The PlayStation 5 can play Blu-ray movies when equipped with a disc drive.
Sony has ended shipments of its last standalone UHD player in Japan, while plans to stop new PS5 game discs raise questions about physical media.
The Sony Blu-ray player withdrawal in Japan leaves the PlayStation 5 as the company’s remaining UHD disc-playing device there. Sony confirmed on October 22, 2026, that it was discontinuing the UBP-X700/K, its final standalone 4K Blu-ray player.
The move affects the Japanese market, although retailers elsewhere still appeared to offer the model. It does not establish that Sony has ended worldwide availability or that Blu-ray movie production will stop.
Sony Blu-ray player withdrawal narrows options
Sony introduced the UBP-X700/K in spring 2025. Its departure follows the company’s exit from Blu-ray recorder sales and leaves console hardware serving movie-disc users in Japan.
The standard disc-equipped PS5 can play both 4K and 1080p Blu-ray movies. Meanwhile, PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro owners can access those formats with the compatible disc-drive attachment.
However, the console does not support Dolby Vision playback for 4K films that offer the format. That limits its capabilities compared with the dedicated UBP-X700/K.
The change therefore leaves Sony customers with a console-based alternative, but not an identical replacement for the standalone player.
New PS5 game discs face a 2028 cutoff
Sony also confirmed in July that production of physical discs for new PS5 titles will stop from January 2028. After that cutoff, new releases will reach buyers through the PlayStation Store or retailer-sold redemption codes.
Existing game discs will continue to work, so the change does not make current physical collections unusable. However, games released after the cutoff will not receive physical editions.
The announcement concerns new PS5 games rather than the manufacture of Blu-ray films. Although both developments reduce Sony’s involvement in physical media, they affect different products.
Future PlayStation disc support remains uncertain
Other major electronics companies have already left the Blu-ray player market. Samsung withdrew in 2019, while LG stopped production in December 2024.
Panasonic remains a major manufacturer in the sector. Meanwhile, smaller specialist brands, including Magnetar and Krovatar, continue producing players.
Whether the PlayStation 6 will support an optical drive remains uncertain. Sony’s existing detachable-drive approach shows one possible design, but it does not confirm the next console’s features.
For now, describing the PS5 as Sony’s final Blu-ray-capable device would go beyond the confirmed announcements.
