The Idolmaster SP (アイドルマスターエスピー, Aidorumasutā Esu Pī, officially stylized as THE iDOLM@STER SP) is a series of three Japanese raising simulation video games in The Idolmaster series developed and published by Namco Bandai Games.

They were released on February 19, 2009, as Perfect Sun (パーフェクトサン, Pāfekuto San), Missing Moon (ミッシングムーン, Misshingu Mūn), and Wandering Star (ワンダリングスター, Wandaringu Sutā) for the PlayStation Portable as a port of The Idolmaster.

The gameplay in SP features changes from its predecessor, including an additional promise system which puts more of a focus on communication.

The Idolmaster SP is a series of three raising simulation games in which the player assumes the role of a producer working for the talent agency 765 Production (765 Pro) who is in charge of training 10 prospective pop idols on their way to stardom.

It is divided into easy, normal and hard modes which correspond to the degree of difficulty it is to satisfy various goals during gameplay.

The player can view the state of an idol's statistics at this time, which are divided into three categories: vocal, dance and visual image.

[9] There is a large amount of freedom in organizing the schedule, though each event may take up either one-third, two-thirds or an entire day of in-game time to complete.

[3] The lessons are in the form of six minigames which serve to increase an idol's statistics in either vocal, dance or visual image.

The promotional phase of the gameplay mainly deals with the player talking with the idol and doing jobs to further her publicity.

When taking an audition, the player guides the idol to appeal to three judges in vocal, dance and visual image by receiving points in each category.

[1] The interest level of the judges is indicated by three gauges which increase and decrease depending on how well or poorly an appeal is received.

If one judge is appealed to too many times, their interest level may drop to zero, at which point all the stars earned for that category will be revoked.

The player also has the option to use up to three good memories during each audition which serve to dramatically increase an idol's appeal points and the gauges for the judges.

For a self-lesson or self-audition, the player inputs a time and date, and the PlayStation Portable (PSP) will be put into sleep mode.

[11] In addressing the PlayStation Portable's graphic capabilities compared to previous games in the series being developed for the Xbox 360, Ishihara points out that despite what people may think, once the idols start moving, they actually look much better than when viewed as a still image.

While Ishihara goes on to say the story produce mode was developed to be relatively severe, he notes that as long as players put in the effort, anyone can clear the game.

[12] Namco Bandai Games producer Yōzō Sakagami notes that the development team focused on how to further deepen the bonds between the player and idols, and according to him, rivals are an essential part of that.

[20][21][22] Namco Bandai Games released 18 downloadable content (DLC) updates between February 19, 2009, and July 28, 2010, available through the PlayStation Store.

[23] The updates include new songs and remixes, costumes, accessories, stages, and additional side-stories called "Idol Dramas".

Versions of these nine songs were later released in downloadable content packs so that all the idols could sing them, including Hibiki Ganaha, Miki Hoshii, and Takane Shijō.

Five songs were originally introduced in SP: "Colorful Days", "Kimi wa Melody" (キミはメロディ), "L-O-B-M", "Mata ne" (またね) and "Overmaster" (オーバーマスター).

[34] In writing for Famitsu, reviewer Sekai Sandai Miyokawa notes that in addition to the nature of the game having to do with training idols, SP being split into three versions may be off-putting for beginners to The Idolmaster series.

However, he goes on to say that the game is not only friendly to beginners, but that each version have plenty of worthwhile content that gradually draws the player further into the series.