Is the download or the box cheaper? We price both, so we compared them. For every game where we had a new, in-stock physical copy and a price on the console's own store, we put the two side by side: 1,327 comparisons across 1,008 games, checked between 20 October and 3 November 2026.
The physical copy usually won
A new physical copy cost less than the store download for 866 of the 1,327 comparisons, about two in three.
- PlayStation: the disc was cheaper for 362 of 529 games (68%).
- Xbox: the disc was cheaper for 223 of 297 games (75%).
- Switch: the cartridge was cheaper for 281 of 501 games (56%).
Measured against the download's full price, before any sale, the physical copy was cheaper for 1,030 of 1,327 (78%).
Some well-known examples
- Elden Ring: £31.85 for a new PS4 or Xbox Series copy, £49.99 on the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Store (checked 3 November).
- Astro Bot on PS5: £44.95 for a new disc, £59.99 to download (2 November).
- God of War Ragnarök on PS5: £37.95 for a new disc, £59.99 to download (27 October).
- Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4: £19.19 for a new disc, £59.99 to download (29 October).
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: £48.85 for a new cartridge, £59.99 on the eShop (28 October).
When the download won
The download was cheaper in 458 comparisons. Half of those, 229, were downloads on sale on the day we checked. Two examples were on sale:
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: £14.99 to download, down from £49.99, against £27.95 for a new disc (27 October).
- Cyberpunk 2077 on PS5: £15.99 to download, down from £39.99, against £29.95 for a new disc (2 November).
Smaller games were often cheaper to download at their normal price. Hollow Knight: Silksong was £15.99 on the PlayStation Store against £39.95 for a new PS5 disc (28 October), and Balatro was £12.49 on the Xbox Store against £17.19 for a new copy (28 October).
What this means if you buy games
For big releases at full price, check the shops before the console store: in our checks the box was usually cheaper. For a game that goes on sale often, or a small game with a low store price, the download can win. Either way the gap moves from week to week, which is why each game's page shows every price we have and the lowest we've recorded, and can email you when it drops.
How we counted
We took the cheapest new, in-stock copy of each game for each console family (PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Series, Switch and Switch 2) and the price of the matching game on that console's store. Pre-owned copies, pre-orders and out-of-stock items were left out. The two prices were not always checked on the same day, so a sale that started or ended in between can change a single result.