PST most commonly means “Pacific Standard Time” when it appears in a text about schedules, meetings, streams, or event times. In online gaming, however, PST can mean “Please Send Tell,” essentially asking another player to send a private message.
That second meaning is easy to miss because it comes from older multiplayer-game terminology rather than modern everyday texting.
What Does PST Mean in Texting?
The most widely recognized meaning of PST is Pacific Standard Time. Merriam-Webster, Oxford, and Collins all list PST as the abbreviation for Pacific Standard Time.
For example:
“The livestream starts at 8 PM PST.”
Here, PST tells you which time zone the sender is using.
Pacific Standard Time is UTC−8. However, locations that observe daylight saving time switch to Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), UTC−7, during part of the year. The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology makes this distinction between PST and PDT.
This creates a common online mistake: people sometimes write “PST” throughout the year when they really mean the broader Pacific Time (PT).
What Does PST Mean in Gaming?
In MMORPGs and older online gaming communities, PST means “Please Send Tell.”
A tell is a private message sent from one player to another. So when a player writes:
“Need one healer for raid, PST.”
they are basically saying:
“Send me a private message if you’re interested.”
Slang.net describes PST as the gaming equivalent of “DM me,” while Wowhead’s World of Warcraft glossary defines it as “Please Send Tell.”
This gaming definition is especially associated with MMORPG terminology rather than ordinary Instagram, WhatsApp, or everyday SMS conversations.
Where Did “Please Send Tell” Come From?
The gaming meaning has roots in older MUDs and MMORPGs, where the command /tell was used to send another player a private message.
Warcraft Wiki traces “PST” to this older gaming convention and mentions games such as EverQuest. Over time, “Please Send Tell” effectively came to mean “message me privately.”
The exact first person or game to create the abbreviation is not firmly documented, so it would be misleading to give PST a precise invention date.
PST vs. “Psst”
This is one of the most interesting sources of confusion.
PST and “psst” are not originally the same thing.
Psst is the written sound people use to quietly attract someone’s attention:
“Psst… come here.”
Gaming PST, meanwhile, stands for Please Send Tell.
Because both involve getting someone’s attention privately, gamers have sometimes interpreted PST as a spelling of “psst.” Warcraft Wiki notes that this confusion became fairly widespread among World of Warcraft players.
PST Meaning by Context
| Context | Meaning of PST | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Pacific Standard Time | “Meeting at 4 PM PST.” |
| Streaming | Pacific Standard Time | “Stream starts at 7 PST.” |
| MMORPG gaming | Please Send Tell | “Selling rare item, PST.” |
| World of Warcraft | Please Send Tell | “LFM healer, PST.” |
| “Psst…” | Attention-getting sound | “Psst, look over here.” |
The easiest clue is whether a time appears before PST. If someone writes “5 PM PST,” it obviously refers to Pacific Standard Time.
If a gaming recruitment or trading message ends with “PST,” “Please Send Tell” is much more likely.
Examples of PST in Conversations
Scheduling
Anna: What time does the event start?
Jake: 6 PM PST.
Anna: Okay, I’ll convert that to my local time.
Work
Manager: Can everyone join at 9 AM PST?
Sam: Works for me.
Manager: Great, I’ll send the invite.
Gaming
Player 1: Need two more players for tonight’s raid.
and,
Player 2: What roles?
moreover,
Player 1: Tank and healer. PST if interested.
Trading
Alex: WTS rare mount, good price. PST.
Ben: I’ll message you.
Alex: Sounds good.
Funny misunderstanding
Ryan: Raid tonight, PST.
Max: What time in PST?
Ryan: 😂 I meant “Please Send Tell.”
Playful
Mia: Psst 👀
Leo: You mean PST?
Mia: No, actual “psst.” I’m trying to get your attention 😂
Is PST Common Slang on Snapchat or Instagram?
There is not strong evidence that PST = Please Send Tell is mainstream slang across Snapchat, Instagram, or TikTok.
Some general slang websites categorize PST broadly under texting or online chat, but the clearest documented use of “Please Send Tell” comes from online gaming and MMORPG communities.
If you see PST in an ordinary social-media post, the time-zone meaning may therefore be more likely unless the surrounding conversation suggests gaming.
PST vs. Similar Abbreviations
| Term | Meaning | Tone | Popularity | Confusion Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PST | Pacific Standard Time / Please Send Tell | Neutral | Common as time zone; niche in gaming | High |
| PT | Pacific Time | Neutral | Common | Medium |
| PDT | Pacific Daylight Time | Neutral | Common seasonally | High |
| DM | Direct Message | Casual | Very common | Low |
| PM | Private Message | Casual | Common | Medium |
| Psst | Sound used to attract attention | Playful/casual | Common | High |
How Should You Reply to PST?
If PST means Pacific Standard Time, respond based on the schedule:
“Perfect, 5 PM PST works for me.”
If it means Please Send Tell, simply send the person a private message.
A neutral response could be:
“I’ll message you now.”
If the context is unclear, there is nothing wrong with asking:
“Do you mean Pacific Standard Time or send you a private message?”
Is PST Rude?
No. Neither major meaning of PST is inherently rude.
Pacific Standard Time is simply a time-zone abbreviation. Please Send Tell is a practical gaming request asking people to contact the player privately.
Tone can still depend on the message around it, but PST itself is not profanity or offensive slang.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does PST mean in a text message?
PST usually means Pacific Standard Time, particularly when a text discusses dates, meetings, events, streams, or deadlines. Major English dictionaries recognize this as the standard definition. In gaming conversations, it may instead mean “Please Send Tell.”
What does PST mean in gaming?
PST means “Please Send Tell.” A “tell” is an older gaming term for a private message, so PST effectively means “message me privately.” This meaning remains particularly recognizable in MMORPG communities.
What does “PST me” mean?
In gaming, “PST me” means “send me a private message.” Strictly speaking, the “please” is already included in “Please Send Tell,” so the phrase is somewhat redundant. However, gamers may still use PST conversationally as though it means “message” or “whisper.”
Is PST the same as DM?
Only in its gaming meaning. “PST” or “Please Send Tell” can function like “DM me,” because both ask someone to contact you privately. Outside gaming, PST normally refers to Pacific Standard Time.
Is PST the same as PDT?
No. PST is UTC−8, while PDT is UTC−7. Locations observing daylight saving time switch between them at different parts of the year. “PT” is often useful when you want to refer to Pacific Time without specifying whether daylight or standard time applies.
Does PST mean “psst”?
Not originally. Psst represents the sound used to quietly attract attention, while gaming PST historically means Please Send Tell. The two have become confused because both can involve initiating a private conversation.
Final Meaning
The meaning of PST depends heavily on context.
If you see something like “The meeting starts at 3 PM PST,” it means Pacific Standard Time.
If you see “LFM raid, PST” in an MMORPG, it means “Please Send Tell,” or more naturally, “send me a private message.”
The useful trick is simple: a clock time usually points to Pacific Standard Time, while gaming recruitment, trading, or group-finding language points to Please Send Tell.
