Support NeoGAF

[cormack12]

Source: https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2025/03/disc-rot-already-afflicts-your-physical-game-collection

[..] some fresh fuel has just been dumped on the fire: did you know that your physical game collection is rotting as we speak, and the valuable discs themselves, rather than outlasting digital servers forever, are rapidly approaching their use by date?

TheGamer just published a fascinating article that looks into Warner Bros.' new DVD exchange program for those experiencing premature disc rot, sometimes known as laser rot. Regardless of the name, disc rot refers to the chemical deterioration that affects all discs sooner or later, eventually making them unreadable.

Despite being the newest iteration, the Blu-ray discs PS5 games are printed on have the shortest life expectancy and are only estimated to last around 20 years under ideal conditions.

Streaks, spots, shadows, and other discolouration on the underside are all tell-tale signs that the degradation process is underway. As TheGamer notes, it's ironic that the best thing you can do to preserve your physical game collection is to back it up digitally.

Would you expect publishers to replace your physical discs if they deteriorated enough to be unplayable within, say, ten years?

 

[jshackles]

In 20 years, we'll have full dumps of all these games available online, and powerful enough PCs to emulate them easily.

Just go look at a list of games from 2005, and I dare you to find one that can't be played from a PC emulator. It's not that I'm advocating piracy, I'm just saying that if you still want to play your games 20 years from now (when these PS5 discs will supposedly stop working), there will be options.

 

[NomenNescio]

Here's a little song I wrote
You might want to hear it in your pod
Own nothing, be happy
Ain't got no cash, ain't got no car
But twenty-five booster shots in your arm
Own nothing, be happy

You can't even buy shit in ze store
Because of your low social credit score
Own nothing, be happy

Credits:

 

[Complistic]

I'm just renting this meat sack, so it just makes sense to rent my games also.

 

[RagnarokIV]

In 20 years, we'll have full dumps of all these games available online, and powerful enough PCs to emulate them easily.

Just go look at a list of games from 2005, and I dare you to find one that can't be played from a PC emulator. It's not that I'm advocating piracy, I'm just saying that if you still want to play your games 20 years from now (when these PS5 discs will supposedly stop working), there will be options.

Which is why I fall in love with PC more and more each year. It’s the forever console, basically.

I probably spend the most of my play time playing PS2 games, and it’s done on my PC.

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

Been too used to digital once I made the jump to PC fully towards the end of the PS3 era. But I have nothing against physical stuff as I still want to eventually do a physical movie collection for display when I get a bunch of extra cash to spare in the future.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

I can't day this makes any sense every game I've ever owned has been kept indoors the whole time and the discs are spotless.

I don't see how this can be a thing unless discs are stored in hot places like garages.

 

[rkofan87]

I can't day this makes any sense every game I've ever owned has been kept indoors the whole time and the discs are spotless.

I don't see how this can be a thing unless discs are stored in hot places like garages.

oh its real just ask us wb dvd buyers.

 

[TGO]

Interesting that their life span is getting longer everytime they come up with this, and now Blu-ray is the shortest with a 20 years life span, remember the 10 & 15 years of CD/DVD?
But that particular number is actually the shortest it will last.
Most Discs can last if kept in good condition for over 100 years.
On the topic of the the whole Warner Bros situation, they are only discs produced during 2006-08, it's not all of them and was probably a manufacturing flaw.

 

[Ovek]

I had a huge dvd collection, when I realised I wasted many hours of my life and wanted to reclaim the entire room they filled I found out that about half of them were suffering from disc rot.

 

[mayham2199]

In 20 years, we'll have full dumps of all these games available online, and powerful enough PCs to emulate them easily.

Just go look at a list of games from 2005, and I dare you to find one that can't be played from a PC emulator. It's not that I'm advocating piracy, I'm just saying that if you still want to play your games 20 years from now (when these PS5 discs will supposedly stop working), there will be options.

IMO it's not piracy at that point if I paid for it and I don't care what the law says. I could pirate all the games right now if I wanted to (well I'd have to build a gaming PC again) but I never did it even when I had one because I want to support the industry.

When I was a kid I pirated games all the time but I was poor and I was never going to buy the games anyways. At least this way it kept me involved in gaming and now I can support it as an adult.

 

[Esppiral]

I still have games on disc that are 30+ years old and all are perfectly fine...band that is more time than any digital store has ever lasted...

 

[Hunter 99]

I have a ps1 ps2,ps3,dreamcast,xbox,xbox 360 collection and all of them work perfectly.
I do store them well but this is just scaremongering..
Never heard of a single person in my life who has has disc rot.
Not saying it doesn't happen at all but meh.

 

[Naked Lunch]

Disc rot is not a thing unless you're a messy dirtball and don't know how to take care of your shit.
I have games from the mid 90s that work perfectly fine. Not to mention music cds.

I even have a shitton of Dreamcast CDRs from 1999 that work good as new.
That is 25+ years of scientific proof right there.

I only saw disc rot once from some shady ebay seller. Obviously an aforementioned dirtball.

 

[Justin9mm]

Why would this affect physical disc media in future, even if they lasted only 10 years. Some people prefer physical for value and options, not just because they are a collector.

 

[{insert code here}]

20 years bruh. Does that mean my PS3 collection is about to be trash.

 

[simpatico]

Crushing blow for disc guys. Gonna be even worse when they find out about the eyes and ears they use to consume the games.

 

[Zekra Dezivad]

It will be a problem for future me. Right know I like discounts and prices on physical more, and I like the possibility of reselling stuff I don't want anymore

 

[crazyriddler]

I have a collection of games from PS1, PS2, GC, 360, PS3... and they all work perfectly (yes, I replay old games from time to time on original hardware). I'm not saying that disc rot doesn't exist, but it is neither as frequent nor does it inevitably occur in all discs.

 

[Labadal]

All my disc games all the way back to the PS1 still work. I check them everry 2-3 years.

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

 

[yogaflame]

Another black propaganda against physical copy. Physical copy for me always.

 

[jshackles]

 

[Susurrus]

Brave to assume I'll be alive in 20 years.

 

[kevboard]

I have never seen a CD that suffers from disc rot. hell, me and a friend just recently played old PS2 games I burned onto some Verbatim DVD-Rs in 2005, which I found in an old cardboard box, half loose as many fell out of the cheap disc bag... they still worked.

if a DVD-R from 2005, that was stored in bad conditions, still works without issue 20 years later... I think we'll be fine.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Ah yes, the ol' disc rot boogeyman. I've had thousands of disc games and only had one not work over time. I'm sure, like pretty much everything in this world, the discs are deteriorating, but I've learned to laugh at articles like these that try to play into people's fears for clicks.

 

[Clear]

Disc rot isn't anything to do with storage, its a manufacturing issue. Its the glue between the layers failing, and in bad runs of discs can manifest in months not years so I wouldn't at all be surprised if more discs are affected over time.

 

[consoul]

Warner Bros fucked up. They produced DVDs badly for a known period.

That doesn't make disc rot a problem for every videogame. I have shitloads of games from 30 years back on PS1, Saturn, PC Engine, MegaCD etc. Not one has become unplayable due to disc rot.

This is just bullshit scare tactics.

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

no physical, no buy

have no faith in digital marketplaces

 

[lh032]

seems like the user issue.

My ps3 games still 100% pristine and works fine.

Dont just simply store the games anywhere

 

[Unknown?]

Source: https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2025/03/disc-rot-already-afflicts-your-physical-game-collection

[..] some fresh fuel has just been dumped on the fire: did you know that your physical game collection is rotting as we speak, and the valuable discs themselves, rather than outlasting digital servers forever, are rapidly approaching their use by date?

Ahhh fear mongering about disc rot, but those discs will last longer than those servers. Servers need to be replaced.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

All of my discs are fine, even 30 year old discs. Fear mongers.

seems like the user issue.

My ps3 games still 100% pristine and works fine.

Dont just simply store the games anywhere

Ps3 - psh, my SegaCD discs are still fine. Completely agree that storage climate is very important.

 

[ReBurn]

I've lost a handful of discs to disc rot over the years. Mostly CD's and DVD's. It happens sometimes.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Fuck discs, I want cartridges!

 

[CGNoire]

Disc rot is not a thing unless you're a messy dirtball and don't know how to take care of your shit.
I have games from the mid 90s that work perfectly fine. Not to mention music cds.

I even have a shitton of Dreamcast CDRs from 1999 that work good as new.
That is 25+ years of scientific proof right there.

I only saw disc rot once from some shady ebay seller. Obviously an aforementioned dirtball.

This. Ive got decades of cds, dvds, and cdrs. All fine.

 

[64gigabyteram]

In 20 years, we'll have full dumps of all these games available online, and powerful enough PCs to emulate them easily.

the best preservation is always digital. Just not the digital companies think of.

 

[Sojiro]

Disc rot is not a thing unless you're a messy dirtball and don't know how to take care of your shit.
I have games from the mid 90s that work perfectly fine. Not to mention music cds.

I even have a shitton of Dreamcast CDRs from 1999 that work good as new.
That is 25+ years of scientific proof right there.

I only saw disc rot once from some shady ebay seller. Obviously an aforementioned dirtball.

I have many, many games from the same period and not a single one of them have any issues. If you take care of your shit, and don't subject those discs to extreme conditions, they tend to last a long time. Do I think they will last forever? Probably not, but the disc rot Boogeyman "plaguing" all these discs is always overblown, and never takes into account the conditions some of these discs were subjected to.

 

[fart town usa]

I'm all digital. The only physical I buy are the occasional PS3 title or Japanese Saturn title for artwork purposes.

No regrets.

 

[Zacfoldor]

Physics and I’m sure somehow cheapness:

In all seriousness, I’m glad they could save a penny a CD so my discs could be useless in a few years

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

20 year shelf life? fucking lol

my VHS collection will outlive all those discs you physical collectors store

how does that make you feel

 

[StereoVsn]

WB had a manufacturing defect in their contractor factories. There was something similar with certain PSX and Saturn titles.

Properly manufactured Blu-Rays should last 50 years.

 

[InterMusketeer]

Ebay is chock full of 30+ years old CDs that still work fine. I doubt this will be a serious issue going forward.

 

[Effigenius]

“Give up all your ownership rights because this thing that won’t happen theoretically could!”

 

[PendekarRajawali]

I still have a 30 year old ps1 game and it’s still ok. My games nowadays are 90% digital though.

 

[Mattyp]

I’ve got burnt cd compilations we made and burnt ourselves in the early 90s like 91/92 that still work to this day, nothing professionally pressed I’m talking burnt media at home. Closing in on 40 years later and still fine.

Never had a PS1 disc fail yet either. Same with audio cds, this gets thrown around every 5 years and everything still working and they push it a bit further…

 

[EviLore]

That’s why I collect books

* Will last until at least my death
* Not reliant on technology to access
* Thieves can’t read

 

[consoul]

20 year shelf life? fucking lol

my VHS collection will outlive all those discs you physical collectors store

how does that make you feel

Those VHS tapes will demagnetize before properly manufactured optical media dies. You'd be better off with the laserdiscs.

And as someone who also has a lot of VHS, mould growing on the tape is the real threat.

 

[DryvBy]

I have a burned disc on cheap, cheap media when I downloaded Motocross Madness 1 so I could play with my brother. It has a virus on it and it's scratched to high heaven. That disc still works like a charm.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Those VHS tapes will demagnetize before properly manufactured optical media dies. You'd be better off with the laserdiscs.

And as someone who also has a lot of VHS, mould growing on the tape is the real threat.

VHS tapes last longer than discs, especially crappy discs like this thread is about.

I have literally thousands of tapes, some dating from the 70s, that all play just fine. Including the lowest quality tapes used for b flicks.

 

[Deerock71]

Cartridges were the way, all along.

Nintendo: