The backlash over Sony’s plan to withdraw physical PS discs shows no signs of slowing down, and now a new issue is making gamers frustrated: the company’s rigid PSN region restrictions, which could turn an all-digital future into a genuine headache for players who move abroad.
A few days back, Sony announced that they will stop manufacturing physical discs for new releases starting in 2028, a move that landed just days after GTA 6 pre-release was started; that too would launch as a digital-only title.
This was the beginning of controversy that led the gamers to start a petition on Change.org to push Sony toward keeping physical releases alive. But as the conversation has spread, particularly among international players, a deeper issue has come into focus one that many U.S.-based fans may not have fully considered.
As per a thread on Reddit, Sony currently offers no way for users to update their account region after relocating to another country. Technically, continuing to use an account tied to your old region once you’ve moved is a violation of Sony’s Terms of Service. The company’s official workaround is simply to open a new account. A solution fans argue is wildly impractical for anyone with a library built up over ten-plus years.
Reminder: In an all-digital future, Sony still won’t let you change your PSN region, and it’s a massive risk.
by u/gekeli in PS5
As creating a new account will effectively cut them off from purchasing new games or DLC under the account they’ve used for a decade, and many commenters see this less as fraud prevention and more as an unnecessary obstacle for paying customers, who are otherwise left juggling foreign payment methods or gift cards just to stay compliant.
PSN region restrictions have been a known issue for years, but with the physical disk there was a workaround. Yes, you might lose access to certain DLC, but the game itself still works, and ownership is tied to something tangible that can’t simply be revoked. Now remove physical disks out of the equation entirely, and an account flagged for a regional Terms of Service violation could lose its entire digital library in one shot, with nothing left to fall back on.
The issue is so serious that the Video Game History Foundation has pointed to piracy as one of the few remaining ways to actually preserve games when publishers hold this much control over access.
What makes the situation more frustrating for gamers is that Sony is the only one among major platforms to restrict users from changing their region. Nintendo allows account region changes with minimal friction, and both Xbox and Steam offer their own transfer processes.
Gamers are pushing back on Sony’s current stance, arguing that region migration should be a priority before physical media disappears entirely, simply because people’s lives change and not everyone stays in one country forever. For now, all eyes are on whether Sony addresses the issue before its digital-only plans fully take effect.
