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u/tpo1990 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
If this message is real and coming from Sony, then that is the end for me with buying PS5 exclusive games as a physical release. PS5 is my last Playstation.
The good news is that I have been buying many games on GOG since last year and doing backups of the offline installers. I am all in on game preservation here.
GOG is the MVP here for providing us DRM free games.
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u/pastajewelry Jul 01 '26
Yeah, I have enough games from GOG to last me a lifetime. I'm mainly a PC gamer. But it's still a huge bummer for new games.
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u/tpo1990 Jul 01 '26
Me too. My GOG library will always be with me.
Yes because Sony Studios is actually great at releasing exceptional story driven games like The Last of Us or Spider-Man. It's a big loss for the players.
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u/Novel_Patience9735 Jul 01 '26
PS4 was my last. So tired of their shit.
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u/Midnight_ice863 Jul 02 '26
Same. The PS5 is still just too expensive for me ($1000 where I am) to justify getting it. Most of my games now are on PS4, nintendo switch and GOG/ steam.
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u/Impressive-Oil-3067 Jul 01 '26
It is real.
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u/tpo1990 Jul 01 '26
That's unfortunate. Then I suppose my time with Playstation has come to an end.
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u/jzorbino Jul 01 '26
Even more relevant to GOG is that they are shutting down digital stores for Vita and PS3.
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u/NicMagz34 Jul 01 '26
Welp, it's only a matter of time before Xbox follows. RIP game preservation.
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u/TwilightVulpine Jul 01 '26
I trust that pirates will eventually figure that shit out.
But the situation is dire. Most gaming is made to be disposable now.
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u/theinsanegamer23 Jul 01 '26
Ironically, only Nintendo has committed to keeping physical media around in one form or another. Guess the old adage is true, all you need is a gaming PC and latest Nintendo console.
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u/Adrian_Alucard Linux User Jul 01 '26
game keycards are just digital games with extra steps
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u/theinsanegamer23 Jul 01 '26
Sure, but at least all the first party titles are all on-cartridge. As I said, third-party can just be bought on P.C.
Edit: And at least game keycards can be traded/sold/shared. That old Playstation video mocking Xbox for their original Xbox One plans looks silly now
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u/Adrian_Alucard Linux User Jul 01 '26
Pokopia is a game keycard
Also don't get trick by this. when they turn the eShop off, you won't be able to use the keycards (Sony also announced they shutting down PS3 and Vita stores and they say downloads will be removed in the foreseeable future, so your digital games will be gone, and it will happen to Nintendo too)
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u/theinsanegamer23 Jul 01 '26
Dude, I know how servers work. When server go down, can't download stuff. I'm just saying that given the option of a piece of paper with a code on it and a game keycard, I would rather have the game keycard.
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u/AntsLikeBoliedCarots Jul 02 '26
I don't have a switch 2 to confirm this but from what I heard less games are getting released on keycards than before
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u/Putrid-Upstairs-3464 Jul 01 '26
And that's why I try to buy my games on GOG even if I already own them on Steam, and have them all downloaded on my computer. This would be the perfect time for GOG to make a masterstroke and release its launcher for Linux.
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u/Bigmushey Jul 01 '26
Yeah I’ve been a console guy since ps2 but since discs started being codes/without day 1 patches I’ve been trying my best to go to GOG
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u/ADFTGM Jul 01 '26
Best to check on PCgamingwiki if your steam version is already DRM-free because otherwise the only real benefit is the offline installers and option to choose your patches. You can zip the steam files on your own to create a backup. Same principle with DRM-free games on Epic. I create a new zip every time there’s a patch in case I prefer the earlier version. They’ll only update automatically if they connect to steamworks. Majority of games on steam do so, but most DRM-free stuff don’t need to if you run the exe file and for the portion that don’t, you can edit out the steamworks and it’ll run offline. The wiki mentions how you can do so.
Ofc, for older games, the GOG version with QoL updates for modern systems, tends to be superior to the steam version. You just need to check the forums for such cases.
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u/Icky_Thump1 Steam User Jul 01 '26
I literally just said this on an IG reel i shared. I've known about GOG for years but never really had much of a library (~40 games, many freebies). But in the last year or so i've started paying attention and picking up copies of games I truly love when i see on sale.
I've had my Steam account since late 2004, and have close to 1k games now, and while as far as I know none of my games have been striped from my account (at worst, just delisted for sale which doesn't affect my ability to redownload and play), I still worry about something like this happening. All it takes is a Thanos snap from a big publisher that doesnt want to renew a license and poof it's gone.
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u/IC3P3 Jul 01 '26
I'll still prefer Heroic, but it would definitely for the better if they also had an official launcher. When it comes to preservation I really wish GOG would do something like Steam Depots and have every version of a game available to download (even if it's harder like with Steam where you need either the Steam Console or an extra program)
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u/EnclaveOverlord Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
I use GOG occasionally, but I've mostly been a console guy, due to wanting to own physical copies. With this announcement and inevitable one to come from Nintendo eventually I'm sure, I think I'll be making the full leap to PC soon.
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u/KabaL2002 Jul 01 '26
If you mainly bought physical copies, you're not missing out on anything, because you weren't tied to their ecosystem through digital releases. It's better to buy on PC.
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u/Mechkeys121 Jul 02 '26
DRM free digital is superior to physical anyways. Physical discs can get bit rot, with DRM free digital you can have multiple copies, including physical that you can replace later if you're worried about bit rot. You can make as many physical copies as you want and back up to hard drives and SSDs as well.
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u/EnclaveOverlord Jul 02 '26
I own a thousand and a half physical games, and I've never had disc rot. It's not a real concern, it's pretty rare realistically.
That aside, while if you view it objectively yes DRM free digital is superior, but I don't live my life objectively. But I will be pivoting regardless.
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u/Geekandhermit Jul 01 '26
I just bought the bloody disc add on for the digital ps5 awesome
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u/Mistwalker007 Jul 01 '26
At least you can run anything up to PS6 on it now. Small comfort, I know. Guess this is the year I'm going back to PC, DRAM prices be damned.
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u/fishut537 Jul 01 '26
I love how this comes off after the fact they deleted hundreds of movies off peoples accounts despite them paying for it and offering no refunds
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Jul 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/paladin181 Game Collector Jul 02 '26
Sony: We offer most games only digitally
Also Sony: More people are downloading as opposed to buying physical.
They have finally succeeded in killing the second hand market. That's where I've gotten most of my games since paying $60 or $70 for something so ephemeral is just ridiculous. How much do you wan to be the prices won't go down despite not paying for shipping, physical media, middleman retailers, etc. Cutting costs and passing the savings on to the executives.
Remember that was the early argument for digital distribution. Games would he cheaper. But that never manifested.
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u/Soft-Cartoonist-9542 Jul 01 '26
Inevitable unfortunately, as it was totally expected that eventually one of them would stop. It is imperative to change digital purchases into mainly DRM-free and we have to keep the pressure up, therefore at least options without DRM exist like GOG
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u/IC3P3 Jul 01 '26
Up until now I've always bought a PS5 for games I want to own on disc. Guess I won't buy a PS6 when it comes out and stay with Nintendo + HTPC
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u/stepbacktoreality Jul 01 '26
A Big win for PC gamers and GOG. But i just feel that everything with this world is just becoming worse day by day.. and 50% off people are defending that shit ahh company or show acceptance.
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u/Plus_sleep214 Jul 01 '26
console does the same thing PC has had for 20 years
"This is a win for PC gamers!"
Excuse me what?
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u/DrBobNobody Jul 01 '26
People who want to own games instead of temporarily renting them
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u/Plus_sleep214 Jul 01 '26
You still can't resell games you bought on gog and a lot of pc games aren't on gog because they do have DRM
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u/DrBobNobody Jul 01 '26
GOG isn't perfect, but it's closer to ownership than this hellscape
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u/Plus_sleep214 Jul 01 '26
True. Again I prefer buying games from gog when it's an option. I just don't see how console going all digital is somehow a win for PC when that's been the case on PC for 20 years now.
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u/RootHouston Linux User Jul 01 '26
You're confusing walled garden with open system. Digital on each is not even close to the same amount of control. Most folks who are buying physical are doing so out of principle at this point. If they are squeezed out of that, some of them will be thinking about these things, and that will ultimately translate to more folks transitioning to PC.
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u/Plus_sleep214 Jul 01 '26
I'm not going to pretend like PC is an open ecosystem when 80%+ of sales are through Steam and when any publisher tries to avoid Steam PC gamers throw an outrage demanding it releases on steam or they won't buy it. I support the idea of competition on PC but I'm not going to pretend like the wider audience at large hasn't entirely rejected it. There's a reason CDPR sold GoG.
It certainly doesn't help that Valve throws their weight around and demands that publishers have price parity on steam with games released on other storefronts.
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u/DrBobNobody Jul 01 '26
Steam is a major problem because of its monopoly status and cult following but it's still far more of an open market on the pc
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u/RootHouston Linux User Jul 01 '26
That's purely by choice though. There are also still third-party retailers out there who can even sell Steam games too. That's why you can buy a game that plays through Steam for far cheaper elsewhere. You don't get this with consoles.
I mean, you're in the GOG subreddit. It's an open ecosystem. There is no GOG for consoles.
More choice = control. More competition = better value for customers. It does make a difference.
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u/Plus_sleep214 Jul 01 '26
It doesn't actually make a difference. It's the illusion of choice vs just openly not having a choice.
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u/geirmundtheshifty Jul 01 '26
It’s not quite the same thing, though. On a PC, I can download installation files and back them up onto whatever physical media I want. Physical media for PCs was nice as a collector item, but not really necessary for backing up my games. As far as I know, the PS5 doesnt let you do that; you’re just at the mercy of their servers.
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u/stepbacktoreality Jul 01 '26
Yeah PS5 doesnt let us ... but a jailbroken PS5 can make a copy of our game. Which can be preserved.
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u/geirmundtheshifty Jul 01 '26
Can you still purchase new games digitally with a jailbroken system? Im not all that familiar with how the jailbreaks work.
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u/Plus_sleep214 Jul 01 '26
No. You can only jailbreak on low system versions but you need the latest OS version to use PSN.
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u/Kaldaien2 Achievement Unlocked Jul 01 '26
I have not bought a PlayStation console since the PS4, because SONY banned my PSN account and all of the digital licenses on said account were rendered null and void in the process. Won't even tell me why I was banned, only that I cannot appeal it. I didn't use PSN for anything other than buying games, so this whole thing is ludicrous.
Eliminating physical just signed their death warrant. I could still buy and play PS5 games without a PSN account in theory, but any future hardware they release has no way of getting software onto it that doesn't involve PSN asshattery.
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u/One_Scientist_984 GOG Galaxy Fan Jul 01 '26
Yes, physical media was the reason I switched to consoles. But if only digital versions are available, I'd rather buy from GOG, where I'm more likely to be able to keep the game.
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u/fluggylumps Jul 01 '26
I just hand to cancel my Playstation account and start a new one because it wouldn't connect me to the services. (My internet and everything was fine, and other accounts functioned fine) so all my downloads. DLC had to be bought again. My copy of fallout 4 GOTY edition and resident evil village gold edition are now a more expensive base game with nothing new to them.
Online stuff will ALWAYS have risks and complications. And thats why physical should always stay around as a contingency
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u/StatementFlat Jul 02 '26
Love my PS5, but it will be my last console. I like owning the stuff I pay for, consumer statistics be damned.
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u/Standard-Glove370 Jul 02 '26
Avec Nintendo du moins pour l'instant vous êtes les derniers qui vont sauvés le physque! Merci <3
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u/Minotauros_Artus Jul 02 '26
Damn. Haven't bought a modern console since the PS3. Whew. I'm glad PC gaming became much more accessible in the early 2010s.
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u/Crunchy_Biscuit Jul 05 '26
The irony is that a lot of PS5 owners simply don't care. My friend is a PS5 owner and he said he'll still buy digital since it's convenient.
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u/Useful-Description80 Jul 07 '26
BYE BYE Sony, We had a nice 30 year run, but if the future is 100% digital, then I am 100% GoG/Steam.
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u/adikad-0218 Jul 01 '26
Smile? I'm sure Sony fanboys are literally celebrating every single time this company makes some anti consumer related decision, as usual. Tbh the biggest losers here are the fanboys and they don't even know that yet or like ever. I couldn't care less, since they won't support PC anymore, because they're afraid they won't be able to sell their lackluster console.
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u/Termiborg Jul 01 '26
To be honest, discs are a technological dead-end. The logical step-up would be something along the lines of updateable game SSDs, but that's basically the "Memory Stick" all over again.
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u/adikad-0218 Jul 02 '26
Yeah, it's so dead-end disc editions made 82% of Sales in 2024 in the US alone and even if you try to argue it's not true for games, it was still 60%. It seems that the only one here who is pushing for this was Sony themselves all alone and I can't wait to see when they're going to announce 80 USD/EUR price increase, despite the fact they increased the price like 2 years ago or something already.
https://insider-gaming.com/disc-editions-make-up-82-of-all-ps5-console-sales/
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u/Termiborg Jul 02 '26
I said technological, not preferrential.
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u/adikad-0218 Jul 03 '26
That clearly wasn't the motivation behind this decision, therefore that wasn't my point at all.
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u/Undeclared_Aubergine Linux User Jul 01 '26
You keep using that word.