Whether you’re a rhythm-gaming master or just enjoy getting down to the funky beat, there are a wealth of games available on Switch that cater to the musically inclined. From games that give you a full body workout to titles that test the timing of a single digit, we were surprised to see just how many excellent rhythm and music-centric games Nintendo’s console has accumulated since launch.
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up the very finest examples of the best rhythm and music games on Switch. Dancers, drummers, tappers, mashers — there is a wide variety of beat-based gaming to find below, all available on the go with a pair of headphones or at home with the hi-fi turned up to eleventy-stupid.
So, grab your headset, sit back and relax: it’s time to take a look (in alphabetical order) at the best rhythm and music games on Switch.
We kick things off with Afterlove EP, a visual novel/dating sim/rhythm-game hybrid. It’s a love letter to music and Jakarta, and a cosy play with a slow tempo, heartwarming narrative, and sad story. The themes of grief, mental health, and their impacts on our lives are explored in a way that feels gentle. There were a few wrinkles as things unfolded, and the dating sim aspect was unexpected, but there’s easygoing, musical fun to be had.
If you’re looking for a light touch on serious issues, this one could be worth a play, and a replay. If you want a heavy-hitting game to wreck you emotionally or something solely with a musical focus, you might want to hit ‘skip’.
Avicii: Invector is a fitting tribute to an artist who died tragically young. It’s a huge boost if you already enjoy his music, but even haters will have to respect the work that’s gone into this fast-paced, well-designed rhythm action title. It’s just a shame that Tim Bergling never had a chance to see it come together so nicely.
Still, until we get Pet Shop Boys: Invector, it’s the best single-artist music game we’ve had the pleasure of playing.
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Nintendo gave indie outfit Brace Yourself Games the keys to the Zelda franchise and the studio managed not only to return it to the platform holder without any dings in the paintwork, but to craft an incredible entry in the series that feels totally at home alongside the greats.
A transfusion from Crypt of the NecroDancer gives the old top-down template a fresh rhythm-based spin, but Cadence of Hyrule is a Zelda game to its core which puts the music front and centre and breathes new life into familiar tunes. It might take a while to get into its way of doing things, but once you’ve nailed the beat-based gameplay, it’s an utter joy.
Switch gets the ‘Definitive Edition’ of yet another beat-based offering from rhythm kings Rayark and with over 200 tracks, it’s another great game from the developer with two other entries on this list. Cytus α has a bouncing black bar passing through circular notes that appear which you tap in time to the beat. Notes can materialise anywhere on the screen and the gameplay is decidedly different from VOEZ and DEEMO.
It’s hugely satisfying to nail the hardest songs and the only real negative is the game’s hefty RRP. Wait for a sale and you’re golden.
Coming from Rayark, the developer behind VOEZ, DEEMO is another mobile game adapted for Switch and arguably improves on the studio’s previous effort thanks to its eclectic mix of genres coupled with a less hectic input mechanic.
Inspired by the pianist protagonist, the game has you tapping as notes fall from the top of the screen with rhythm gameplay that’s every bit as beautiful as its predecessor and a little more accessible to boot. You can even use your Nintendo Labo piano Toy-Con to play, too.
Everhood is one of the most memorable games we’ve played in recent years. A mad mix of RPG, rhythm action, kart racing, and bullet-hell shmup, its utterly bonkers plot and weird cast of characters is reason enough to check it out, but the instantly accessible rhythmic combat will keep you hooked from the very first battle to the epic final boss encounter.
Some may be put off by the minimal visual design and deliberately vague sequence of events, but for those after something a bit different, Everhood delivers originality and unique gameplay in spades and absolutely deserves a place in your Switch library. And if you enjoy this, you might like the sequel, too.
Fitness Boxing and its sequels are breezy, energetic games that get your blood pumping. They take pointers from the Just Dance series and various rhythm games to deliver some light CV in time to the beat. It’s no substitute for hard hours at the gym, but there’s certainly potential to tone up those arms and shed a few pounds.
It would be a mistake to buy this thinking you’re getting some magical antidote to your spare tyre or a game in the traditional sense, but it kept us coming back for more. If the full-body workout of Ring Fit Adventure feels too much like hard work, this rhythm-based alternative splits the difference nicely.
Floor Kids is a breakdance battler and, as with many rhythm games, might take a little while to ‘click’. Once it does, though, it reveals itself to be one of the most infectiously brilliant rhythm games on Switch which enables you to create your own dance moves and improvise in a way many games in the genre don’t.
Satisfying and unique, it’s another of Switch’s hidden gems you’d do well to add to your collection.
We love a good rhythm game, but we weren’t quite prepared for how quickly this would grab (and hold) our attention. As one of the first titles from the newly revived publisher Acclaim, GRIDbeat! makes a strong, bold entrance with unique, stylised visuals, razor-sharp gameplay, and excellent music.
The aim of the game is simple: keep to the beat and make your way through each labyrinthine level. Think of it as a kind of top-down dungeon-crawler with cyberpunk aesthetics and you’re on the right track.
Judged solely on its gameplay, it would be a fun, albeit slightly repetitive jaunt for a handful of hours. Its presentation, however, really elevates the whole experience. The colourful, psychedelic environments pulse to the music, making it feel like something Jeff Minter would cook up. Developer Ridiculous Games has managed to make it its own, though, and it all comes together beautifully.
Incorporating elements from Taito’s rich back catalogue of gaming icons, Groove Coaster Wai Wai Party!!!! is a fun rollercoaster of a rhythm game with varied, accessible input options that let you get into the groove much quicker than some of the other winning entries on this list.
Chaining combos together in time to the addictive Japanese catalogue of tracks is brilliant fun, and with over 100 tracks on offer in the base game, Groove Coaster is definitely worth hitting up if you’re game for a (wai wai) party.
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix is a strong portable version of a truly joyous rhythm game which loses out a little in terms of track numbers in comparison to the likes of series stablemate Future Tone, but makes up for this with a surprisingly solid Switch-exclusive motion control mode alongside touchscreen controls and a new art style that helps keep things running smoothly as you blast your way through its eclectic mix of excellent music.
It’s a perfect fit for dipping in and out of in handheld and is extremely welcoming to newcomers whilst still providing plenty of tough challenges for veteran rhythm game fans.
One of 2019’s biggest surprises, Hexagroove: Tactical DJ adds a layer of strategy to its beat-based mechanics which sets it apart from the crowd. Switching between instruments in order to please the throng of dancers before you, whether they cheer or jeer is entirely down to your skills.
It’s up to you to read the room and one of Hexagroove’s greatest successes is replicating the feeling when you’re in a club and the initial notes of a familiar favourite drop in. And the crowd goes wild! It’s far deeper than we have space to go into here, but rest assured that it’s a thrilling ride.
A Rōmaji rhythm runner, Hiragana Pixel Party is a hugely enjoyable game that functions as an effective Japanese language training tool for the uninitiated. Many fans of Japanese games will likely have entertained the notion of learning the language at some point or other, so what better way than with PaRappa the Rapper-style call and repeat rhythm gameplay elegantly attached to a runner?
With an excellent chiptune soundtrack and a cute art style, Hiragana Pixel Party is both fun and educational.
We’ve put Just Dance 2020 on the list here, although any entry in Ubisoft’s long-running series will do just as well, to be honest. These games offer accessible, energetic dance-based gameplay that lets you boogie to chart-toppers along with the whole family.
What else is there to say? You’ve seen Just Dance, you know Just Dance, there’s only one thing left to do.
One of Switch’s real hidden gems. The energy and verve of Just Shapes & Beats is utterly infectious. True to its name, the elements are simple, but Berzerk Studio explores and executes on its modest premise with an exceptional level of polish in this self-described ‘musical bullet hell’.
Bullets are the least of your worries – objects to evade range from simple Euclidean shapes to laser beams, spinning saws, spiralling tentacles and ocean waves made from EQ bars.
It’s a celebratory explosion of the audio-visual in video games and showcases chiptunes in their natural habitat. Simply put, it’s one of the best games on Switch.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a game that’s obviously designed as a love letter to longtime fans of the franchise, but it also bears almost no resemblance at all to the gameplay that made the preceding titles such a hit. As a rhythm game, it’s a perfectly enjoyable and content-rich entry in the genre, but a substantial amount of its meaning and appeal will be lost on rhythm fans who don’t have a background with the previous games.
Either way, we think Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is certainly worth your time. It’s a fun and engaging rhythm game with potentially hundreds of hours of replayability and a killer setlist of music to back it up.
Klang 2 isn’t perfect and it’s rather short, but it successfully offers up an enjoyable rhythm action experience that genre fans will want to know about. The rhythm action gameplay hits all the right beats. There are only two factors you have to worry about—your left stick and the ‘Y’ button—and you get through levels by pointing the stick at symbols in time with the music and tapping ‘Y’ when necessary. Simple enough, but things are complicated a little more by the fact that all the rhythmic gameplay is being layered over a battle.
The result is a satisfying and unique enough take on the rhythm genre — not necessarily a title that we’d recommend to anyone looking to get their feet wet with rhythm games, but fans will likely find enough to love here to make it worth investigating for the relatively low price of admission.
With its wacky storyline and stylish graphics, Mad Rat Dead would be a confident platformer even without the rhythm mechanics. But with the help of an excellent soundtrack, it’s a rhythm-based platforming experience that feels wholly original, even if it’s not the first game to blend those genres.
It can be tricky at times, but with the help of the rewind function, it’s one that feels relatively breezy overall, letting you just sink into the music and bust out those sick moves.
Despite its lack of standout musical cues and somewhat varying difficulty levels, Melatonin’s suite of challenges is a delight for rhythm game fans and it’s so satisfying to nail that PERFECT. It doesn’t fill the soon-to-be-filled Rhythm Heaven-shaped hole in the Switch’s portfolio, but instead it creates a dreamy new space filled with cotton candy colour, energy, and, most importantly, fun.
Musynx doesn’t get bogged down with peripheral narrative nonsense – it strips back non-essential parts to the bare essentials of pure rhythm game fun. Its beat-based gameplay and inputs are top-notch however you decide to play and, while it may not stand out in the crowd, there’s a straightforward arcade purity to it which we very much enjoy.
With an upbeat tracklist and great presentation, Musynx is a fabulous option for rhythm fans on Switch.
A 2D platformer where the rhythm and flow of the soundtrack dictates the movement of the environment, Octahedron: Transfixed Edition has you creating your own platforms and ‘surfing’ them across the screen in a game which is worth the price of admission for its music alone. It’s an intense, neon-drenched indie offering that you’re sure to fall for if you give it a chance.
Tomodachi Life was a late-cycle winner, but if Rhythm Heaven Groove (Rhythm Paradise Groove in Europe) is to be its swansong, Switch 1 is going out on a high note. The RPG-lite side mode Beatspell didn’t really hit with us, and the lag issues thrown up by playing on a modern TV are irritating, so be aware that you’ll need to play in handheld or tabletop mode to get the best out of it.
You shouldn’t let that dissuade you from experiencing one of gaming’s most infectiously fun-filled series, though. We were worried that we’d make it through the Switch generation without a Rhythm Heaven, but coming just over a decade after the last, Nintendo has snuck out one final hit for the old Switch.
A surprise and a delight, indeed.
With Rift of the NecroDancer, Brace Yourself Games picked up the rhythm genre and, well, riffed on it. This is a smart, stylish remix of what rhythm games can be. By swapping prescriptive note charts for more involved pattern reading, it cracks open a whole new dimension of challenge – one where you will feel both cool and overwhelmed at the same time.
As you can tell from its title, Runner3 is the third in the BIT.TRIP series of Runner games starting Commander Video as he runs, slides, jumps and kicks his way through courses collecting gold and avoiding obstacles.
The movement is tied to the beat of the soundtrack and with narration from Charles Martinet (Mario himself) Runner3 is a quirky, vibrant addition to Switch’s tracklist that is bursting with fun and creativity.
Short and sweet, Sayonara Wild Hearts takes you on an emotional rhythm journey where you’ll run, jump and ride motorcycles all in time to the beat. It’s not a game that outstays its welcome and is all the better for it.
Featuring a hypnotic art style, excellent audio and a famous narrator, it was one of our favourite experiences from 2019 and a short trip you should definitely take.
Combining laid-back platforming with listen-and-repeat musical phrases, developer Joysteak hasn’t stumbled upon some magical undiscovered gameplay fusion of rhythm-game and platformer. However, if you’d like to play a nice and easy game in a rather unique space — with some headroom for more advanced music gaming — Songbird Symphony delivers with style and humour.
A few frustrating issues with touch controls make this one better with buttons, but Superbeat: Xonic brings an eclectic mix of stylish, club-ready beats through jazz, trance, techo and samba to Switch. You hurtle through a ‘tunnel’ as notes emerge and run outwards from the centre of the screen towards a ring at the outer edge.
With balanced progression and a high level of polish, this is a very solid entry in Switch’s rhythm game charts.
There’s no denying that Tadpole Treble Encore isn’t for everybody, as it’s a rather short entry in what is traditionally a niche genre. Even so, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by missing out on this adorable experience. Tadpole Treble Encore is a thoroughly well-paced and enjoyable adventure, one which is supported by solid game design and excellent audiovisual presentation.
If you missed out on this on the Wii U or find yourself itching for a worthwhile rhythm game for your Switch library, we’d urge you to pick this up as soon as you can. If you’re one of the few who played this on Wii U, we’d still say it’s worth a double dip — just bear in mind that it’s not a massively overhauled experience.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! is overflowing with energy and colour and gives Europeans a long-awaited taste of Japanese drum-fun we’ve had to import for so long. It’s fun, although this game comes with a caveat. Switch’s touchscreen functions admirably, but you’ll really want to consider forking out for the taiko peripheral to see the game at its best.
The motion control options here are poor to the point that they’re unworkable on anything but the lowest difficulty, which is a shame. It’s not a perfect game, then, but it is beautifully bold and bouncy, and the Party Game section helps shore things up, offering short bursts of multiplayer fun as a credible stopgap until Rhythm Paradise arrives on Switch.
There’s also RPG genre crossover Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure Pack to consider if you can’t get enough of Don and Katsu.
While Tetris Effect: Connected is perhaps more strictly defined as a puzzle game, we’d argue that its unique brand of synesthesia — the intoxicating fusion of the audio-visual with its additive, mesmeric gameplay — makes this the best iteration of the classic puzzler ever thanks to its vital aural components. Also of note is the excellent use of HD rumble which enhances the experience no end. The developers use a range of subtle vibration frequencies rather than the ‘teeth-rattling’ or ‘off’ that other third-party devs seem restricted to.
Tetris is good; we all know this. But Tetsuya Mizuguchi unique audio-visual spin on the classic puzzler makes this possibly the finest version of the block-faller ever created. It’s an essential experience. Just don’t forget those headphones.
The Artful Escape is an audiovisual thrill in the general form of a 2D platformer, but the musical theme and its “Hold Y to Shred” moments make it a great addition here. It’s true that the most joyous bits of action are underused – in terms of both playtime and what the developers could give the story – and some scarce but present graphical issues on Switch are a shame.
Overall, though, the strengths are major, the niggles minor, and it will strike a chord with any pipe-dreaming rock star.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is an utterly addictive, perfectly tuned celebration of all things Final Fantasy. It’s a deceptively simple-looking game that, once you get under the hood, you’ll discover it has teeth and demands practice and patience if you want to unlock everything. It gives back what you put into it, and we’re struggling to put it down even now.
We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the series’ 35th anniversary, and this makes it a must-buy for Final Fantasy fans and rhythm game enthusiasts. How other storied, sprawling game series’ haven’t followed suit with their own rhythm games is baffling when the results can be this magical.
True to its name, Thumper is brutal. You control a shiny beetle-thing hurtling on rails ever-onwards to a raw pulsing beat, repelling ‘attacks’ and progressing through surreal stages in a battle for survival and high scores. It’s an assault on the senses and a difficult game, so bear that in mind if you’re after something relaxing – you won’t get an easy ride here.
What you do get, though, is one of the most intense, gruelling and rewarding rhythm games on any platform.
Trombone Champ is a hilarious rhythm game about perfection. Before you (or up to three other tromboners) play, it asks you to select a stance: ‘estudious’ or ‘jubilant’. Neither of these is appropriate when you know your performance will be as ear-abusive as an excited puppy mauling a bulb horn. Or are they?
The true lesson is perhaps to hold your head high anyway. In life, as in Trombone Champ, faced as we all are with certain doom, be estudious if you like, be jubilant, parp like crazy, and be your very best you – no matter how imperfect that invariably is.
VOEZ is a gorgeous-looking rhythm game with a mixture of mainly J-pop, K-pop, electronic and Vocaloid tracks that started life as a touchscreen-only title thanks to its mobile roots. Don’t let that put you off, though.
What the soundtrack lacks in variety the game makes up for with beautiful visuals and solid rhythm gameplay, which elevates it well above your average smartphone two-bit tapper. With regular updates adding even more songs and an update adding controller support for docked play, VOEZ is well worth investigating.
A breezy tonic to the intensity of some on this list, Wandersong is a platformer with a rather unique singing mechanic that has the passionate bard you control saving the universe with the power of song. Your dulcet tones are mapped to the right stick and you’ll have to hit the right notes to defeat enemies in a world that reacts to your voice.
With beautiful visuals and excellent writing, Wandersong is a wonderful, colourful little ditty.
Not really. You’re closest bet is probably WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! for the GBA catalogue, which shares a lot of the same DNA as Nintendo’s Rhythm Heaven series, but focuses more on general minigames.
Yes, though your choice of compatible games is rather limited. Fortnite Festival is a good option for that classic Guitar Hero vibe, but then you have to deal with *gestures* all the other nonsense in Fortnite’s menus to get there.
If you’re after a good guitar controller, we’d recommend the GRKD x Gibson range.
Think we’ve missed a beat somewhere up there? Perhaps it wasn’t quite our tempo, but share your thoughts in the comments below and we can always add a belter we’ve overlooked.
