still a major sector of profitability, they wouldn’t be making consoles without disc drives. PC gamers have media-less for like what? The better part of two decades? Wouldn’t be surprised if next gen is the last of discs.

I'm sure in a few years it'll be as weird to buy a game physically as it would be to say "Hey let's go to the video store and buy a movie to watch" instead of just logging into Netflix. Sure there are still some people that will always want to go that route...but they will be increasingly more niche. I'm not celebrating it, I'm just accepting it.

This is why the Pro is selling the disc drive separately. Why should they eat the cost for something most gamers aren’t using. Their numbers show they aren’t using them. You want physical media, you will pay for it as it’s not mainstream no more. I like that they sell an option for those that want it. I am not saying physical media is bad for those that like it. It’s just some thing in today’s market you will have to accept you will pay extra for and the company won’t. Plus many games may in the future skip a physical release. This is just where we are.

So isn't this metric slightly skewed if GTA is in the top 5?
I don't get why they still count it..... seeing as it's well known to be the cheapest shark card

Gamers brought this to themself. The moment all publishers going full digital and can deleted gamers 70 bucks digital games from their download list without any warning, gamers gonna complaint like a b*tch but it will be too late.

I'm just baffled that a lot of gamers still doesn't understand about the danger of going full digital 🤦‍♂️, especially after so many cases from R* removed original GTA 3 / Vice City / San Andreas from digital store and replaced them with the abomination called "Definitive Edition", Konami removed P.T, Capcom removed MvC 2 from PS3/360 store, to the recent Ubisoft removed The Crew from players download libraries without any warning.

I myself already experienced with SE removed Chaos Rings 1 from PSN store and my download list and since there's no physical release, pretty much Chaos Rings is officially deleted and gone forever which is sad because it was one of the best JRPG from Media Vision :/

I've never bought a full price game digital. All my digital purchases are deep sales. What blows my mind is that there aren't more pro-consumer laws concerning digital purchases.

I'm not going all digital until there are clearly defined international laws regarding ownership and access.

The only multi billionaire company I trust that don't sell DRM free games is Steam.

I have a digital PS5 but I still think physical games should exist as the norm instead of digital.

Going full digital is a loss-loss situation for everyone, including people who play mostly digital.

As a whole worldwide it isn't really changing though. Physical still has the same market it has for a couple of years

People on websites such as this need to realise that they are the minority. Normies pick convenience over any other concern, simple as that.

@LifeGirl minority? You have seen sonys sales figures for all playstions? Do you think it's only ps5 owners that visit this site? There are ps3,ps4,vita,ps2 in fact every Sony console out there on this very site and you think we are the minority? I'm not seeing it.

I don't think physical will ever really die out 100%. There's still that 25% that purchase it apparently which makes it a valid medium yes? I don't want an all digital future but it's not the end of the world for me if it happens. All it means is I won't be buying day one releases unless they are under £60.

I bet the distributions are really skewed too - the kind of games bought by physical buyers are different than for digital buyers.

I've noticed people getting upset with digital and with games being taken away from you. Oh I expect it to be much worse than that. Not only will games go all digital, they will also be streaming only. Subscriptions for everything. Ps premium and extra are already normalizing it. I can see that being the future that Sony and Microsoft (via Gamepass) are chasing.

I saw that Astro Bots week one sales in the UK were 55% digital. That seems like a pretty big step forward for digital takeover as first party week one sales are normally lower, especially in the uk which has a lower digital ratio than the US.

We might be looking at a first party game like Astro Bot having a lifetime 70%+ digital ratio lifetime worldwide

@Northern_munkey What I see is that 75% of the CURRENT console player base is not buying physical. That is a year on year increase despite people in comment sections such as these prophesying doom every time the conversation comes up.

In other news - ps5 game sales from CEX, ebay etc (second hand games and one massive advantage disc has for consumers) was 100% physical and 0% digital

Does this include games on sales as well? If so then I'm not surprised, I'm more interested to see the split for brand new releases in launch week.

Is this number of games, or value? I probably buy more games digitally these days, but spend more physically. £15 is my limit for a digital game, anything more and I know it’ll be cheaper to buy and trade back at CEX. From the title it seems volume. If you did this by value I suspect it would be a lot closer.

It would be interesting to see other countries figures but I think in the UK we are creating a more insular society.

People don’t interact with their neighbours. They keep to themselves. They don’t want the hassle of going out to a shop (or waiting for a delivery). We are living in smaller spaces. It’s a sign of the state of the nation to be honest.

I think every county would favour convenience. But my limited experience of America is that there would be a greater number still buying physical.

@LifeGirl couldn't agree more. A lot of people who frequent sites like this seem to live in a bubble.

@MatthewJP yet Sony got none of that, so it doesn't matter to them.

This is hardly surprising given that many new games are digital-only and purchases of second-hand physical copies are not tracked at all.

Is Game a 'high street presence' anymore?

My local Game shut a year or more ago, and they opened a counter in a Sports Direct store.

@HonestHick I think most fans with physical collections are angry because there is no Pro console bundle that includes the optical drive.
Both the original and slim models of the PS5 have SKUs available with or without the drive. Now, with the release of the Pro that option is no longer available. Yes, you can purchase the optical drive separately, but it’s more expensive compared to getting it bundled with the console. Here in Australia it’s a $40 difference, which isn’t an insignificant sum of money. For many this is just another recent example of Sony fleecing their loyal fanbase and erodes goodwill.

@Medic_alert I was also wondering about that, but the title only mention games rather than DLC and mtx?
On the other hand, there are many games that come with DLC and mtx bundled in a “digital deluxe” edition that is only available in the online store. If the player wants that extra content, they would buy that version over a physical copy, skewing these numbers further in favour of digital. For example, I bought both Returnal and Rise of the Ronin off the online store as the deluxe versions came with the soundtrack (as well an artbook in Ronin’s case). Had the physical editions come with a code for the same content (or better yet an actual physical soundtrack and mini art book) I would have bought them instead. It’s nice to have options.

People complained about the Pro being digital only, but all the data supports all digital.

I don’t want physical to go away but the evidence speaks for itself.

Just pre-ordered Sociable Soccer 25 ....on disc....for the PS4.

Old school.

Great shame. I personally like less clutter, though I enjoyed the option of selling a game on when it wasn’t for me. Also I sell my consoles with games when I’m done with them. One console I didn’t sell was my jap snes and I like having the physical cartridges with it

Answer these question to get this article seriously!
1) Are these statistics based on all games, or only those released both digitally and physically?
2) Do PS Plus monthly picks games include?

@Dudeitsme The Japanese SNES is one of the most beautiful consoles ever made.

Physical Games

Negatives

• Waiting for them to be delivered
• The sound they make while running in your consoles.
• They can get damaged/scratched

Positives

• Can be resold to get some of your money back.
• Buying from the 2nd hand market usually means games are cheaper to purchase.
• The price for brand new physical games is usually always cheaper especially a couple of months after a game has been released.

The main reason I like physical games -> if you buy a game then play it but you don't like you can get a large chuck of your money back by selling it. If you don't like a digital game your stuck with it once you start downloading it.

@CallMeDuraSouka Yeah and it's massively skewed by PC which should be counted separately.

@kirkn other negatives you need a PlayStation account and relatively fast internet connection I had a friend who had his account hacked when the bank got the money back he lost access to his account and everything he had purchased he contacted customer services and they said there would get back to him and never did

@themightyant and when you go into the shop you can talk to another human being about your hobby how many friendships were made queuing up for a midnight launch

Digital on Xbox is so much a cheaper option over physical.

Allowing reselling really makes the pricing competitive.

Are Sony ever going to allow this?

@Medic_alert But you can always get 12 to 16% of the purchase price of psn credit,. It takes a couple of minutes. (Eurogames usually have the best deals)
£70 games are under £60 on day of release.
Anyone not taking advantage of that is burning their own cash.

@themightyant
You obviously need help being even handed here..
Negative:
Your console will be more likely to suffer a hardware failure.
You have a louder machine.
Your machine will cost more.
You are consuming planets resources and creating environmental damage.
You lose your game if you scratch or damage your disc.
You get home with a disc and have to download the latest version anyway.
You have to go find any game you think of - who hasnt played 'hunt the disc'.
You are less likely to try that small game you forgot you bought ages ago as its stuck on a dusty shelf.
Your home becomes cluttered with hundreds of items you will barely ever look at.

Delighted to have been digital since ps4, would never go back.

I would've bought more physical if Sony didn't break my ps5 disc drive with their last update, it's a launch ps5 so I suppose it could just be wear and tear , but nope, Sony broke it.

So this is what Sony is basing the PS5 pro on I'm guessing 🤔

@Titntin that's because I've never heard of the place I mainly use shopto these days for PSN vouchers, their prices seem decent enough

Aren't the numbers partially skewed because of a lack of new releases and those that did release were right at the end of month (e.g. Star Wars Outlaws)?

The best chance physical had of getting a big boost in August was if Concord ended up being a Helldivers 2 scale hit.

@JalapenoSpiceLife Ive used shopto, but their discounts are less, usually just 10%. I go where the discounts are cheapest - must of bought credit 100 times and Ive never experienced an issue with any of the vendors. 👍

I feel like a small minority are now flying the flag for physical media and I respect it, I just don't think you're going to change anyone's mind about it, especially given the way we all consume media nowadays.

It's impressive seeing collections of Youtubers (Mystic comes to mind) but it's a massive undertaking and people don't have the space and for the most part - it's miles more expensive. I've got the vast majority of my games through the digital sales.

@themightyant lol.
Yes really. The most common ps5 hardware issues are either issues with the ssd or drives unable to read discs. As soon as you have moving parts, you have a point of failure. Glad you havent experienced it yet!
Whilst I like to think Id always put games away in the right box, im human and Ive often not, or my wife had tidied up and we had to play hunt the disc Everyone of my friends does it too, so Im shocked you never do!
I notice you didnt rebut that the machines noisier, thats a fact, or that you lose your game if you damage your disc, another fact.

Im not trying to turn you on this as I know your heart is set. But so is mine and I encourage greener behaviour where I can!
Have a good one.

Digital only from a company like Sony is an absurd proposition. That's a lot of people setting themselves up to losing access to their games in 20 years time. Sure, people will say "who cares about 20 years time" but nostalgia to times gone past is a powerful thing. Physical games will have value to collectors. Physical can be seen as an investment when digital cannot. Smart people buy physical. I am happy most buy digital as it increases the value of my physical collection in the long term. They'll be the ones begging me to sell later for silly money.

Yikes, that's quite a bad sign.... At least, that's what I thought until I read the rest of the headline. ''Uk'' huh? Haha.

I'll stay physical, no matter what. And if it all become digital? Well, then I guess I'll become a retro gamer.

@Bizzy Not true mate, in 20 years we will just download them for emulation. Trying to pretend your old discs are a solid investment is folly. The vast majority will be worthless in less than a decade.

We have different ideas on what constitutes smart... and pc gamers, who outnumber us greatly, are already in a digital only platform.

Of course there was, as the biggest release Black Myth Wujong is digital only... I'm a physical fan but I had to buy digital too. This is when companies "forcing" you to buy digital, so they can say "hey digital sales are increasing!" I don't like it at all.

@LowDefAl I download once. You buy the disc, you also download once.
Your confused with streaming mate where the differences are more naunced, but still many times greener for those streaming.
This IS NOT streaming.

@LowDefAl mm sort of. 17% of game sale revenue came from physical. I know that Nintendo and Sony first parties are higher than that but as an industry they’re going to follow the money. And with 95% of all gaming revenue digital (including DLC, etc) it’s starting to become an acceptable loss if it means not needing to support physical hardware and supply chains

The numbers are still very nearly 50/50 for physical and digital overall I'd say. Naturally there will be periods when there's more sway either way. E.G. black myth sold a lot and was only available digitally in this period. All these 80-90% figures are nonsense tbh. Some of those stats have included mobile and PC which are obviously 0% physical. And some have even included PS plus downloads. When the game is available both is a copy and digital it's close to even

The fact that gta is the number 1 selling game this long with all the newest games this year shows people in the uk aren’t even buying games like that. Market is on life support besides fifa and cod.

@themightyant
Im glad you are so careful of your discs. Its clear that many others are not as there are many buisness offering disc recovery services for those with problems, which are well used. No doubt households with children will suffer worse. I dont think losing your game, through what is demonstrably a regular issue, is niche at all, even if its an issue you only experienced once personally. I treated my discs with care back when I had them, but I had several that became problematic.
Noise being an issue depends on circs. I often play via headphones when its late and want zero noise as I dont want to wake my misses up. Zero noise is what I get. Pretty sure Im not the only one who occasionally uses headphones...

I dont believe either are niche, but I'll agree to disagree 😉

@Titntin Massively disagree, mate. You just have to look at the NES from the 80's and collectors who want complete collections. You do you though. We shall see in 20 years. I risk nothing buying physical. All digital risks everything.

@astro911 yeah I understand your point. But i think they had to make a disc drive to start the gen but as it continues and of course covid lockdowns having more and more gamers go digital. I think going forward with this high of a digital to physical number this is the strategy going forward. Disc drives being an add on. That the player takes the expense for.

@LowDefAl i agree the Pro is a niche machine for sure. But in the beginning the disc PS5 was the one selling more as people thought thats what they wanted. However in terms of games sold the numbers show those disc drives aren’t being used in those numbers. The software sales are far more digital. I bought the digital PS5 cause i knew i would never use the drive.

Like others said, get out of your bubble. Music, movies, and PC games have been almost entirely digital for almost a decade, and they are doing fine. We are not owning blah blah- drop cliche excuse. It is what it is.
By the way, even if you own a disc, it does not mean you own them forever as these things broke with time too.

@Bizzy Good luck to you pal, I hope your right!
I've bought and played games since the first Atari 2600 was released back was I was 13. 47 years later, I have a pretty good handle on when or if I go back to old games, and Im very haapy with my own choices.
But we are all different, so if you wish to stockpile your old games theres nothing wrong with that. I just dont think anyone is 'stupid' to make an alternate choice! As long as you having fun, its all good 😊

I'd be interested to know how much, of the 25% physical purchases, are second hand (if indeed they're being counted at all)? I pick up physical when I can, but I almost never buy them on launch, or first hand. Or are they getting their data on the amount of people running games from a disc rather than a digital install?

@themightyant.
I see... I dont use discs so I assumed the ps5 drive would sound like the ps4 drive! Yes mate I use headphones if the misses is asleep, its her I dont want to wake. I assume those with young kids or babies would be in a similar position.
Nice to know its quite, but I expect to sell the og disc one once I have the pro. Ill keep the digital one for now, but I can see the wife wanting that to be a pro too. God help my wallet!

@themightyant im all in on that.. Want the special edition pro, but realise Ill be lucky if I get it! Im likely to end up with the regular pro of course, but Ill be there as sales open...

Welcome to the adorably all digital future 😎

@Andy22385 The data says game sales are about 17% physical. Individual case-by-case can see larger fluctuations.

@Andee this article will be 100% brand new sales, so doesn't account at all for second hand

@LifeGirl it's pretty much what I said. 25% buying physical so obviously 75% digital..exactly what is your point?

‘75% of all game sales in the UK last month, 1.74 million, were digital, up 10% year-over-year since last August.’

Definitely being misleading with the stats they are reporting here as probably a huge amount of these are from heavily discounted sales.

For example, I bought G of W Ragnarok for £60 physical, but then I bought 4 games digitally in PS Store sales, at around £30 total.

So yes, proportionally 80% of my purchases were digital, but I actually spent more on the one physical purchase.

So yeah, it’s likely that there are wayyyyyyy more digital sales in total (75% to 25% physical apparently) but I’m willing to bet the 25% physical sales earnt the developers more money proportionally.

PushSquare, stop manipulating figures to freak people out and publish proper stats.

How much was earnt in the last month via the 25% physical sales vs 75% digital?

And how many of those digital sales were £3 indie games?

Indeed — there needs to be a more granular breakdown of games that actually have both physical and digital versions — I'd bet at least 75% of the PS4/5's library was digital only.

I buy a game brand new, complete it and sell it on eBay - basically costing £5-10 for a new game. Physical is such a smarter option. Digital is just publishers and platform holders using their monopoly to mug off consumers.

@Secryt where's this data?

My PS5 doesn’t have a disc drive. I have more games for it than I could fit in my house and I picked most of them up for the price of a sandwich. I’d say ‘it’s the future’ but physical media already feels ancient to me. The idea of crossing the room to switch games is as archaic as crossing the room to switch channel.

@Jdubz

Earnt by who? Developers get more money from digital sales. The proportion of a physical sale that goes to the developer is small.

75% of physical goes on manufacturing, shipping and to the retailer. So, buying 75% off digital is about as good as full price physical. 95% off digital is better than 2nd hand resale.

There’s good reasons publishers and developers are so keen on digital. If you buy a full price game at release, all the money wasted on a physical release goes to them. If you buy it massively reduced in a sale, all the money wasted on a physical release goes to you.

@HonestHick You raise a very good point about Covid accelerating the switch to digital and people becoming more comfortable with it. I agree that the PS6 will more than likely be digital-only with an optical drive available separately for those who want it.