Boxed Games Become a Problem for Collectors as Issues Reach PS5

Buyers of physical Xbox games are reporting packaging errors and missing shrink wrap. Collectors worry that the quality of boxed releases will keep falling.

The complaints come as major companies scale back disc support, and some players fear that boxed versions are losing value for publishers.

Unboxing photos of new games, including Blood of the Dawnwalker, have appeared online. They show paper cover inserts placed backward inside the cases, with the discs on the right side instead of the usual left.

The problems go beyond that. Store owners say suppliers have started shipping batches of games without shrink wrap, with only a paper sticker sealing the packaging. Distributors also claim that, starting next year, this approach could become standard at one of the publishers.

The cover errors are easy to fix, but players are more concerned about the overall decline in the quality of physical releases. Even PS5 games, including Control Resonant, are reportedly reaching buyers in cracked cases, with discs rattling loose inside.

Sony’s decisions have increasingly pushed physical media into the background. Players now fear that other companies will follow its example and treat disc releases as an unnecessary obligation.