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Forums - Gaming - Study shows blu ray discs last only about 10 to 20 years.

Let me see if this link works.

https://gamerant.com/ps5-ps4-disc-longevity-study/

A study from a "expert" hahahaha shows that a blue ray disc and optical media lasts about 10 to 20 years.

It seems that so called expert has done some reseach that i dont even know about,he also claims optical media starts degrading the moment they are manufactured..

time to trow away my ps3 games then their all been degrading for 15-20 years and have all discrotten.

NOT!

Had to make a video on it on my channel to if ya wanne have a small laugh like i did.



 

My youtube gaming page.

http://www.youtube.com/user/klaudkil

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Some Blu-rays and such degrade over time but the idea that optical media usually only has a shelf life of around 20 years is laughable.
I am a bit worried about UHD Blu-ray (used for films and PS5 games) as I would not be surprised if a lot of that start having massive issues to outright failure after 20 or so years. They are data dense discs.



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"Let go your earthly tether, enter the void, empty and become wind." - Guru Laghima

Can confirm. I store all my PS3 games underwater and they have indeed expired.

Last edited by KLXVER - on 01 August 2026

What we have here is a writer that was too lazy to cite his source or read anything. I found the "study" and it has nothing to do with the type of discs that PS5 games are. 
CanadianConservationInstitute said:

https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/longevity-recordable-cds-dvds.html

The longevity of recordable compact discs (CD-Rs), recordable digital versatile discs (DVD±Rs)Endnote 1 and recordable Blu-rays (BD-Rs) is uncertain, leading to a widespread lack of trust by libraries and archives. Research studies, anecdotal information and manufacturers’ literature suggest that the lifetime of recordable optical discs can range from a couple of years to more than 200 years. This Note explores several of the factors that affect whether a disc will fail within a short period or will continue to perform well for many years.

A BD-R is a recordable Blu-Ray disk. It uses a chemical process to make pits and valleys in a Blu-Ray. 

A BD-Rom is a disc that is pressed at a factory.

They sound similar but are two very different things. Recordable CDs and DVDs are notorious for degrading quickly. Recordable Blu-Rays are just as bad, because they work the same faulty way. This is why people lost their minds when Limited Run simply used a CD-R for many of their disc-based releases instead of pressing the discs. 

TL/DR: Ignorant Game-Rant writer doesn't know the difference between a burner disk and a pressed disk. 

P.S. There has been no study on the long term stability of Blu-Ray disks. CDs are proven to last 70-100 years when stored at 70F and 50% Humidity. 




Also, never take an expert's opinion as fact. Make them show their work or reasoning. If there is a consensus among experts, definitely listen to it. But a single expert saying something by himself with no peers to back him up and no willingness to show evidence is worthless.



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Cerebralbore101 said:
What we have here is a writer that was too lazy to cite his source or read anything. I found the "study" and it has nothing to do with the type of discs that PS5 games are. 
CanadianConservationInstitute said:

https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/longevity-recordable-cds-dvds.html

The longevity of recordable compact discs (CD-Rs), recordable digital versatile discs (DVD±Rs)Endnote 1 and recordable Blu-rays (BD-Rs) is uncertain, leading to a widespread lack of trust by libraries and archives. Research studies, anecdotal information and manufacturers’ literature suggest that the lifetime of recordable optical discs can range from a couple of years to more than 200 years. This Note explores several of the factors that affect whether a disc will fail within a short period or will continue to perform well for many years.

A BD-R is a recordable Blu-Ray disk. It uses a chemical process to make pits and valleys in a Blu-Ray. 

A BD-Rom is a disc that is pressed at a factory.

They sound similar but are two very different things. Recordable CDs and DVDs are notorious for degrading quickly. Recordable Blu-Rays are just as bad, because they work the same faulty way. This is why people lost their minds when Limited Run simply used a CD-R for many of their disc-based releases instead of pressing the discs. 

TL/DR: Ignorant Game-Rant writer doesn't know the difference between a burner disk and a pressed disk. 

P.S. There has been no study on the long term stability of Blu-Ray disks. CDs are proven to last 70-100 years when stored at 70F and 50% Humidity.

This is exactly why people should be extremely careful when referring to any research results: the chances are that unless you're an expert in the field, you'll get some key detail wrong, which can then change everything. This seems to be exactly what happened here: what might be a good study seems to have been reported incorrectly on these forums.

Personally I would be wary to cite even studies in my own field(s) of expertise, because I know my limits and also how easy it is to get research wrong. It's even easier to get research not in your own field wrong.



Yeah I have Blu ray movies that old not to mention my PS3 discs and they all work so that's a heap of shit to the bull. I will say Xbox 360 fans should be glad they did not go with HDDVD as those did have a printing error and have rotted away now. Not all but a certain group of them have. Similar to a period in the 90s where was a bad pressing of a number of CD's leading to disc rot years later. I been fine with my games but it can happen. This Blu Ray claim tho is just propaganda.



Bite my shiny metal cockpit!

Any here with blu-rays that are decades old? Are they still in working order?



I own Resistance Fall of Man on PS3 from 2006 and it still works nearly 20 years later.
Ditto for Uncharted Drake's Fortune from 2007.



...And this seems to be how misinformation spreads.