Rare PS3 games surge in price after Sony store shutdown announcement

Sony's announcement that it will shut down the PlayStation Store for PS3 has sent collectors scrambling for rare physical copies. In some cases, prices on the secondary market have risen by almost 400%, while digital versions are still available for now.

Puppeteer is one of the clearest examples. Full copies used to sell for $60-70, but now they often cost more than $200, and some listings reach $300. At the same time, the game is still available digitally in the US PlayStation Store for $14.99.

Other rare PS3 exclusives are following the same pattern. Folklore used to cost about $40-50, but now it is regularly listed for $120-150, while 3D Dot Game Heroes has climbed to more than $100. Sony's announcement also said the PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita will close globally in July 2027, with some regions shutting down earlier.

Not every PS3 title is seeing the same jump. Mass-produced games such as inFamous and inFamous 2 have not shown similar price growth, and the fastest-rising listings are limited to PS3 exclusives with small print runs. That makes the current wave of buying look selective rather than universal.

Earlier, Sony Is Ending PlayStation Store Support flagged the timeline for PS3 store closure.

Sony also said it will stop producing physical discs for new games starting in January 2028. Against that backdrop, collectors may see old PS3 discs as the last easy way to own certain games, even when digital copies are still on sale for far less. Is this just a short-lived panic, or the new normal for rare PS3 discs?