Troubleshooting Disc Read Error with a Digital Download on the PlayStation 3
Last Updated: February 17, 2024
Question: Why am I getting a disc read error with my digital copy on my PlayStation 3?
Answer: If you are seeing an error message stating anything about not being able to read a disc, but you have a digital download of the game please follow the troubleshooting below as it should clear up any issues.
Before troubleshooting, please check the following:
Turn the console off and on.
Unplug all power cords and accessories, and then plug them back in firmly. Make sure all connections are secure.
Update your console software.
Step 1: Clearing the Game Data Utility:
In the Xross Media Bar (XMB) home menu, go to Game > Game Data Utility.
Important: Make sure you select [Game Data Utility].
Do NOT select [Saved Data Utility], as this will delete all your saved games files.
Highlight the game data utility file (i.e., name of a game you have been playing) you wish to delete.
Press the Triangle button and select [Delete].
Highlight "Yes" and press the X button to confirm the deletion.
A message indicating the file is being deleted will appear.
A "Delete completed." message will appear once the file has been successfully deleted.
Once all the files have been deleted, go back to the XMB home menu.
Reboot the game. You should be prompted to reinstall.
Step 2: Install the game to a new section of the Hard Drive.
Typically, when installing, and reinstalling games, the system will attempt to reinstall over the same block of space on the HDD. While there is no function to manually force the game to install on a different block of space, there is one possible workaround that might force the game to install on a new section.
You can try and force the game to install to a new portion of the hard drive by 1) uninstalling the game 2) clearing the cache 3) installing some other program. Once this is done it should force the game to install to a new portion of the hard drive.
How-To Install to a New Section of Your Hard Drive:
Uninstall the game from the Games and Apps folder. Delete everything related to the game that is not a save file.
Clear the system cache, as was described above.
Install an amount of unrelated content equal to that of the games size (in most cases this is roughly 3-5 GB). If you have your console connected to the internet, the simplest thing here would be to download demos from PSN.
The content is unimportant, you never even have to play the demos, the point here is to eat up some hard drive space, and when you reinstall the game, force the console to install the game to a section that was not previously used.
If you do not have a connection, installing 10-12 music CDs should use up enough space, although more might be needed. The idea here is to try to use up approximately the same amount of space as the title's install.
Reinstall the game, and see if conditions improve.
If after trying these troubleshooting steps the issue is still occurring, we highly recommend getting in contact with Sony.