Image credit: peropero/hasuhasu
Rhythm games are a strange beast; some of them are cute and charming, while others are maddening enough to make your eyeballs pop out of your skull. Despite them having a relatively high skill barrier for new players, a good rhythm game is infinitely rewarding to learn and get into.
Finding the best rhythm games on PC and other platforms isn’t always easy, though; there’s a hell of a lot to choose from. Here’s a round-up of the best rhythm games around right now, including PC, mobile, and console titles to help you find the best fit for your personal playstyle.
Best rhythm games to play
One of the best things about getting into rhythm games is that a fair few iconic titles are free to play, or at least free to start. If you’re keen on the genre, you don’t necessarily have to fork over cash to start playing – games like osu! and Phigros are completely free, and they’re incredible to play.
osu!
osu! is one of the most legendary rhythm games out there, and it’s got a supremely dedicated community, with scores of charts and extra challenges being released regularly for the game’s multiple modes.
It’s got a variety of ways to play, ranging from the standard Ouendan mode to Taiko mode, each requiring different clicks, drags, and pops on the screen to the rhythm of a song. Despite appearances, you don’t need a special controller to play osu! and can get into the game with just a mouse and keyboard.
The fact that osu! is entirely free was astounding to me as a first-time player; it feels premium and slick from the get-go, with a high-quality launcher, well-managed community, and ridiculous variety of charts. It’s well worth your time, as there’ll be a mode in-game to suit your personal playstyle.
A Dance of Fire and Ice
In comparison to the clicking and sliding of osu!, A Dance of Fire and Ice may look much simpler on its surface. It’s a one-button rhythm game, and your only goal is to tap on beat to move the dots throughout the level.
You can pick which button you want to use for each level, which provides some flexibility, but the maps get fiendishly difficult, with modifiers that change your speed and special paths that require double or triple-time from your inputs.
Compared to games like Taiko Pop Tap, I found the learning curve of ADOFAI to be steep. It’s incredibly satisfying to figure out a chart, though, and the visuals are beautiful.
Geometry Dash
Geometry Dash is a classic rhythm game from 2014 which requires you to steer a tiny cube through increasingly challenging rhythm-platforming levels. It’s similar in style to The Impossible Game.
Along with a core set of challenging levels, Geometry Dash features a plethora of user-created levels, extra challenges, and a detailed level editor, meaning you get plenty of content to zip through. The soundtrack is impeccable, too; I’d say it’s one of the best song lists in this rhythm game round-up.
Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat
Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat, also known as Taiko Pop Tap, is a mobile rhythm game that can only be played via the Apple Arcade gaming subscription.
While this can be a barrier to entry for folks who aren’t fussed about subscribing to this service, Taiko Pop Tap is one of the best options for percussion-based rhythm gameplay on mobile.
Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat has a huge variety of songs in its roster, ranging from Hatsune Miku titles to Kill Bill music, and there’s a steady difficulty curve that’ll keep you on your toes. You can customize your mascot, too, giving them a cute bee costume, a wrestler’s belt, or even a tiny crown.
HATSUNE MIKU: COLORFUL STAGE!
HATSUNE MIKU: COLORFUL STAGE! is a vibrant, joyful experience that fans of VSRG titles – vertical scrolling rhythm games – urgently need to check out. It’s a vocaloid-focused title, with an electrifying roster of songs and bright, poppy aesthetic.
COLORFUL STAGE does also have a strong story offering, a competitive mode, an Animal Crossing: New Horizons-esque life sim section, and – shock horror – gacha. It’s a vast game that has plenty to dig through, and if you’re even vaguely interested in the world of vocaloids, you’ll have a lot of fun with it.
Phigros
Phigros is one of the best free rhythm games that you can grab on mobile or tablet, and it gives paid games a run for their money as well.
In Phigros, you need to contend with dynamic judgment lines – essentially, the zone where you have to tap notes can change and flip around mid-song – and a quad of different note types. The song library is excellent and there’s an anime-infused, geometric aesthetic woven throughout the game.
Muse Dash
Muse Dash is described as a parkour-rhythm game; it’s a movement-focused beat-em-up, where you’re tasked with defeating enemies to the beat of lively music, all in a colorful, side-scrolling world.
Out of the rhythm games in this list, Muse Dash is one of the easier ones to get started with as a new player. It’s decently approachable and has intuitive controls across platforms, and the difficulty curve is steady.
Muse Dash may not be for everyone on account of “mature imagery” and “suggestive poses and voices” as per the Steam page, but if you don’t mind this sort of art in your rhythm game, it’s well worth checking out. The gameplay is light and snappy, and the movement feels incredible as well.
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix
There’s already a Hatsune Miku game in this list of top rhythm games, but it wouldn’t feel complete without Project DIVA Mega Mix being here as well. The game has a bustling community and high-energy gameplay style that make it utterly compelling.
Project DIVA Mega Mix is a fast-paced, stylish rhythm game that centers around vocaloid singers like Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin and Len, and Megurine Luka. Along with having a bustling set list of over 170 songs, there’s a detailed dress-up system in place, where you can dress up your favorite singers.
The rhythm gaming world is vast and vibrant, and there’s a game style to suit all types of players, whether you prefer light-hearted, easy-going experiences or more intense, technical games. Learning a new rhythm game does take time, but it’s well worth the investment – these games can be infinitely rewarding.
FAQs
The best rhythm games for beginners include Taiko Pop Tap, Phigros, and Rhythm Heaven Groove. They all have difficult elements, but their control systems are simple and there are plenty of easier charts in each of the titles.
All rhythm games are difficult to some extent, but A Dance of Fire and Ice, Dynamix, beatmania IIDX ULTIMATE MOBILE (or the wider beatmania arcade series), and Thumper. Games like osu! and HATSUNE MIKU: COLORFUL STAGE! have some tricky charts, too.
No, you do not need special controllers for rhythm games. Games like Phigros can be enjoyed on mobile or tablets, and games like osu! and Geometry Dash are simple enough to get into on PC.
While all the Rhythm Heaven games have their perks, Rhythm Heaven DS and Rhythm Heaven Fever are considered to be two of the best.
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