Sony will stop producing discs for new PlayStation games in January 2028, leaving customers increasingly dependent on PlayStation Store and their PSN accounts. The move has now drawn fresh attention to a long-criticized restriction: the country or region assigned to a PlayStation account at creation can never be changed. That could become a serious problem for people who move abroad but have no intention of abandoning digital libraries built over more than a decade.
Sony’s decision to end disc production for new PlayStation releases in January 2028 has generated days of intense opposition. The company attributed the move to changing consumer habits and said future games would remain available through PlayStation Store and conventional retailers, but only in digital formats. Existing releases are unaffected, meaning discs for older titles can still be manufactured and played, yet new games will no longer provide customers with a physical purchasing option.
Petitions, protests, and widespread criticism followed the announcement, and the debate quickly expanded beyond collecting boxes or buying second-hand games. Players argue that a fully digital ecosystem makes account flexibility more important than ever because purchases, subscriptions, and years of personal history become increasingly dependent on a single online identity. PlayStation’s current account rules, however, remain unusually restrictive in precisely that area.
Reminder: In an all-digital future, Sony still won’t let you change your PSN region, and it’s a massive risk.
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u/gekeli in
PS5
The Lack of Region Migration Could Become a Much Bigger Problem in PlayStation’s Digital Future
Sony’s official support documentation is unambiguous: once a PSN account has been created, its country or region cannot be changed. The company also advises users to ensure that their account region matches their billing information so they can purchase games and download new content. Consequently, someone moving from one country to another cannot simply transfer an established profile to the local version of PlayStation Store.
The old account and its purchases do not automatically disappear, but users can become trapped in an awkward middle ground. A bank card issued in the new country may not work with the former region’s storefront, while wallet vouchers are also region-specific. Many players are therefore pushed toward buying foreign gift cards, maintaining old payment arrangements, or creating an entirely separate PSN account. The final option does not migrate years of purchases, trophies, PlayStation Plus history, or the identity associated with the original profile.
The limitation already existed when physical releases were common, but discs provided at least a partial escape route. Owners could take games abroad, lend them, resell them, or continue using them in another country, even though regional incompatibilities involving DLC occasionally caused problems. Once new releases become entirely digital, access will depend even more heavily on the PSN account, the rules of its storefront, and Sony’s long-term policies.
Players also question why the restriction remains in place when competing platforms already offer options for customers who relocate. Nintendo officially allows users to change the country or region of an account, although they may first need to clear an eShop balance, cancel active renewals, or resolve outstanding pre-orders. Microsoft likewise provides a dedicated support process for people moving to another country or region. Sony still offers no equivalent PSN migration feature despite years of requests from its community.
Digital distribution is unquestionably more convenient for many customers, and Sony argues that most of its audience already prefers buying games that way. Removing discs entirely, however, gives previously avoidable account limitations far greater consequences. If PlayStation is moving toward an all-digital future, region migration may no longer be a minor convenience but an essential safeguard for libraries that customers have spent years and substantial amounts of money building.
Source: GameRant, PlayStation Blog, PlayStation Support, Nintendo Support
