From Sony's Q1 2025 report. Found here: https://www.sony.com/ja/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/er/pdf/25q1_supplement.pdf

"10 Full game software digital download ratio is calculated by dividing PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5 full game software units sold via digital
transactions by total full game software units."

In other words, every indie game that has no physical release and is sold for $5 to $15 counts the same as a full fledged $70 game release. And PS4 games that have no new physical copies (because the system is last gen) also count towards their "83% download ratio." In fact, any PS5 game too old to be on store shelves anymore as a brand new copy will be counted for this as well. 

This is just another example of how companies purposefully hamstring physical sales to make it look like consumers are "choosing" digital. 

Statistics are always created to tell the story they want to tell.

Yes. I agree. That is fuzzy math. Really fuzzy math. Needs to be only games that released physically AND digitally.

What PS4 games are too old to no longer have a physical copy available? I’m pretty sure you can find a copy of pretty much anything if you really want it.

This statistic has nothing to do with any claims. It's just a statistic that probably has use even in its current form, and it's explained in more detail to help understand what it means. I don't think I'm seeing Sony claiming how many people choose digital and how many choose physical. I'm sure other related statistics would be helpful too, but it's not like this one is without its merit as well.

All to prepare gamers for a ps6 digital only @799 mark my words

I would be stunned if any new hardware has physical.  Physical is all but dead.

Plenty of physical PS4 games are not being sold new at a first-run retailer anymore. Tons of Sony titles probably aren't even printed and shipped anymore most likely. 

Games that people are actually buying in quantities large enough to skew a stat that covers 300m+ units a year? I’d be curious what those games are. For example you can buy a brand new copy of Killzone: Shadowfall from Amazon right now, and that’s a PS4 launch title that isn’t very good and I doubt sells more than a few hundred copies a year now.

Exactly. The OP has descended to clown trolling putting words in Sony´s mouth when Sony has better things to do than descend to this level. It´s literally a corporate report on their money... If Sony was in any way deceptive with this, they would be subject to shareholder lawsuits. In fact there isn´t anything wrong with this figure, it´s very relevant to understand their money flows, i.e. the physical sales percentage is controlling factor of costs of physical distribution. That the OP is so narrow minded they can´t get their head out of gamer fanboy mentality to read a corporate accounting report for what it is, that is their problem alone. Sony is not obligated to insert the OP´s preferred gamer fanboy narrative into their corporate accounting reports. 

Looking at nuances like how indies or certain other games are not even offered as physical certainly has merit in certain context, but it doesn´t make sense why Sony would divert it´s reporting of basic cashflow dynamic  just to discuss this topic from one specific angle. Playing dumb and pretending Sony accounting is obligated to champion your favorite boutique gamer fanboy narrative is fantasism. Sony isn´t making claims about ¨gamers´ choices¨ here, it´s just about accounting. Get over yourself.