Sony’s PlayStation 5 is nearing lifetime shipments of 100 million units as the company prepares to stop producing disc-based games in 2028 and develops next-generation hardware. The shift could disproportionately affect low-income gamers by eliminating a key source of affordable used games. Digital purchases require reliable internet access, which is less available in rural areas and costly in parts of Africa. Isa Muhammad, founder of Bijetic, said the PlayStation Network, Sony’s online gaming service, officially supports only South Africa among African countries, forcing gamers elsewhere to use foreign accounts and payment methods that violate Sony’s terms. In Nigeria, downloading the expected 212GB GTA 6 pre-load could cost $25 to more than $60 in data and take nearly 13 hours at the country’s median download speed of 36.77 Mbps. Experts also pointed to rising hardware and gaming costs, including Sony’s PS5 price increase in March and expectations that the next-generation Xbox could cost up to $1,800. Sony’s fiscal second-quarter results for July-September were released on Nov. 5. Sony and PlayStation did not respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.