Sales of Physical Game Discs Declining

Months after U.K. retailer Tesco pulled game discs from store shelves, a report has emerged that U.S. retail giant Best Buy is also moving away from physical media. While there’s no official confirmation from Best Buy, sources familiar with the company’s plans suggest that physical media, including game discs, may be phased out. This follows a trend seen in other retailers like Walmart, where stock of physical media has been shrinking over the years.

Limited Run Games CEO John Fairhurst commented on Twitter, stating that Walmart is reportedly preparing to drop physical Xbox games, indicating a broader move towards phasing out discs entirely.

I would expect to see this trend continue in 2024. I’ve heard rumblings that Wal-Mart is dropping physical Xbox games soon, and I have to imagine further cuts to physical gaming sections will be made as we get deeper into next year. October 12, 2023

The decline of physical game discs has been evident for some time in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. as digital downloads gain popularity. Sales charts consistently show that digital downloads account for a larger portion of game sales compared to discs.