New 2026 market data from Alinea Analytics highlights how rapidly PlayStation is moving toward digital dominance, with physical media steadily losing ground across major releases.
The report shows that blockbuster titles are increasingly shaped by digital storefronts, while disc sales continue to shrink even for major AAA launches.
Crimson Desert Emerges as a Key Case Study
Among the standout titles, Crimson Desert illustrates the shift most clearly. Since its PS5 launch on 19 March, the game has reached around 1.9 million copies sold on the platform, generating approximately $140 million in gross revenue. However, only 19.9% of those sales came from physical copies, reinforcing how digital purchasing now defines player behavior on PlayStation.
Despite strong early momentum—over 1.5 million units sold in March and April alone—sales have slowed to around 112,000 copies in a recent month, even as the $70 price point remains stable. Analysts suggest this plateau reflects the typical post-launch decline seen in premium single-player titles.
The trend is not isolated to Crimson Desert. EA Sports FC 26 recorded just 12% physical sales, while Resident Evil Requiem reached 3.5 million PS5 copies with 27.8% on disc. Even high-profile releases are seeing most revenue shift to digital platforms, limiting resale activity that traditionally impacted publisher earnings.
The data strengthens speculation that Sony may move toward a near-complete digital model by 2028. Removing discs would allow tighter pricing control, reduced resale leakage, and longer full-price retention across catalog titles—particularly for evergreen franchises like Crimson Desert.
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S |
|---|---|
| Developer | Pearl Abyss |
