I often visit tech sites like Slashdot or Ars Technica which occasionally explore gaming topics that touch on physical media. When I peruse the associated comments I'm always rolling my eyes at some of the misconceptions people like to perpetuate on the topic.

I feel as if I'm in a unique position to address the topic. I've been collecting retro games since the 90s, and have amassed a collection of thousands of discs, cartridges, and more obscure storage formats. I am constantly cycling through my old games for review purposes, so if any particular format was prone to failure I would know.

Some are under the impression that today's physical releases don't actually contain a game, and only serve as "keys" to facilitate download. That is absolutely true when it comes to massively-online games like Call of Duty or Fortnite. However, if you're talking about single-player (or couch co-op) games, most play fine straight off a disc or cartridge. The back of the box usually states if an internet connection is required. If it does not, the game likely works out of the box.

I've been in the habit of keeping my systems offline for years, but if you peruse my site you'll see I've still managed to review quite a few modern games. Sure, many prompt you to go online, but all you have to do is hit cancel. It's in the financial interest of these companies to keep you online, but for the purposes of playing the game it's rarely mandatory.

"But you're missing out on all those updates and DLC!" Well, I wouldn't say I'm missing them. Typically the basic game consumes enough of my time without concerning myself with extraneous customization options or side-quests. I'd gladly forsake those extras for a game that doesn't have to "phone home" every time I turn it on. On the other hand I can understand why lots of gamers prefer to go "all in", and you can't blame them for wanting to get their money's worth.

In my experience Nintendo Switch games have the best chance of working "right out of the box". I think that's because Nintendo consoles don't tend to lean into online play as much as Playstation or Xbox. For PS5 games I always do my "homework" to ensure they don't require online connectivity. Fortunately the only PS5 game that forced me online in recent memory was Hogwarts Legacy, and even that was just a one-time download.

Next I'd like to discuss the durability of physical media. To hear people online, you'd think game discs were disintegrating before our eyes, which is ridiculous. It's as if some people are actively rooting for physical media to go away. Sometimes I think they are hired shills for online game companies, trying to push an agenda. Physical media is far more robust than people give it credit for. Those discs are not rotting on your shelf, and will likely outlive us all!

Residing at the top of the physical durability pyramid are good old-fashioned cartridges. Circa-1977 Atari cartridges are pretty much going to last forever. I remember watching a video of some guy backing his car over one and it still worked fine (minus the plastic shell of course). I've owned thousands of cartridges over the years - mainly used - and the number that I could not get working I could probably count on one hand.

Keep in mind the cartridge pins do tend to tarnish, especially if you haven't touched them in a decade or so. Remember that the next time you encounter a cartridge that won't load. Whenever I pull out an old game I regularly follow my guide to cleaning cartridges to ensure its contacts are clean. Cartridges pretty much last forever but do require periodic maintenance to keep them in good working order.

I specifically mentioned Atari cartridges (since they are the oldest), but I think the same applies to the rest, from the NES to Neo Geo. The cards Nintendo now ships their Switch games on are different technology from traditional cartridges, but they are still solid state, and without any evidence to the contrary I suspect they will last just as long.

Next up are optical discs like CDs, DVDs, and Blu Rays. Again, I've owned thousands of these, most of which were used and with varying amounts of wear and tear (scratches on the surface). Discs are obviously not as durable as cartridges but they still hold up surprisingly well. I think over the decades I've come across less than 20 that don't work at all. Some others were prone to skipping during music or cut-scenes, but that can often be remedied by a disc polisher.

A lot of people conflate home-burned CDs with factory-pressed discs, and there's really no comparison. Burned discs have a very limited lifespan because they are prone to oxidation. Factory pressed discs are sealed, so if properly preserved they could last hundreds of years. I regularly play CD games dating back to the early 90's, and when they start failing on me, I'll let you know. Granted, I take care of them and keep them in controlled environments. If you toss some discs into a box in your swelting garage and leave them for a few years, all bets are off.

Now it's time to up the ante and discuss 5.25 floppy discs. I originally began using these with my Atari home computer in 1982. I remember having a conversation with a guy working at Baggages (a computer store at the mall) who informed me that floppy disks would only retain data for about five years. Like most experts of the time he was just speculating. The truth is, I own a heck of a lot of floppy disk games (over 50) that run perfectly well, both in terms of reading and writing.

Granted, the bar for floppy discs is lower. They are very flimsy by nature and frankly there's not much to them. However, if you take care of them (and keep them away from magnets) they apparently can last 45 years and counting. I wouldn't expect them to last 100 years but who knows?

I will admit I've had issues finding a working floppy disc for a particular game. Sometimes the packaging will be in good shape but the disc doesn't load, so I'll have to buy a loose replacement disc on ebay. So it's more of a gamble. I wouldn't recommend paying over $100 for a complete floppy disc game unless it was tested and returnable. But you have to admit that it's amazing how even the most fragile physical media have lasted much longer than people would have dreamed.

For the sake of completeness, I'm going to wrap up this article by talking about cassette-tape based games. Yeah I know - now we're in Crazy Town! I used to own a cassette player for my Atari computer, but I don't anymore. It's not practical because the games take forever to load. What I DO still have is a series of cassette-based games for my Atari 2600. These required a tape player to be connected to a device called the Supercharger. I hadn't tried these in ages. Could they still work?

I'm fortunate to have a small boom box with a built-in tape player. So I plugged in my Arcadia Supercharger, hooked its wire to the headphone jack, popped in a cassette and pushed play. For a few seconds I heard nothing but the hiss of that 45-year old tape. Oh well. It was worth a shot... but wait! Blue bars appeared on my TV screen, slowly converging until the title screen appeared! So yes, even these still work! Amazing.

Obviously this article only reflects my personal physical media collection which I take very good care of. Your mileage may vary. I'm sure some discs were subject to manufacturing defects, and several of my readers have reported isolated incidents of discs that stopped working. My only point is, don't listen to the naysayers. If you take care of your games they can last a lifetime, and possibly longer.

Copyright 1999-2026 The Video Game Critic.  The reviews presented on this site are intellectual property and are copyrighted. Any reproduction without the expressed written consent of the author is strictly prohibited.