A new survey from research firm Newzoo, "supported" by G2A, found that physical games represent upwards of 11% of games played by dedicated gamers, or even 30% of console games owned.
"Physical formats remain part of this landscape, despite predictions of their demise," writes Newzoo research director Alexis Pamboris.
The report collected responses from just over 6,000 "premium gamers" spread evenly across six markets: the US, UK, Germany, Poland, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. The fieldwork period defined is August 2026, which would notably be some time after Sony announced that it will end support for new physical games in January 2028.
The "premium gamer" group is defined as people "aged 18-55 who play on PC or a Gen 9 console at least monthly," and have played AA or AAA titles in the last year that were purchased or played through a paid subscription like PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass. The average premium gamer, it turns out, plays about 13.3 games a year.
Among many other things, the report looks at how these games were accessed. 43% were owned, 19% were accessed via subscription, and 38% were free-to-play games.
In total, 11% of the games played by these 6,000 gamers were physical. However, if you only look at the 43% of owned games – that is, games people paid for individually – the physical component is just over 25.5%.
Console-only gamers reported 14% physical for total ownership against 32% digital ownership. Again looking purely at the ownership split and ignoring subscription and free-to-play, physical copies represent 30.4% of the paid-for console games played in this survey period.
"While this seems high, many of them were older releases and some will have been bought on disc or as a code in a box. Cartridges also remain common on Nintendo Switch," the survey says of the 11% base physical figure.
The focus on games played and owned, not just new games purchased, also helps explain why PC-only gamers reported 6% physical ownership, which is likely explained by the enthusiast retro market. GOG may have something to say about that niche.
Physical ownership is also slightly higher than the base in specific markets. The US and UK clock in at 12% physical total – or 27.9% and 26.6%, respectively, looking only at physical and digital games owned.
Free-to-play games are the largest single market, to no one's surprise, averaging 38% across all markets and platforms.
"The older group is slightly likelier to have bought games than use a subscription, as well as play games from physical media," the report explains.
This leads nicely to why people said they buy physical games. Digital ownership is skewed toward convenience – instant access, a portable library, digital discounts, and digital-only games – but physical game buyers more equally specified a few reasons.
Reasons to buy physical games were "less nuanced" among people who owned less than 75% of their games digitally (again, that physical chunk brings us close to that 25 - 30% ownership figure). These reasons included (in descending order of weight):
- "Play without a stable internet connection"
- "I want to feel I own something physical"
- "Save storage space on my device"
- "For reselling, trading, or lending"
- "For special editions, box art, or other extras"
- "To display my collection of games"
- "In case games are removed, altered or restricted"
- "To buy pre-owned games at lower prices"
- "Avoid large downloads/installation times"
- "Play without a digital account/platform access"
- "Access to deals or retailer-specific pricing"
- "Earn store credit or loyalty points"
- "I can buy games in shops on shopping trips"
Sony's decision to walk away from physical games stoked fierce divide across the industry. Creators like Hideo Kojima are "really sad" to see discs phased out, and Kenzo Saruhashi, head honcho at JRPG house NIS, reckons Sony is "hearing the feedback from customers" amid still-burning backlash.
Like many executives, original PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi backs the company's decision to end discs, calling the backlash a "mentality issue" and arguing discs aren't "economically reasonable."
However, while it may immediately cut costs or increase per-unit profit, some analysts worry the end of discs may also push younger or casual players further into mobile, free-to-play, and PC, which are already eating a larger share of what used to be a very console-flavored pie.
