PS5 physical games are asking some players to install a system update before they’ll launch, and it’s setting off a fresh round of complaints.
On October 22, X user Aleksy Lesniak wrote that you can’t even play a disc on PS5 anymore without updating to the newest system software, and he called Sony greedy in far harsher terms. The post has pulled in nearly a million views.
Two days later, Instant Gaming reported that players were hitting a message demanding an update when they tried to start The Witcher 3 and Ghost of Yotei from a disc. It said it’s unknown how widespread the issue is, and that games depending on available system updates is not reassuring for their long-term viability.
It embedded a post from one Spanish player who said the console kept asking him to update, even after he declined and put the disc in. Pirat_Nation shared the screenshots, which passed half a million views, and said the worry is that physical games are becoming dependent on firmware even for people who own the disc.
HappyGamer says it’s unclear which games are affected and whether this is a required firmware check or a one-off bug, and Sony hasn’t commented. The outlet also quoted a reply from @FallenGmrScott that sums up the objection: “A disc that won’t play without a download first is just a license key in a plastic case. The whole point of physical was that it still works years from now with no servers involved.”
Why Some PS5 Discs Need a System Update
Not everyone thinks PS5 physical games are doing something new. Orderly Panic rounded up the reaction to Lesniak’s post, which drew replies like “And Sony still wonders why people hate them now” and “We don’t hate this company enough.” It says some newer physical games have long required recent firmware, and notes that Push Square’s Sammy Barker blames console modding rather than Sony for the extra updates.
X user TwistedDanns made a similar point, saying discs often ship with the required firmware on them and that the update can also be downloaded from PlayStation’s website and installed without connecting the console to the internet. In his view, the players most surprised are the ones who’ve been holding off on updates on purpose to keep a modded console.
What Offline Players Are Worried About
Barker doesn’t dismiss the frustration over PS5 physical games entirely. Orderly Panic says he expects these updates to get more frequent and more annoying as Sony winds down disc manufacturing by 2028, and that offline-only players who leave a console unpatched for months will feel it most.
That worry is the core of the viral posts. If a sealed disc still needs a current system build before it will boot, ownership starts to feel conditional even when the plastic is sitting on a shelf.
How the Disc Phase-Out Fits In
The disc phase-out is the backdrop for the complaints. Sony announced on July 1 that physical disc production for new games will end in January 2028, according to the PlayStation Blog, and new releases will then be sold digitally only. The company says the change has no impact on games that have already released or will release on disc before then.
READ: Xbox Could Be Doubling Down on Physical Games
Physical discs already lean on downloads for game data too. TechSpot reported that Does It Play’s testing found 34% of the 792 PS5 disc releases it tested weren’t fully playable as intended without a patch, though that covers game data rather than system software.
What Sony Has Said So Far
Sony still hasn’t commented on the October reports. Until it does, players are left with screenshots, competing explanations about firmware shipped on discs, and a 2028 end date for new physical releases hanging over the whole argument.
Do you still buy discs, or have you gone fully digital?
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