Xbox has abandoned physical media faster than Sony, with many of its major titles shipping on borderline blank discs – assuming they get a retail release at all!
But while most software on PS5 is purchased digitally, there’s still a big market for physical releases. Practically all of Sony’s games release on Blu-ray, and consumers still show up in sizeable numbers to buy boxed games on the platform.
Many were hoping that Microsoft might start making physical versions of its games for PS5, then. But if Forza Horizon 5 is any indication, that won’t be the case.
The open world racer’s official account was inundated with requests from eager fans asking for a retail version in the aftermath of its release date announcement this week. It simply responded in various permutations: “There are currently no plans for a physical version.”
That’s left a lot of fans disappointed.
“Please reconsider,” one fan urged. Another added: “We need [a physical version]. We at PlayStation […] actually spend on this platform.”
It’ll be interesting to see whether Microsoft changes its mind, and whether it plans physical releases for some of its other upcoming ports, like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Fingers-crossed the company sees the demand and starts printing some of these games on Blu-ray again.
[source x.com]
Comments 88
It'd be the only reason I'd get it
Think we are slowly going to have to get over the world of games having physical releases.
I’ve been all digital for videos, music and games for years now and I’m an old man 👨🦳 🤣
just download the game , physical is never coming back like the way it used to be. it’s no big deal.
For a game that’s going to be delisted in a couple of years no physical option is a real downer
PS5 Fans* Are Desperate for a Physical Version of Xbox Game Forza Horizon 5
*A FEW VERY LOUD PS FANS
We've seen the numbers aren't that great for physical no matter how much we cry. Also the game is constantly updated so your disc is practically useless after 10 days.
Oh dear that’s actually a deal breaker for me.
Drop the price to around £40 and maybe I'll think about it, £60 is just too much.
The "desperation" is real
If a physical option was to be available, that’s how I’d buy Forza Horizon 5. If it does end up digital only, I’ll still buy it.
Lol. Microsoft is not making physical version of almost 4 years old game. Get real. They outsourced development of port to Panic Button. They don't want to do noting more than what is absolute necessity and rake money.
They are avoiding making physical version of games like plague even on Xbox. Games like Avowed, Hellblade 2 don't have one and probably only reason games like Starfield, Indiana Jones, COD and DOOM will have one is because they are still technically Bethesda/ABK.
@OldGamer999 I work in a record shop... there is a healthy and growing market for new vinyl (and even CD). We also do very well on boutique blu-ray releases.
Doesn't bother me. I buy whatever I can at the time though lately more inclined with digital - it's easy, simple and super convenient. I'm not fussed on collecting or sharing. I play a game and then simply move on with my life onto whatever else is out there.. As the trends show, digital is the future. I do see why some would be upset perhaps
Its the only way i buy games...
93% of games bought were digital in my country, the writing is on the wall physical releases
I don’t know about this game. I played it on my Steam Deck when I had it and wasn’t impressed. Maybe a PRO version will be the way to go I’ll wait for the DF video. Physical would be nice though as that’s the way I lean. Also Motorfest on PRO takes some beating graphically, it’s gorgeous..
Yea that’s a dealbreaker. I’m not sure it’s for me , so I like to buy physical & can sell on if that’s the case.
No physical release means I will be skipping this one out
No physical? That's great.
I also see now that the release date was updated from "29th of April 2025" to "whenever the price drops below 20€"
@Fartingale can you stop with the fearmongering and lies please. There are thousands of years old game still going strong on the store so why would this game be delisted
Just preordered the ultimate edition on my Indonesian ps account £42 👍👍
@Moj500 seeing that forza horizon 1,2,3 and 4 have all been delisted from all digital storefronts, I wouldn’t say I’m fear mongering or lying.
@Moj500 Forza games don't last forever on digital storefronts. Its why you can't buy any past Forza game on Xbox as they have all been delisted.
@Fartingale
They are no longer listed/available for new purchases only? Are existing owners of the digital game no longer able to play the game?
@nomither6 you do realise most forza games are not even available digitally anymore
@OldGamer999 Music has physical releases though?
Microsoft had been trying to get rid of the second hand market since the Xbox One launched and there was a huge outcry but now people are coming around to the idea of being ripped off, there is literally no way of playing the older games in the series as they have all been delisted.
That is a real shame, I was looking forward to it, I will have to pass sorry. Big up to Bethesda for ensuring their games still ship physically (presuming it is them who push it of course - it ain't MS), can't wait for Indie and Doom!
Probably means if Halo or Gears do come over to PS they will be digital only
Surely they could ship boxes with a green stripe at the top instead of white or something to advertise Xbox on PS, would be cool and strange in equal measure!
No physical, no buy. Driveclub, one of the best racing games ever, is still playable thanks to physical copies being available on the second-hand market. This won't be the case for FH5.
@Dampsponge there always gonna be on your account to re download if you bought it
“We need [a physical version]. We at PlayStation […] actually spend on this platform.” what even is this post? People are proud to just gobble up every game that comes out regardless of research or actual interest? Avowed gonna be a 10/10 on playstation with players like that 😒
@James_42
Yes music does but I go digital with music.
@Miserablefish
That’s is great physical still exists.
I was just saying I’m all digital myself.
And most youngsters I know don’t even go into the physical area and are just digital everything and streaming of course.
@OldGamer999 youngsters are our biggest market. Mainly indie kids/alt/metal fans and those into this current batch of confessional pop singers (think chappel roan/sabrina carpenter). A lot are into vinyl, but noticed CD having a comeback as they're cheaper and 90s nostalgia is at an all time high. Growing anti-online 24/7 sentiment too. Some just wanna unplug every now and then and enjoy their music.
@Dampsponge This isn't correct. You can play the delisted Forza Horizon games on XSX, by buying the disc second hand. This is exactly why I like physical releases. However the DLC seems to be digital only and so that remains delisted.
I’d never buy it digital. Not a game I care much for anyway but no physical means I’m fine waiting for a PS+ release. Don’t have enough time to play the games I have so it’s not a loss for me
As someone who plays nothing but physical media completely offline without internet, this will be a no buy for me. It's a shame really. Why can't Microsoft or whoever it is put the game on two discs. Look at Rockstar Games with Red Dead Redemption 2 & Square Enix with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Those came on two discs. Is it really difficult to do that. Not everyone has ridiculously lighting speed internet to download a digital game. Modern gaming is really bad.
Well that's unfortunate.
No physical, no buy.
@Miserablefish
That’s great for the physical industry having a little come back.
But like me when you were young in the 80s it is a lot lot smaller now.
Why would the PS5 Fans want to play Forza Horizon 5 or any game for that matter?
Aren't these Fans busy with keeping the PS5 cool and making sure it doesn't overheat?
Or...are they slowly gaining sentience (thanks Phil) and now plotting to sabotage Sony by diverting us all to support Microsoft by purchasing their titles?
@OldGamer999 no we don’t have to get over it. There will always be people like me that pay a premium for physical media. I buy 4K UHDs, CD, and albums still. I’ll pay a premium for whatever physical game release going forward. As I’m not going to be beholden to servers for my single player console games.
"Forza Fans" should use the XBox Series X anyway.
I don't see a problem here, since this game should never arrive on PS5.
The bigger problem indeed is, that XBox is releasing less games on its own console physical. Avowed got a useless Steelbook edition with a code instead of a disc.
Love my driving /racing games but I defo won't be getting fh5 on ps5 as I'm physical only,I'm not missing much anyway ,to many other games to get through ,if by surprise it ever gets a physical version then I may consider at some point but otherwise its a big no no for me
@Vaako007
I don’t think I have to be online to play a PS5 Pro single player game once I have download it.
Yes you have to download first of course.
I’m not talking streaming games of course which I absolutely cannot stand the quality.
@get2sammyb
Genuine question - forza4 got delisted 6-7years after release.
Fh5 is 4+ years old. Are PS gamers looking at potentially only having it listed for 2-3years? Or have licenses been extended?
@Moj500 I appreciate that in this day and age, there's lots of exaggeration going on... but you shouldn't assume that everyone is trying to troll. What @Fartingale said was entirely reasonable given how MS have handled the previous installments - which I have to say is shockingly bad. They always delist the previous games when a new one comes out. Of course - you can still play it (and download it) if you've already purchased it - but the online servers may not be still spinning, and you may not be able to buy it fresh. The point I think was - perhaps this isn't a game to collect physically, based on their past performance.
No physical copies and charging for 4 days early access on a 4 year old game lol, no thanks.
I was only interested in this game mainly as a novelty anyway, I think I'll just buy a physical copy of The Crew Motorfest for £15 and wait for this to hit a bargain bin deep discount price.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner If Microsoft had sense they would have renewed the licenses. However would that apply to the Xbox version or only the new PS5 version? Meaning they would delist the versions at separate times. or would they simply have not bothered?
My assumption is the latter, its cheaper.
@nomither6 what happens if you play the new one and feel like checking out the older games which are sometimes better the only way you'll be able to do that is buying them physically
@FlyingPig that's what I said 🤔
@nomither6 Cant get money back on a digital copy.
I aren't bothered about this game great game but it's 4 years old and the price is crazy it should be 40 tops especially if it's just digital
Such a shame. I would love to buy this, once it gets a physical release.
€70 for a digtal only game that was originally released in 2021 is asking too much.
Especially since you also need to buy all DLC separately.
I've been searching for an official answer. Played the game on gamepass and really enjoyed it. Enough to buy it physically on PlayStation. Oh well.
well, they may change their minds down the line, but they’re just following the market, don’t flame me, but it’s true, if you going to get mad at anyone, get mad at the market, anyway we got a month from now, and things can change in a month
Microsoft trying to pull the pants down of all the PS fans charging £55 for their 4 year old game. No chance.
it’s just a game, you don’t have to get it
@JustMyOpinion if you purchased any of the older Forza’s digitally before they were delisted you can still play, uninstall and redownload and continue playing no problem. It’s only new purchases from the Xbox store that are no longer an option.
if you guys are so upset, talk to phil spencer about it, https://x.com/xboxp3?lang=en
@nomither6 exactly, no point trying to collect for the 2 big consoles anymore.
I used to understand the desire some people have to own their media physically, but in many cases now I really don't. Most games nowadays are patched numerous times after the game itself has gone gold and the discs have been printed. There are countless games nowadays that you really wouldn't want to play in their raw unpatched state, or discs that simply won't function one day because the servers get shut off.
Owning physical games isn't the be all and end all of game ownership that it used to be.
I'll wait for the $150 collector's edition from Limited Run.
@Nintendo4Sonic $95 for an empty steelbook is insanity!
It's adorable All Digital™
@ChopperCampbell exactly even if its delisted you can still down load and play it.
Not interested in Forza but there are a few Xbox games I'd like to get ports such as Killer Instinct and Gears Of War...but I definitely don't expect physical copies.
I think for the time being we should just be happy we're getting ports of these previously exclusive games at all lol
@get2sammyb Just here to congratulate you on that sub header 😂
Was looking forward to this & i wasn't expecting a physical release although I would prefer one. I wont be paying £84.99 for the premium edition on the ps store though & I don't think you get the Universal Icons pack included unless it is paid dlc later. I will wait for a big discount plus hopefully the Icons pack as Dlc.
@Dampsponge there’s pros and cons to both physical and digital , dude.
What if you lost the physical disc?
What if your physical disc breaks?
What if someone steals it?
What if physical is taking up too much space on shelf or in your house?
What if your disc drive breaks since they wear and tear?
Or the fact that you still have to install games even if it’s physical & still need an internet connection for the full experience. Y’all can keep chastising digital all you want while subsequently using the internet every single day in your daily lives, but it’s not going anywhere and it’s the way of the new times and change. time moves on.
@Realist think before you buy then, or just let your job repay your losses
I have never lost a disc in my life,
You have to actually go out of your way to break a disc I have discs that are over 30 years old for the mega CD that's still work, a disc drive braking is a limitation of the hardware not the software, there are so many more cons for buying digital a limited release, having to pay more, no trade-in value, losing access to your account, unable to play games even if you have bought them if the server goes down, companies taking that game from your library, takes longer to download a game than it does to install from a disk, only good thing with digital you don't have to get off your fat ass and change your disc.
@OldGamer999 I'm 62 and I agree with you.
@MrMagic motorfest is decent to be fair!
@nomither6 I find it frustrating that gamers even argue over physical Vs digital. Why can't we be happy that both exist, why does one have to 'win'?
I personally very much prefer physical, to the point that if it does disappear, then the gaming industry will be seeing significantly less of my disposable income.
Future proofing is my biggest concern. Admittedly companies have done a (mostly) decent job of keeping old digital libraries available to download so far, but the thought of my library of games being wiped out by one executive decision or a company running into financial trouble does not sit well with me.
Though, I know many people don't really care about that, some see games as far more one and done or whatever. Digital is beneficial to them, and maybe people with young kids etc.
@nomither6 I meant that I dont collect games. When I finish them they can go. Physical lets me get rid of them for just about all my money back.
@Balosi My point of all this is that it's no big deal if a game is physical (only) or digital (only), we still have a game that's available for us to play and keep; they both have their pros and cons, but at the end of the day, just play, because times are changing and were changing with it. The conveniency of digital is undeniable.
"Why can't we be happy that both exist"
"I personally very much prefer physical, to the point that if it does disappear, then the gaming industry will be seeing significantly less of my disposable income."
"but the thought of my library of games being wiped out by one executive decision or a company running into financial trouble does not sit well with me."
@Realist Theres always subscription services. You end up saving more time & money in the long run using those. Like I said man, there's a pro and a con to everything if you look for one enough.
My PlayStation is permanently offline. I can only play new games when they arrive on disc. Whomever said that physical is worthless for games because of updates, you are not wrong. However, I was hoping that since Forza Horizon 5 is already a feature complete game, that they might release a physical complete version. Sounds like a pipe dream now, and idk how I would feel if they made it through Limited Run or something. I like LRG, but I'd feel taken advantage of if I had to buy Forza that way.
No physical release, no buy.
I normally don't care about physical releases but having an Xbox game with the ps5 Iogo on it would be like owning a price of history
It is what it is 😮💨 (even tho I slightly disagree with this approach from MSFT).
@Zeeba I use (purchase) both physical discs and digital games on my ps5. I do understand why people do not purchase digital games on ps5 and PS4 tho
@N1ghtW1ng huh 🤨😵💫
@Moj500 facts 💯
@Miserablefish The CD player is also handy when the electricity and internet goes out for days at a time as it did here recently in Ireland. You can get ones that'll run off batteries or a power bank and draw very little power. Not to mention it brings back memories from the 90s The audio quality is much better than Spotify too. I wouldn't like to see physical media disappearing altogether.
@xeofate You might want to check out the company Fiio.
@Zeeba Nice, I've been thinking about getting a DAC amp, they have a good selection. Thanks for the suggestion
Digital Only is a game that was never made. Digital Only can work for a $10 game but not new higher priced games PlayStation Plus is my supplier of digital only games. I was looking forward to many Xbox Games, I don't mind forgetting about any digital game.
Sony and xbox giving up disc based gaming but nintendo still stuck on cartidges...
@Azmodaeus
According to sony most of their sales is like 80% digital purchases nowadays. 20% being physical no wonder they tryin to make it disappear.
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