Hands Down – Physical PS5 Games Are Cheaper – Here‘s Why
As an avid PlayStation gamer and industry follower focused on getting players the best deals, I‘ve been tracking prices on the latest PS5 titles pretty closely since launch. Hundreds of hours in Excel and shopping cart price checks later, the results are conclusive – physical games offer way more savings opportunities compared to digital. Here‘s the detailed breakdown that led to this verdict.
Launch Day Pricing is Identical – But Deals Come Quicker on Discs
When tentpole PS5 exclusives first hit the scene, physical and digital formats both stick firmly to the $59.99 or $69.99 MSRP that publishers set. Pre-order bonuses aside, your launch day cost in November 2022 was the same whether you picked God of War: Ragnarok on Blu-Ray or downloaded through the PlayStation Store.
However, persistent players know that major retailer discounts will slash prices on physical editions within weeks or months of release. For example, target temporariliy dropped the hottest game of 2022, Elden Ring, to $49.99 in May – $10 off the digital price in the PS Store. On Cyber Monday, Horizon Forbidden West disc copies plunged to as low as $35, whereas the digital was still $59.99.
| Game | Lowest Physical Price Seen | Current PSN Store Price | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| God of War: Ragnarok | $49.99 | $69.99 | $20 |
| Gran Turismo 7 | $39.99 | $59.99 | $20 |
| Horizon Forbidden West | $35 | $59.99 | $25 |
These fleeting physical deals represent major short-term savings opportunities for savvy buyers.
Used Discs Drive Prices Down Further Over Time
The longer a PS5 game has been out, the likelihood that physical copies are cheaper grows exponentially. By 6-12 months post-launch, most blockbuster titles see their new box pricing dip down to $39.99 permanently at major retailers. But enter the buzzing used games market on sites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp, where you can scoop up secondhand discs for $10-30 less.
Let‘s examine a cross-section of action, sports and RPG genres to see how much value used PS5 physical games currently provide:
| Game | Used Price on eBay | PSN Store Price | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (2021) | $25 | $49.99 | $25 |
| NBA 2K23 (2022) | $30 | $59.99 | $30 |
| Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla (2020) | $12 | $39.99 | $28 |
With some older titles like Spiderman: Miles Morales even dipping below $20 secondhand, players can save 50% or more by buying physical used rather than digital.
Specialty Retail Programs Reward Physical Collections
Between best price guarantees, bonus membership discounts and lucrative trade-in offers, gaming specialty stores like GameStop ($GME) offer the best overall value to players investing in physical libraries.
The PowerUp Rewards Pro program grants a $10 reward certificate for every $200 you spend, plus 10% extra trade credit on top of already high rates (I typically get $25+ even on past-year sports titles).
Target‘s ($TGT) Circle also impressively takes 10% off all new physical video games for members (assuming you already get the 5% off by using their RedCard debit/credit).
Buying a typical 5-title PS5 physical collection at these retailers could reasonably save between $30-60 more versus choosing all digital versions. That quickly offsets the higher upfront convenience cost of discs that need installing.
Discs Can Outlive Fickle Digital Licensing Deals
Remember the surprise fiasco when Sony yanked down the original Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store in 2020? Any players that bought the defective digital edition were simply out $60 with no recourse.
Physical media better withstands both transient licensing deals in the digital ecosystem and preservation risks overall. I still have PS1 games in perfect working condition; provided I can get the right hardware, they‘ll outlive any guarantee of being able to redownload classic PlayStation Store purchases years later.
Developer studio bankruptcies, publishing rights changes and platform politics all threaten long-term digital availability. Game discs additionally require no internet access or account logins once installed offline – think of them as offline game file backups.
Yes, Discs Are More Inconvenient, But Provide Unmatched Value
There‘s no denying the sheer convenience of downloading immaterial digital games rather than juggling delicate physical discs prone to scratching and loss. You‘ll never need to make space on your shelf or swap out media just to change titles.
However, when we look at total cost of ownership combining purchase discounts, resale upside, specialty rewards programs and long-term access reliability, PS5 physical games provide markedly unrivaled value over their digital counterparts. Just ask the 35% of PS5 owners in 2022 still buying physical games more than half the time.
For collectors not bothered by the nominal inconvenience trade-off, building out a library stacked tall with physical releases makes way more financial sense in the PlayStation ecosystem. My own 300+ disc collection saves me thousands over an all-digital approach – plus I can lend favorites out to friends!
So are PS5 physical games cheaper overall? Resoundingly, the numbers and expert consensus doesn‘t lie. Discs win for cost-focused gamers. What format do you prefer for your collection and why? Let me know in the comments!
