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Ars Technica

Just because a game is on disc doesn’t mean it will work in the future

Thursday, July 30, 2026


DoesItPlay, a tracking project, documents physical games that require internet connectivity to function. The project catalogues titles released on disc or cartridge that cannot be played offline or have become unplayable after online services were discontinued. Examples include games with mandatory online authentication, server-dependent gameplay, or content that was only available through digital downloads paired with physical media.

Original reporting: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/the-disc-is-not-the-game-physical-releases-increasingly-require-extra-downloads/

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