PlayStation Official Magazine – UK, shortened to OPM, was a magazine from the United Kingdom that shared news about PlayStation games. It began in 1995. The first magazine came out every three months, but starting with Issue 2, it was published monthly. From Issue 7 to Issue 84, each magazine included a playable Blu-ray disc. The magazine focused on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, PlayStation VR, and PlayStation 5 games and materials. It also covered content for the PlayStation Vita. The magazine discussed PlayStation and HD media, though HD media was covered with less detail.
On April 30, 2021, GamesRadar+ announced that the Official PlayStation Magazine would stop being published. They stated that the magazine had earned a well-deserved retirement after many years of service. The magazine was relaunched as Play. The same staff members would continue working on it, and current subscribers to OPM would keep receiving issues. The issue numbers would reset to start over.
Official UK PlayStation Magazine
The Official UK PlayStation Magazine was created in November 1995, at the same time as the PlayStation console was released. It published 108 issues, with the final one appearing in March 2004. The first issue sold 37,000 copies. Around halfway through its run, the magazine’s name abbreviation changed from PSM to OPM. This change happened mainly because another magazine named PSM2 was launched in the fourth quarter of 2000, and the name was updated to avoid confusion. The magazine had three design changes during its lifetime: issues 1 to 51, 52 to 72, and 73 to 108.
The first game reviewed in the magazine was Wipeout, which received a score of 8 out of 10. The last game reviewed was Ford Truck Mania, which received a score of 7 out of 10.
The magazine became the top-selling PlayStation magazine in the United Kingdom and the top-selling video game magazine worldwide. By mid-1997, it sold over 150,000 copies each month. In February 1999, issue 42 (with Metal Gear Solid on the cover) achieved a record sales number of 453,571 copies, surpassing the sales of the UK’s largest men’s magazines, FHM, Maxim, and Loaded, according to ABC data.
Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine
The Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine, often called OPS2, was started in December 2000 as a follow-up to the Official UK PlayStation Magazine. It was priced at £4.99 when it first came out, matching the release of the PlayStation 2 console. Every month, the magazine included a free playable demo DVD on the cover. It lasted for 100 issues, with the final one sold in July 2008. Over its lifetime, the magazine had four design changes: issues 1 to 25, 26 to 41, 42 to 89, and 90 to 100.
The first game reviewed in the magazine was Tekken Tag Tournament, which received a score of 8 out of 10. The last game reviewed was SBK-08: Superbike World Championship, which got a score of 7 out of 10. The magazine became the best-selling PlayStation 2 magazine in the UK, reaching 197,348 readers in 2002.
At first, OPS2 was aimed at early adopters, including hardcore gamers and readers who had previously followed the original Official UK PlayStation Magazine. This phase lasted from issue 1 (December 2000) to issue 25 (October 2002). Starting with issue 26, the magazine changed its focus to attract a broader, mainstream audience, which included a complete redesign. From issue 34 onward, the magazine kept its recent redesign. In an effort to appeal to a younger male audience, similar to independent PlayStation magazines from the 1990s, the publication began reviewing readers’ girlfriends and mothers and included more images of scantily dressed women, even showing bare breasts in some cases. This change received mixed reactions from readers and did not significantly increase sales. As a result, the magazine had another redesign starting with issue 42. For the next three years, OPS2 stayed in the middle, avoiding both an overly male or adult gamer focus. In its final year, as the PlayStation 2 became more family-friendly, the magazine changed one last time, starting with issue 90. From this point, it focused on new PlayStation 2 owners and younger gamers.
Regular features
The magazine uses a similar layout in every issue. Regular sections appear each month. From issue #1 to issue #51, the magazine followed the same monthly format.
Demo disc
Each month, the publication includes a playable demo disc attached to its cover—something new for a console magazine. The disc has game samples and other PlayStation-related materials that must be downloaded and put on the PS3's hard drive.
Some of the demos are also found on the PlayStation Network, but certain discs include special content not available elsewhere. It has been announced that the magazine will receive unique content in the future, which will be added to the disc.
Reviews
One person on the team is usually responsible for reviewing a new game. Occasionally, other staff members may give a "2up" or a second opinion. Sometimes, pie charts are used to show what players do in the game. Score poles are also used to compare reviews and explain influences. Like the "2up" segment, there is a "dev talk" article that includes a short statement from the game's developer. Reviews are given a score out of ten.
The magazine gives its highest honor, the Gold Award, to games that the staff believes show important new ideas, almost perfect gameplay, excellent graphics, and lasting enjoyment. A game does not need a perfect 10 out of 10 score to win this award. Some games that have received the Gold Award include FIFA 09, FIFA 11, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Mirror's Edge, Grand Theft Auto IV, Warhawk, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Siren: Blood Curse, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Soulcalibur IV, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, Infamous, BioShock, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Killzone 2, Assassin's Creed II, Heavy Rain, and Red Dead Redemption for the PlayStation 3; Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the PlayStation 2; and God of War: Chains of Olympus and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for the PlayStation Portable.
The only game to receive a 0 rating was the DVD version of Time Traveler.
Top Ten Readers Poll
In issue 50, which was published in October 2010, the magazine announced the results of a readers' poll to find the greatest PlayStation game ever released.
Desert Island Games
In the last issue of the magazine in March 2004, the magazine released a list of the official top 10 PlayStation games ever.
Related magazines
Official PlayStation Magazine – Ireland (OIPM) was a monthly gaming magazine published by TP Media. The first issue came out in May 2000.
TP Media created the magazine. Ireland had many PlayStation users, and imported UK magazines were expensive because of high fees for bringing them into the country. At the time, the Official UK PlayStation Magazine, published by Future Publishing, could cost up to £9.99 IEP due to these import fees.
The first three issues of OIPM had the same cover as the UK magazine, but the content was original and written by an Irish team led by Kevin MacDermot. Some features were copied directly from the UK version. The magazine’s A-Z section was also taken from the UK version, but later entries were based on OIPM’s own reviews instead.
PlayStation Official Magazine – Australia is a video games magazine published by Future Australia. The first issue was released in March 2007.
The magazine began during the original PlayStation console era and was first called "Official Australian PlayStation Magazine." As technology changed, it was renamed "Official PlayStation 2 Magazine – Australia." Later, to match the launch of the PlayStation 3, it became "PlayStation Official Magazine – Australia." The magazine is often shortened to OPM.