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The Witcher IV Physical Edition Will Still Give Collectors Something to Own
Sony’s decision to stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games from January 2028 will change more than just how players install their games. It also raises a rather obvious question: what exactly happens to the physical edition when there is no longer a physical game to put inside it?
CD Projekt Red is already thinking about that problem with The Witcher IV. The next mainline entry is targeting a 2028 release, putting Ciri’s new adventure directly on the other side of Sony’s physical disc cutoff. Yet CD Projekt Red still intends to give collectors something tangible to buy and put on a shelf. Whether that includes an actual PlayStation disc is another matter entirely.
The Witcher IV Will Have a Box, but a Disc Is Not Guaranteed
Speaking to The Game Business, CD Projekt Red Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski acknowledged that the studio ultimately has no control over whether PlayStation discs will still be available. Sony has confirmed that manufacturing of discs for new PlayStation releases will end in January 2028. Games released physically before that point will not be affected.
If that policy remains unchanged when The Witcher IV arrives, CD Projekt Red cannot simply manufacture its own PlayStation discs elsewhere. What Nowakowski can guarantee is the box.
“We’re big fans of people having access to tangible collectible things.”
He added that the studio is made up of “nerds” who enjoy that experience themselves, and promised a box containing what he described as “feelies”, physical extras designed to make opening it worthwhile. Exactly what those items will be has not been revealed.
CD Projekt Red has plenty of history here, though. Physical editions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 included extras such as maps, compendiums, postcards, stickers, and other items, even beyond their more elaborate Collector’s Editions.
A Box Without a Game Disc Could Become the New Physical Edition
There is an important distinction between what CD Projekt Red has confirmed and what may ultimately happen. The studio has not announced that The Witcher IV will definitely contain a digital download code instead of a disc. It has only committed to producing a tangible boxed product regardless of what happens to physical media.
If Sony follows through with its current plans, however, a PlayStation version released in 2028 would necessarily have to be delivered digitally. That creates the slightly unusual prospect of buying a “physical” version primarily for everything related to the game rather than for the game itself.
For collectors, that still preserves part of the ritual that digital purchases have largely removed: opening a box, unfolding a map, finding artwork or memorabilia inside, and actually having something connected to the game sitting on a shelf. It just might no longer contain the thing you insert into the console.
Xbox Has Not Revealed Its Disc Plans Yet
Sony may have already committed to its digital future, but the wider console industry is not moving in complete unison. Microsoft has yet to confirm whether its upcoming Project Helix family of Xbox hardware will include a disc drive. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma recently declined to provide a definitive answer, instead pointing towards considerations such as affordability and hardware efficiency.
Microsoft has, however, introduced its new Disc-to-Digital system, which gives supported Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S discs a corresponding digital entitlement while the physical disc remains the proof of ownership.
Nintendo has taken another approach with Switch 2 Game-Key Cards, preserving a physical object that can be sold or shared while requiring much, or sometimes all, of the game data to be downloaded. None of those solutions is quite the traditional physical game players have known for decades.
The Witcher 4 Arrives at an Interesting Time for Collectors
CD Projekt Red has not announced The Witcher IV‘s final platforms, editions, or pricing yet, so plenty could change before 2028. What is clear is that the studio wants the physical side of its games to survive in some form.
That may prove increasingly important as the industry moves towards a point where “physical edition” no longer necessarily means owning the game on physical media. For The Witcher IV, the disc remains uncertain but the box, at least, is not going anywhere.
