Best Rhythm Games for Android: Free, Paid and Offline

Start with Phigros if you want to pay nothing at all. It is free, Google Play shows neither an adverts flag nor an in-app purchases flag on it, and its listing counts more than 200 tracks.

Take Arcaea if you want a game to get good at over months and do not mind buying music later. It is free with a library of songs included, its listing says it plays without a connection, and the rest of the music is sold as songs and packs. If you would rather pay up front, Cytus II is $1.99 in the US with more than 35 songs in the base game.

We read the Google Play listing of every game on this page. The descriptions, the song counts and the way the music is sold all come from those listings. Eight of the ten entries on our old list are still in the store.

Rhythm games for Android at a glance

Game	Maker	Cost on Google Play	Kind of game	How you get songs
Phigros	PigeonGames	Free, no ads, no in-app purchases	No lanes, moving judgement lines	200+ tracks included
Friday Night Funkin’	The Funkin’ Crew	Free, with ads	Rhythm battles with a story	60+ original songs included
Arcaea	lowiro	Free, with in-app purchases	Arcade-style, with a story	Free library, then songs and packs to buy
Deemo	Rayark	Free, with ads and in-app purchases	Piano game with a story	60+ free in story mode, 220+ in all
Dynamix	C4Cat	Free, with ads and in-app purchases	Notes fall on three sides	20+ tracks free, premium lifts the rank cap
Lanota	Noxy Games	Free trial with ads, then in-app purchases	Notes on an animated plate, with a story	Full version and chapters, each bought once
OverRapid	Arcstar	Free, with in-app purchases	Four lanes plus two scratch lanes	Unlocked by playing, plus add-on packs
Pianista	Pianista Company	Free, with ads and in-app purchases	Classical piano pieces	Points from watching adverts, or a membership
Cytus II	Rayark	$1.99, with in-app purchases	Moving judgement line, with a story	35+ in the base game, 70+ to buy
Muse Dash	Hongkong Hasuhasu	$2.99 at full price, with in-app purchases	Rhythm crossed with an action runner	Not stated in the listing
Rotaeno	X.D. Network	$2.99, with in-app purchases	You rotate the phone	Not stated in the listing
A Dance of Fire and Ice	7th Beat Games	$1.99, with in-app purchases	One button, two orbiting planets	20 worlds, with new levels added free
Cytoid	Tiger Tang	Free, no ads, no in-app purchases	Scan line, open source	4,000+ community levels to download
BeatX	Maniacs	Free, with ads and in-app purchases	Arrows, in the StepMania style	A download section, or your own step files

The costs are what Google Play shows in the US, and it sets a local price in other countries. “No ads” and “no in-app purchases” mean Google Play shows no such flag on the listing.

Free, with the songs included

Phigros

PigeonGames calls it laneless. There are no fixed columns: the judgement lines themselves move, and four kinds of note come at them. The listing counts more than 200 licensed tracks. With no adverts flag and no purchases flag, it is the easiest game here to recommend to someone who has never paid for a rhythm game and does not plan to.

Friday Night Funkin’

The listing calls it an internet classic that has finally reached the Play Store. You play Boyfriend, hitting notes in time to get past Girlfriend’s father and a queue of other opponents, across more than 60 original songs. Google Play flags adverts on it but no in-app purchases, and rates it Teen.

Free to start, more music to buy

Arcaea

lowiro’s game is built for people who want to improve. The listing talks of a high difficulty ceiling, three difficulty levels for every song, a course mode that runs songs back to back and a real-time online mode. It counts over 350 songs from more than 200 artists.

The listing says Arcaea does not require an internet connection to play. It installs with what the developer calls a large library of free songs, and more come as additional songs and content packs. Google Play flags in-app purchases but not adverts.

Deemo

Rayark’s piano game, played by tapping and sliding in time while a story about a girl who fell from the sky plays out. The listing counts more than 60 free songs in story mode and more than 220 in all. It also says the game is stand-alone, with no need for an internet connection. It is free with adverts and in-app purchases.

Dynamix

C4Cat’s game drops notes on three sides of the screen, each side standing for a different instrument. The listing says more than 20 tracks are available in the free version, out of over 100, and that the free version stops at rank 30 until you buy premium. A sequel, Dynamix Universe, is on Google Play as well.

Lanota

Noxy Games puts the notes on a plate that animates as the song goes on, inside a picture-book story. The listing is direct about the money: the free download is a trial. Buying the full version removes the limit on the main story, the waiting time between tracks and the adverts. The full version and the extra chapters are each a one-time purchase.

OverRapid

Arcstar’s game has four lanes and two scratch lanes, laid out in a V. Songs unlock step by step as you play, and the listing mentions add-on music packs. Google Play flags in-app purchases but not adverts.

Pianista

Classical music in place of electronic. You play pieces by composers from Beethoven to Rossini and can compete with other players in a daily League mode. Read the charging model before you start: the listing says you earn free music points by watching video adverts, or buy a Prestige Membership for unlimited access to everything.

Pay up front

Cytus II

Rayark’s fourth rhythm game. You tap notes as a judgement line reaches them, and the line changes speed with the beat. The story is set in a virtual internet world. The listing counts more than 100 songs: over 35 in the base game and over 70 as in-app purchases. It costs $1.99 in the US, ₦900 in Nigeria and ₹199 in India, and carries no adverts flag.

Muse Dash

A rhythm game crossed with an action runner. You hit enemies in the air and on the ground in time with the music, and the listing calls it beginner-friendly. The full price is $2.99 in the US, and it is often marked down. In-app purchases are flagged, and the listing does not say what they are.

Rotaeno

You play this one by turning the phone itself, as well as tapping. The listing says it requires a device with a gyroscope or accelerometer, so check an older or cheaper phone before paying. It is $2.99 in the US with in-app purchases flagged.

A Dance of Fire and Ice

One button. Two planets orbit each other along a winding path, and you tap on the beat to keep them moving through 20 worlds. The listing warns that it is hard, and suggests playing the free online version on a computer first if you are unsure. It is $1.99 in the US with in-app purchases flagged.

Community and custom songs

Cytoid

An open-source game in the scan-line style, powered by levels its players make. More than 4,000 community levels can be browsed and downloaded inside the game, and there are 15 training levels to learn on. Google Play shows no adverts and no in-app purchases. The listing notes that it is not affiliated with Cytus or Rayark.

BeatX

Arrows, in the manner of Dance Dance Revolution. The listing advertises more than 100,000 free levels in its download section, and the game loads StepMania files (.sm, .smzip and .dwi) that you supply. It works with a dance mat, keyboard or joystick over USB or Bluetooth. It is free with adverts and in-app purchases.

Community charts sit on top of other people’s music. Only load songs you have the right to use.

Others worth knowing

Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!: SEGA’s anime rhythm game is free with adverts and in-app purchases, and the listing says it contains loot boxes. It also asks for Android 8.0, a Snapdragon 845 or better and 4GB of RAM, which will rule out some budget phones.
The rest of Rayark: Cytus and VOEZ are free with adverts and in-app purchases, and VOEZ’s listing mentions both free and paid song packs. DEEMO II is free with 30 core songs and more in paid packs. DEEMO -Reborn- costs $1.99.
osu!stream: free, with no flags on Google Play. Its listing says all content in the game is now offered for free.

What happened to the rest of the old list

Lost in Harmony: its Google Play page has gone.
Lethe: we could not find it on Google Play.
“Rayark”: our old list gave tenth place to a developer. Its games are covered one by one above.

Which one to pick

Nothing to pay, ever: Phigros.
One game to get good at: Arcaea.
Music with a story: Cytus II if you would rather pay first, Deemo if you would rather put up with adverts.
Your own or other players’ songs: Cytoid. Take BeatX if you have StepMania files or a dance mat.
A first rhythm game: Muse Dash, which its own listing calls beginner-friendly.
Classical music: Pianista, once you have read how its membership works.
No connection: Arcaea or Deemo. Both listings say so.

For a different kind of reflex test, we have also gone through skateboard games for Android and offline car racing games.

Quick answers

What is the best free rhythm game for Android?

Phigros, which is free with no adverts flag and no in-app purchases on Google Play. Arcaea is the alternative if you are happy to buy song packs later.

Which rhythm games for Android work offline?

Arcaea and Deemo say in their listings that no internet connection is needed. Google Play also puts its “Offline” tag on Phigros, Cytus II, Muse Dash, Rotaeno, Lanota, Dynamix and Cytoid, though those developers do not say it themselves.

Which Android rhythm games have custom songs?

Cytoid, where players make and share the levels, and BeatX, which loads StepMania step files you provide.

Are there rhythm games without ads on Android?

Phigros, Cytoid and osu!stream show no adverts flag and no purchases flag. Arcaea, OverRapid and the paid games here show in-app purchases but no adverts flag.

Is Friday Night Funkin’ on Google Play?

Yes. It is published by The Funkin’ Crew and is free, with adverts.