Reasons to keep buying physical game copies in 2026

Physical video game purchases may seem unusual in an age where online game platforms and marketplaces are proliferating. However, physical media remains extremely important for several reasons. As a video game researcher and content writer focused on environmental impacts, I was initially excited by the promised stability of cloud gaming. But as I will explain later in this article, it is not that simple.

Let's start with a big caveat… buying physical media doesn't mean you shouldn't buy indie titles that have the budget to publish digitally. Sometimes, for small publishers and indie developers, online-only publishing is the only option. In this case, the best way to support the developers is to buy directly from their website or their recommended platform. Some platforms take more of a cut than others, and being aware of what helps devs create innovative and interesting media ensures they have more opportunities to make the exciting games they love.

Going offline

Disconnecting from a live service machine

Cloud gaming and live service games require a constant internet connection to function as intended. In many cases, there is no way to avoid it. This is not inherently a bad thing. One of my favorite games, Hitman: World of Assassinationis a live service, and every time I play a game, it connects to the servers to compare game scores and add new content. I can play offline, but my score isn't tracked properly, and progress won't sync. The limitations of the offline mode make the direct service mode extremely attractive in comparison.

While Excavation of Hob's BarrowA beautifully designed indie game, can be played completely offline as well as a contained story. It is a game without any microtransactions or locked content, which prevents the player from the full experience of the game. With games like Excavation of Hob's Barrow, Once you buy the game, you own the full game. These games represent a complete and well-constructed experience that is very different, but no less valuable than replayability. Hitman.

Buying second-hand

Reduce and recycle

Buying a new AAA title immediately after release is often unwise. take it Cyberpunk 2077 As an often cited example; It's a pretty solid and fun gameplay experience now, but when it first came out, it was a buggy mess. Those who pre-ordered or bought and played on day one were very disappointed. It was riddled with game-breaking issues and completely failed to live up to expectations.

After the infamous release issues, Cyberpunk 2077 In the following months it became one of the easiest games to obtain a physical copy. And as CD Project Red continued to troubleshoot and improve the game, those who picked it up second-hand were able to experience the game as the developers intended. Not only that, buying second hand also reduces your impact on the environment as you avoid waste.

The reality of the 'cloud'

Nothing comes from nothing

The reality of the cloud is that it doesn't just exist as some vaguely miraculous concept that makes games materialize out of nowhere. While the reduced environmental impact of eliminating massive production and distribution networks is significant, there is still a significant environmental impact due to the power required to run the services required for cloud gameplay and direct service games.

Despite the massive servers and carbon-intensive nature of cloud streaming, purchasing brand-new physical video games is still very resource-intensive. The reality is that there is no clean solution to the environmental impact of video games, but by purchasing secondhand physical media that is only offline, players can reuse some of the resources already spent instead of continuing the resource-intensive process of physical production and cloud gaming.

game conservation

Don't let your favorite games become lost media.

Owning physical media is great for media preservation purposes. Digital games, more than many other forms of commercialized media, are at risk of disappearing as the hardware and software that facilitate these experiences become obsolete. This doesn't just apply to obscure games from the 90s and expensive full-price games. Like a digital-only gaming experience PT, which was only available for a short period of time, risked disappearing into the lost media graveyard without adequate fan protection efforts.

While there is more to media and video game preservation than physically owning the media on which the game is stored, preserving these physical artifacts goes a long way toward maintaining the availability and accessibility of video games. Missing drivers and other software requirements can make games completely unplayable. But owning physical media presents another opportunity for media preservation that is becoming increasingly difficult in the digital cloud era.

DRM problems

Owning is more expensive than renting

Purchasing the game should allow the player unlimited access to use it within the limits of copyright law. But digital rights management, such as that included in many games sold on online platforms, presents significant consumer rights issues. This includes the inability to resell the game. There are very few exceptional circumstances in which a digital copy of a game can be resold, immediately devaluing the player's purchase.

Investing solely in live service games and those that rely on the cloud present significant risks. Servers may shut down and render games unplayable, or may be removed from service without warning. There was one such high-profile case recently song. song's servers are down this year, making the game effectively unplayable.

tangible artwork

Paratextual considerations

Although it may be a cliché, there is nothing that compares to holding a physical game in your own hands, and part of that is because of the other things that come with it. One of the wonderful things about buying physical copies of video games is the love and attention put into special editions. Bryson Hill compiled a list of some of the best collector's editions out there.

Special editions that help indie games get more money and create an amazing extra dimension to the video game experience. Art books, figurines, vinyl records, stickers, maps, and prints are all examples of additional supplemental material that may be included in special editions.

breaking the monopoly

Disappearing mom and pop game stores

Often times, when a full-price major release comes out, there are a few standard platforms that players go by when purchasing. The usual suspects: Steam, Epic Games, Xbox/Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store, etc. But physical media distribution works a little differently.

While small business video game stores are few and far between in most places, there are still more diverse shopping opportunities than going to Steam. Small business game shops have long since disappeared from the high street. All the more reason to support the few that remain.