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Fans say digital-only purchases reduce true ownership because buying digitally often only grants a license that the platform holder can revoke, whereas physical discs give a buyer an actual copy of the game files and the ability to play offline if the publisher stops hosting the title. They also note digital purchases remove options to trade, sell, or lend a game that physical discs allow, contradicting past promises to "keep it forever." Related article "Sony deleting over 500 movies from PS5 libraries is a reminder that you don't really own anything in the digital age" is cited to illustrate

Sony confirmed that January 2028 will be the last time it makes physical games for the PlayStation 5. The announcement also indicates Sony's gaming future, including the upcoming PlayStation 6, will be entirely digital.

The outages show that when game libraries, subscriptions, and proof of ownership are tied to company servers, a backend failure can block sign-in, purchases, downloads, cloud saves, and even make paid titles appear missing or display ownership warnings. This illustrates the risk that losing access to a company’s online services can temporarily or permanently deny access to games you "own," a problem that becomes more acute as companies push toward digital-only distribution. Answered

Sony pointed to its PlayStation 'Terms' language that buying a digital game on the PlayStation Network only grants you a "limited" license to play the game. The notice reminded players that digital purchases do not transfer ownership but instead provide that limited license.