Ethan Crossfield 
PlayStation is set to remove 13 games associated with Ukrainian developer and publisher Ternox Games from the PlayStation Store on August 23. The move has not been publicly explained by Sony, leaving players unsure whether existing purchases will remain available in their digital libraries or disappear entirely.
What happened to the 13 PlayStation games?
Ternox Games said Sony ended its PlayStation developer and publisher agreement without providing a reason. According to the studio, that process includes removing 13 titles from the PS Store. The affected games span PS4 and PS5 releases and include projects developed by Ternox as well as games it published.
The list consists of Nexoria: Dungeon Rogue Heroes, Finger Fitness, Retro Highway, Unichrome: A 1-Bit Unicorn Adventure, O-VOID: Console Edition, Run & Jump Guy, Scrap Divers, Fox’s Zen House, Boned Again: Survivors, Dungeonloop, IN-VERT, Taimumari: Complete Edition, and Bullet Beat.
Ternox previously announced that STONKS-9800 would not reach PS5, despite the studio having worked toward a console version and considered a physical release. The game has sold 100,000 copies on Steam and holds a 97% overwhelmingly positive rating there, according to the source material.
Why the delisting matters for digital ownership
The biggest concern is not simply that the games are leaving the storefront. PlayStation has not clarified whether this is a normal delisting or a harder removal that could affect customers who already bought the titles. In a standard delisting, previously purchased games would generally remain accessible. A hard delisting could remove them from users’ libraries, as has happened with digital media before.
That uncertainty is especially damaging because players have no clear way to determine which outcome applies before August 23. The games may have been caught up in PlayStation’s reported effort to remove low-effort releases from the store, sometimes described online as a shovelware crackdown. However, that remains an unconfirmed theory, and Ternox itself has not established what caused Sony’s decision.
The issue arrives as the future of physical ownership becomes less certain. Sony has confirmed that PlayStation disc production will end in January 2028. The source connects that change to a future PlayStation 6 that would be digital-only, making continued access to purchased licenses an increasingly important concern.
What to watch next
The immediate question is whether Sony will explain the agreement termination, confirm the August 23 removals, or clarify what happens to existing owners. Ternox has confirmed the delisting, but PlayStation has not provided an equivalent public statement.
Players who own any of the affected games should check their download and library access before the removal date. They should also avoid assuming that a purchase guarantees permanent access: the source notes that PlayStation previously removed 551 movies from users’ libraries without issuing refunds. That earlier case does not prove the same outcome will happen with these games, but it shows why the distinction between buying a game and receiving a revocable license matters.
Key takeaways for PlayStation players
- Thirteen Ternox Games titles are scheduled to leave the PS Store on August 23.
- Sony has not publicly explained why the games are being removed.
- It is unclear whether existing buyers will retain access or face a harder library removal.
- The online theory that the titles were caught by a shovelware crackdown remains unconfirmed.
- Owners should verify their library and download access before the delisting date.
Expert View
Sony may have legitimate reasons to end a publishing agreement or clean up its storefront, but silent removals create an avoidable trust problem. Players can accept that digital catalogs change more easily than they can accept not knowing whether paid games will remain playable. If PlayStation wants digital ownership to replace physical media, it needs clear notices, consistent access guarantees, and a transparent explanation when a studio’s entire catalog is affected.
