The 10 most challenging rhythm games

Rhythm games are challenging, especially for gamers who don't have musical talent. Most rhythm games have different difficulty levels and levels that are suitable for beginners, but these games are tough despite their difficulty. Even if this isn't your first rhythm game, these games will make you feel like a beginner.

The games here have unique mechanics that require more than just tapping on the screen. If it wasn't challenging enough because of the gameplay itself, the speed of the songs and the perplexing beatmaps of these games will throw you off. Even years of playing rhythm games won't guarantee you a flawless run in these games.

10 Project Sekai

You grew up with Vocaloid music, and that's why you've been considering playing Project Sekai. Even after years of playing, the disappearance of Hatsune Miku and her beatmap still haunt your eyes and fingers.

The bridge of the song is infamous for spitting out multiple beats that seem impossible to hit, but some people have transcended humanity and perfected at least that part of the song. The beatmap of this game is simpler compared to the other games presented here, but the speed of the beats requires god-like endurance and a pair of unwavering eyes.

9 Muse Dash

Muse Dash feels like a side-scrolling game mixed with precise button-mashing madness, but unlike Geometry Dash, this game is undoubtedly a rhythm game. It almost serves as a good introduction to rhythm games with its unique mechanics, but it's undeniably chaotic and will both grip your wrists and keep your fingers tapping.

Its unconventional format can throw off experienced rhythm game veterans, and its colorful explosions make it easy for your eyes to miss incoming beats. There are easier levels you can try, but the game quickly becomes a challenge that leaves your fingers numb for days.

8 Cytus

If you started as a mobile gamer, Cytus may have been your first encounter with rhythm games. You thought it would be beginner-friendly, but then shapes and lines appeared everywhere that you had to tap and swipe. For a game released in 2012, it has only become even more challenging.

It's important to note that the game has many flashing lights, so it may not be suitable if you are sensitive to light. But it's the pulsating lights, the appearance of beats, and the way you have to press them based on their type that make this game hard to grasp.

7 Dynamix

Be prepared to click on lines from all directions in this game. Dynamix won't confuse you with shapes appearing from random positions like Cytus, but many rhythm game players often find Dynamix to be harder in terms of difficulty scaling compared to Cytus.

There will be moments where the rhythm of the generated beats feels unnatural, and the required precision for this game is inhuman.

Dynamix forces your hands to work in sync as you tap on lines from all directions. Even if you had all your fingers intact, some players would complain that you need to use seven fingers simultaneously and contort your hands unnaturally just to handle songs - which is not easy to do on a mobile device with limited screen space.

6 Arcaea

When playing Arcaea, you'll feel like you can't trust your eyes. Some beats hover above the chart, they sway and often come at you quickly and mercilessly.

Endurance and speed are crucial in this game, but above all, you need an incredible amount of luck to master the most challenging levels of this game.

The first few games will feel like the good old Piano Tiles game, but stick with it long enough, and you'll see the tiles lifting and swaying in 3D as if you were wearing a VR headset. From then on, you'll be playing something resembling Twister, but for your fingers.

5 Osu!

Osu! is a challenging rhythm game for everyone. The beatmap becomes extremely intricate, and the player base often creates memes about the maps and songs due to their complexity.

Memes are a good coping mechanism when the beats of the map appear like colors in a kaleidoscope. They are everywhere, and you have to tap them all, but they vanish in an instant if you don't tap fast enough.

The beatmap of Centipede is still physically impossible to complete with a full combo, as all the beats appear and vanish en masse too early. Osu! was released in 2007, but it remains one of the most challenging rhythm games to this day.

4 Beatmania IIDX

Beatmania IIDX is a classic rhythm game, and many praise it as the origin of all rhythm games. Many rhythm games have come and gone, but Beatmania IIDX has endured.

It has moved away from its arcade roots and found its way onto various consoles, including your iOS and Android phones.

Hand-eye coordination is a must for this game, and you may be well acquainted with your trusty old controller, already experienced in moving your fingers to challenging beats. However, the arcade version of Beatmania IIDX, which continues to thrive to this day, will make your hands fly quickly from key to key.

3 Taiko no Tatsujin

If you've never touched a drum in your entire life, Taiko no Tatsujin will become a nightmare. There's a learning curve you have to overcome to figure out where you need to hit the beats since you're striking a real Taiko drumhead that captures the beats on the screen.

Remember to think of it as learning a new instrument packaged as a rhythm game.

Once you've learned where to strike, you can now let your head bob to the rush of beats that you're supposed to keep up with - and then you'll get completely crushed in the arcade by kids younger than you. But that's not a bad compromise if it means you get to drum to the beats of various well-known artists and even play some tracks from the Yakuza games.

2 Guitar Hero

F-barre chords are difficult, but playing Guitar Hero without learning how to play the actual instrument is even harder. Perhaps it's your gateway into learning the real guitar, or you discovered this game because you're a guitarist who wanted to test their skills.

In any case, the dexterity of your hand will be challenged like never before. Many guitarists scoff at the game because the chords and strumming patterns are simplified with the game's controller. However, unless you've ever played a stringed instrument for a day, you will find Guitar Hero to be a pleasant challenge.

1 Dance Dance Revolution

Dance Dance Revolution is a rhythm game for dancers, if you don't consider it as leg day for gamers. Forget hand-eye coordination, your feet better be on the right panels while spectators eagerly (or horrified) watch you conquer Beethoven Virus.

Even if you don't have access to your nearest arcade, you can get yourself a dance pad and comfortably emulate Dance Dance Revolution on your PC from home. Apart from your confused pets, there won't be any spectators staring at you as you awkwardly learn how to move your feet.