Play

Play is the eighth studio album by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 12 September 2025 through Gingerbread Man Records and Atlantic Records under license to Warner Music. A follow-up to his seventh studio album Autumn Variations (2023) and compilation album +−=÷× (Tour Collection) (2024), it is the first of Sheeran's planned five albums with titles based on media control symbols, with Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, and Stop to follow; a sixth, Eject, is planned for a future posthumous release.
On Play, Sheeran collaborated with various producers and musicians, including Ilya, Blake Slatkin, Cirkut, Omer Fedi, Savan Kotecha, Elvira Anderfjärd, and Johnny McDaid. The album was supported by five singles: "Azizam", "Old Phone", "Sapphire", "A Little More", and "Camera". Play became Sheeran's ninth consecutive chart-topper in the United Kingdom. It also topped the charts in Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium (Flanders), Poland, Australia, and New Zealand. The album received mixed reviews from critics, who appreciated Indian and Persian sounds, but felt that Sheeran mostly sticks to his trusty formula. To promote Play, Sheeran is set to embark on the worldwide Loop Tour in December 2025.