What Is the PlayStation Logo?
The PlayStation logo is the name PlayStation written as one word with a capital P and S, ending in a full stop, in grey. It sits alongside the brand's other famous mark, the PS symbol that Sony designer Manabu Sakamoto drew for the first console in 1994.
PlayStation is Sony's video game brand, run by Sony Interactive Entertainment, and its first console went on sale in Japan on 3 December 1994.
The PS symbol, in four colours or in one, appears on consoles, controllers and game boxes, and each console generation has carried its own number mark, such as PS5. The wordmark is available as the PlayStation logo SVG.
PlayStation Logo Facts
| Introduced | The PlayStation name and PS symbol in 1994 |
| Symbol | None in the wordmark; the separate PS symbol pairs a P and an S |
| Logo type | Wordmark: the name PlayStation |
| Earlier mark | The two-word Play Station name on a prototype built with Nintendo |
| Owner | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
What the PlayStation Logo Means
The name says what the machine was for: a station for play. Writing it as one word, with capital P and S, keeps the two halves visible and gives the brand its initials, which became the PS symbol.
That symbol was Sakamoto's answer to a technical brief. The first PlayStation was built around 3D polygon graphics, so, as he told Game Informer in 2019, the aim was "to capture the '3D-ness'".
- He was determined to avoid the usual trick of giving letters thickness.
- Instead he used an optical illusion that makes the P and the S seem to recede into the distance.
- Console designer Teiyu Goto wanted the logo to feel fun.
- Sakamoto chose red, yellow, green and blue, four primary colours, for their simplicity.
PlayStation Logo History
The PlayStation name came from an earlier plan. Before going its own way, Sony worked with Nintendo on a CD-based add-on for the Super Famicom, and that prototype carried the name Play Station as two words.
When Sony decided to build its own console, it merged Play and Station into one word.
| Year | Logo change |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Sony Computer Entertainment formed on 16 November |
| 1994 | The console launches on 3 December with the four-colour PS symbol and the PlayStation name |
| 2009 | A monochrome PS symbol takes over in Sony's marketing |
Ken Kutaragi, the engineer later called the father of the PlayStation, was among the founders of Sony Computer Entertainment. Sakamoto also drew a black-and-white version for places where colour could not be used. That monochrome variant replaced the four-colour one in Sony's marketing in 2009.
PlayStation and Nintendo
PlayStation began as a joint project with Nintendo, and after the split the two companies met as rivals in every console generation from 1994.
Compare the red of the Nintendo logo, or the PC side of gaming with the Steam logo.
For more brands like PlayStation, browse our gaming logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed the PlayStation logo?
Manabu Sakamoto, a Sony designer, created the PS symbol in 1994.
Why does the PS symbol look three-dimensional?
Sakamoto wanted to show the console's 3D graphics without adding thickness to the letters, so he used an optical illusion that makes the P and S seem to recede.
Why is PlayStation written as one word?
The name started as two words, Play Station, on a prototype made with Nintendo; Sony merged them when it built its own console.
When did the first PlayStation come out?
It launched in Japan on 3 December 1994.