| Play | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Launch Editor |
|
|
Company |
|
|
ISSN |
1358-9474 |
|
First Date |
November 1995 |
|
Final Date |
Still Going |
|
Total Issues |
281 |
Play published its final issue in April 2016 (Issue 269) although it did have more issues that were digital only. However, on May 4th 2021, Play was relaunched after Future lost the official Sony licence for Official PlayStation Magazine, with staff from OPM working on the relaunched Play instead. Numbering was reset at #1 for June 2021's issue.
See here for a Gallery of front covers.
Editors[]
Steve Takle
Writers[]
Please see here for a list of people who are credited with writing articles or reviews in Play.
Stats[]
Circulation Figures[]
| Year | Jan-Jun | Jul-Dec |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 25,424 | |
| 1996 | 27,678 | 30,338 |
| 1997 | 36,925 | 47,432 |
| 1998 | 71,153 | 91,750 |
| 1999 | 76,528 | 89,614 |
| 2000 | 76,535 | |
| 2001 | 71,426 | |
| 2002 | 58,553 | |
| 2003 | 57,060 | |
| 2004 | 54,109 | |
| 2005 | 46,567 | 53,102 |
| 2006 | 29,086 | |
| 2007 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 2009 | 24,062 | |
| 2010 | 21,735 | |
| 2011 | 15,693 | |
| 2012 | 10,065 | |
| 2013 | 7,668 | |
Reviews[]
List of Play Reviews here.
| Issue | Games Reviewed | Average Score | Highest Score | Highest Scoring Game | Lowest Score | Lowest Scoring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | 77% | 95% | Tekken | 38% | Novastorm |
| 2 | 18 | 70% | 92% | Lone Soldier | 37% | King of Bowling |
| 3 | 10 | 76% | 93% | Doom | 50% | Hyper Formation Soccer |
| 4 | 14 | 81% | 94% | Actua Soccer | 67% | Cyberia |
| 5 | 14 | 80% | 94% | Total NBA '96 | 65% | Kileak: The Blood 2 |
| 6 | 16 | 80% | 95% | Adidas Power Soccer | 64% | Zero Divide |
| 7 | 11 | 74% | 95% | Tekken 2 | 49% | Hyper Crazy Climber |
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | 11 | 77% | 90% | Fade to Black, Sampras Extreme Tennis | 50% | Cheesy |
| 10 | 10 | 76% | 90% | Pro Pinball | 56% | Skeleton Warriors |
| 197 | 20 | 75% | 93% | Vanquish | 29% | Quantum Theory |
| 198 | 21 | 72% | 94% | BlazBlue: Continuum Shift | 36% | Saw II: Flesh & Blood |
| 205 | 8 | 72% | 95% | Portal 2 | 42% | Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna Drive |
| 206 | 12 | 68% | 91% | L.A. Noire | 38% | Thor: God of Thunder |
| 207 | 15 | 65% | 88% | Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition | 20% | Kung Fu Panda 2 |
| 208 | 16 | 62% | 81% | Puzzle Dimension | 30% | Call of Juarez: The Cartel |
| 209 | 9 | 74% | 92% | Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike | 49% | Rugby World Cup 2011 |
| 210 | 16 | 72% | 94% | Ico and the Shadow of the Colossus Collection | 50% | Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey & Gallop Racer |
| 211 | 20 | 70% | 94% | Batman: Arkham City | 35% | X-Men: Destiny |
| 212 | 93% | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | 38% | Spider-Man: Edge of Time | ||
| 224 | 16 | 72% | 94% | XCOM: Enemy Unknown | 37% | Double Dragon Neon |
| 225 | 18 | 70% | 95% | Need for Speed: Most Wanted | 32% | Silent Hill: Book of Memories |
| 226 | 6 | 74% | 88% | Far Cry 3 | 55% | Epic Mickey 2 |
| 227 | 11 | 69% | 93% | DmC (Devil May Cry) | 18% | Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified |
| 228 | 4 | 83% | 94% | Persona 4 Golden | 70% | Dead Space 3 |
| 229 | 15 | 65% | 90% | Tomb Raider, God of War: Ascension |
40% | Aliens: Colonial Marines, Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires |
| 230 | 9 | 73% | 97% | BioShock Infinite | 55% | Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 |
| 231 | 13 | 66% | 92% | The Walking Dead | 20% | The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct |
| 232 | 9 | 76% | 94% | The Last of Us | 55% | Poker Night 2 |
| 281 | 4 | 6.3 | 8 | Toukiden 2 | 5 | Mass Effect: Andromeda |
| 282 | 9 | 7.1 | 8 | Little Nightmares, Outlast 2, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Shiness: The Ligtning Kingdom, Statik | 5 | Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, The Sexy Brutale |
Other Info[]
| Issue | Cover Date | Release Date | Pages | Price | Editor / Deputy Ed. | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 1995 | 19 October 1995 | 100 | £2.95 | Dave Perry | Paragon |
| 2 | December 1995 | 16 November 1995 | 100 | £2.95 | Dave Perry | Paragon |
| 3 | January 1996 | 14 December 1995 | £2.95 | Dave Perry | Paragon | |
| 4 | February 1996 | 18 January 1996 | 100 | £2.95 | Dave Perry | Paragon |
| 5 | March 1996 | 21 February 1996 | 100 | £2.95 | Nick Roberts | Paragon |
| 6 | Easter 1996 | 28 March 1996 | 100 | £2.95 | Nick Roberts | Paragon |
| 7 | May 1996 | 25 April 1996 | 100 | £2.95 | Nick Roberts & Damian Butt | Paragon |
| 8 | June 1996 | 23 May 1996 | Paragon | |||
| 9 | July 1996 | June 1996 | 100 | £2.95 | Damian Butt | Paragon |
| 10 | August 1996 | 18 July 1996 | 100 | £2.95 | Damian Butt | Paragon |
| 11 | 15 August 1996 | |||||
| 205 | N/A | 12 May 2011 | 116 | £4.99 | Ryan King | Imagine |
| 206 | N/A | 9 June 2011 | 116 | £4.99 | Ryan King | Imagine |
| 207 | N/A | 7 July 2011 | 116 | £4.99 | Ryan King | Imagine |
| 208 | N/A | 4 August 2011 | 116 | £4.99 | Ryan King | Imagine |
| 209 | N/A | 1 September 2011 | 116 | £4.99 | Ryan King | Imagine |
| 210 | N/A | 29 September 2011 | 116 | £4.99 | Ryan King | Imagine |
| 211 | N/A | 27 October 2011 | 116 | £4.99 | Ryan King | Imagine |
| 212 | N/A | 24 November 2011 | 116 | £4.99 | Ryan King | Imagine |
| 213 | N/A | 22 December 2011 | ||||
| 224 | N/A | 25 October 2012 | 100 | £4.99 | Samuel Roberts | Imagine |
| 225 | N/A | 22 November 2012 | 100 | £4.99 | Samuel Roberts | Imagine |
| 226 | N/A | 20 December 2012 | 100 | £4.99 | Samuel Roberts | Imagine |
| 227 | N/A | 17 January 2013 | 100 | £4.99 | Samuel Roberts | Imagine |
| 228 | N/A | 14 February 2013 | 100 | £4.99 | Samuel Roberts | Imagine |
| 229 | N/A | 14 March 2013 | 100 | £4.99 | Samuel Roberts | Imagine |
| 230 | N/A | 18 April 2013 | 100 | £4.99 | Samuel Roberts | Imagine |
| 231 | N/A | 23 May 2013 | 100 | £4.99 | Luke Albiges | Imagine |
| 232 | N/A | 20 June 2013 | 100 | £4.99 | Luke Albiges | Imagine |
| 233 | N/A | 18 July 2013 | ||||
| 281 | N/A | 27 April 2017 | 70 | Luke Albiges | Future | |
| 282 | N/A | 25 May 2017 | 70 | Luke Albiges | Future |
Issue Index[]
| Other Links |
|---|
| Front Covers • Reviews • Writers |