Hitster is one of the most popular music party games of the last few years, and it earns it. You scan a card, a song starts playing, and you have to decide where it fits on your personal timeline of release years. It sounds simple. Then someone confidently places a song from the late seventies in 1994 and the whole table erupts.
If you love Hitster, already own every pack, or just want something different for the next party, this guide covers games like Hitster: music party games that hit the same spot of shared songs, friendly arguments and quick turns. Some are boxed games, some need nothing but your voice, and one is our own free app. They are all different, and that is the point.
What is Hitster?
Hitster is a music card game from Jumbo, the Dutch games company. Each card has a QR code on one side and a song title, artist and release year on the other. You scan the code with the free Hitster app, the song plays through Spotify, and you try to place it correctly in your growing timeline, before or after the songs you already hold. Get the order right and you keep the card. The first player to collect the agreed number of cards wins (the standard target is 10).
Tokens add a layer of strategy. You start with a couple, you can earn more by naming the artist and title of the song being played, and you can spend them to skip a song you have no idea about, to challenge another player's placement, or to trade several in for a free card. The official rules let you leave tokens out entirely for a simpler game, which is a nice touch for first-timers.
Why people love it
The genius of Hitster is that nobody has to perform. You listen, you guess, you argue. It rewards the person who has listened to a lot of radio, not the person with the best voice, so it works for groups who would never go near karaoke. It also produces great conversations, because every song comes with a memory attached.
The one practical thing to know is that it needs a phone, the app, an internet connection and a Spotify account. The rules support both free and Premium accounts: with a free account one person usually acts as the DJ, while Premium makes playback smoother for everyone. Check the current requirements on the box before game night.
Hitster expansion packs and editions
Jumbo releases Hitster in a growing range of editions and expansion packs, and the lineup differs by country. Themed sets have included Guilty Pleasures, Summer Party, Christmas songs, and Movies & TV Soundtracks, alongside regional editions built around local hits. Some can be played on their own and some are designed to be mixed into an existing deck, so read the box to see which kind you are buying. A Hitster expansion pack is the easiest way to refresh a game your group has played to death.
8 music party games like Hitster
Here are eight music party games and formats worth trying, with who each one suits best. A few are boxed games you can buy, a few are free formats you can start in the next five minutes.
1. Lyrically Correct. A music trivia card game played in two teams. One player reads lyric and music questions to a player on the other team, who answers as many as possible before the timer runs out. The original edition focuses on 90s and 2000s hip hop and R&B, and there are other editions for different eras and genres. Best for: groups who grew up on those decades and enjoy competitive trivia more than guessing years. Our full guide to the Lyrically Correct game covers the rules and editions.
2. Grab the Mic. A karaoke card game by Lucky Egg. A word card is revealed, everyone races to grab a foam microphone, and whoever gets it has to sing a line from a real song containing that word. It plays with roughly two to ten people. Best for: loud, fast groups who like a physical race. Read more about how Grab the Mic works.
3. Spontuneous. A board game for about four to ten players. Each player secretly writes down trigger words taken from songs they know. On your turn you call out one of your words and flip a 15-second timer, and the first person to sing a few words of any song containing it moves ahead on the board. If nobody can, you have to prove your own word works. Best for: groups who want a board, dice and a bit of bluffing on top of the singing.
4. Encore. A long-running singing board game, currently sold by Endless Games, built on an old parlor game. Two teams take turns singing a snippet of a song that contains the word on the card, and the team that runs out of songs first loses the round. Best for: big groups and families who want a team game where the back and forth gets more desperate with every song.
5. Song association. The no-equipment classic: someone says a word, and the next person has to sing a line from a song containing it within a few seconds. Nothing to buy, nothing to set up, and it works in a car or around a fire. Best for: road trips, camping and any moment when you have no table and no box. Here is how to play song association properly.
6. Finish the lyrics. One person sings or reads the start of a line, and the others race to finish it. You can run it from any playlist, so you can pick a decade, a genre or a single artist to make it as easy or as hard as you like. Best for: fans of lyric trivia who want a free version tonight. Our finish the lyrics guide has rules and variations.
7. Name that tune (or guess the year) with your own playlist. Put a big playlist on shuffle, play the first few seconds of each song, and the first person to name it scores. To get closer to the Hitster feeling, ask players to guess the release year instead and award points for being closest. Best for: groups who already have a speaker and a streaming account and want the listening game without buying anything.
8. Grab The Phone Karaoke. Our own free app, for two to eight players on one phone. The phone lies on the table, a word lights up, and whoever grabs it first has fifteen seconds to sing any song containing that word. The others vote with a thumbs up or down, and a leaderboard ranks the winner at the end. There are no cards to run out of, no account, and no streaming service needed because you are the music. Best for: groups who want a quick, free game that mixes the race of Grab the Mic with the energy of karaoke. Get the app.
How to choose the right music party game
Start with what your group enjoys. If they love listening and guessing but would rather not sing, Hitster and name that tune are the natural fit. If they love trivia and showing off what they know, go for Lyrically Correct or a round of finish the lyrics. If they are happy to sing a little, the word games (Grab the Mic, Spontuneous, Encore, song association, and our app) will make the most noise.
Then think about the practical side. Hitster needs a phone, data and Spotify. Boxed card games need a table and a deck that eventually gets familiar. Song association needs nothing at all. Our app needs one phone and no account.
Finally, consider group size. Team games like Lyrically Correct and Encore shine with larger groups, while Hitster, song association and our app work just as well with two or three people. And if you want songs ready for a proper karaoke session afterward, our list of the best karaoke songs has you covered.
Hosting tips for a music game night
Whichever game you choose, a few small things make the night work. Get a decent speaker if the game plays music, because a tinny phone speaker kills the mood in a loud room. Explain the rules with one practice round rather than a speech, since everyone learns faster by playing. Mix teams so the music experts are spread out, and agree up front how you settle disputes: a quick majority vote is usually enough. Finally, keep rounds short. Music games are at their best when the energy stays high, so stop each game while people still want one more round.
Mix them on the same night
You do not have to pick only one. A good music party night often starts with a listening game like Hitster while people arrive, moves to a team trivia round once everyone has a drink in hand, and finishes with a singing game when the room is warmed up. Switching formats keeps the energy up and gives everyone a round they are good at.
Hitster is a trademark of Jumbo. Grab The Phone Karaoke is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Jumbo or Hitster. Lyrically Correct, Grab the Mic, Spontuneous, Encore and Spotify are trademarks of their respective owners.
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