Game preservation group Does It Play has published data suggesting that many physical console games do not work as intended without first downloading additional data. According to Does It Play owner Clemens Itsel, speaking to Ars Technica, 27% of the 3,511 physical games tested so far require a download either to fix game-breaking bugs or to obtain core game content not included on the disc itself.
The group's website breaks the numbers down further by platform. For PS5, out of 792 games tested, 66% work as intended without any download, 17% are technically beatable but are either too buggy or missing central content, and another 17% require some form of download to play properly. For Xbox Series X, from a smaller sample of 78 games, only 50% pass without needing a download, 12% fall into the buggy-but-beatable category, and 68% need some kind of download to play, according to PC Gamer's reporting of the site's statistics. GamesRadar+, citing the same source, cites overall figures of about 34% of PS5 discs and 50% of Xbox Series X discs being effectively nonfunctional without a download — figures that differ somewhat from the more granular numbers PC Gamer reports directly from Does It Play's site, illustrating some inconsistency in how the data has been summarized across outlets.
By comparison, the Nintendo Switch 2 fared better in the data, with 75% of 48 tested games rated as beatable and content-complete without additional downloads, though both outlets note this is a much smaller sample size than the PlayStation or Xbox figures.
Does It Play tests games offline, using local accounts with no connection to services like PlayStation Network, EA Origin, Bethesda.net, or Battle.net. It rates games using a scale that spans from full offline functionality to needing downloads either for minor content, for bypassing severe bugs, or for essential content and hard-coded download prompts that block progress entirely. Cyberpunt 2077 is cited as an example of a game that is technically playable on disc but still effectively requires a download to avoid framerate issues, pop-in, and bugs present in the original console release.
Itsel argues that larger publishers are increasingly treating physical releases with indifference, saying there is no inherent reason physical games should stop working properly unless companies choose to let that happen. He criticizes Xbox in particular for what he describes as discs that often require downloads or force Microsoft account creation, and also criticizes Nintendo Switch 2's game-key cards, which he calls a form of deception since they function as redemption keys rather than full game data. Both outlets connect these findings to Sony's plans to end production of PS5 game discs in 2028, framing the download requirements as part of a broader shift away from physical media that complicates efforts to preserve games long-term, particularly as servers eventually go offline and downloadable content becomes unavailable.