When it comes to game night, a lot of people will opt for the traditional trivia or strategy games. But when you are looking for a party game that the whole family or friendship group will enjoy, music-themed games hold a special place as they tap into a universal theme, something that everybody enjoys – our shared love of music, songs and the memories tied to them. From karaoke to “name that tune” challenges, these games thrive on the joy of recognising different songs as well as the thrill of testing your musical knowledge. They also bring people together across generations, since everyone has their own era of favourite hits and this game covers from the 1950s to the present. Hitster: Guilty Pleasures, published by Jumbo, takes this concept and adds a clever twist: instead of simply naming songs, players must build a timeline of when those songs were released, creating a blend of music trivia and chronological puzzle-solving that is both hilarious and surprisingly competitive.
Hitster: Guilty Pleasures is a music-themed party game that blends music trivia, nostalgia and interactive social fun into one lively party game for 2-10 players (or teams), aged 16+. It has a playing time of 30-60 minutes.
In the box:
- 308 Cards
- 37 Tokens
You will also need access to a smartphone or tablet with access to the internet, the free Hitster app and access to Spotify (you can use a free account, you don’t need to sign up for a subscription, or you can use your own account if you already have one).
Hitster: Guilty Pleasures is all about music, but it is not just a game of “name that tune”, it is about arranging songs in the correct order of release to build your music timeline. Packed with over 300 different musical “guilty pleasures” – hit songs that are catchy, fun and often delightfully cheesy. The double-sided cards contain the song title, artist and year of release, while the flip side has a QR code that takes you to Spotify and plays a snippet of the song. To play the game you will need to have the Hitster app on your phone or tablet to start scanning those QR codes.
Before you can play Hitster: Guilty Pleasures, open the box and inside the lid you will find a QR to scan that will take you to the website for the rules and to download the app. Once the app is downloaded and ready to roll, select the options that you want to play with such as using Spotify Free (no fees charged and uses 30 second previews) or Spotify Premium (subscription required, uses 30 second previews or the full track – your choice). You will also need to set how you want to start playing the music: with Gyrosensor, the track starts playing after you physically turn your phone face down, with Countdown, the track starts playing after a short 3-second countdown, make sure your phone is facing down before the countdown ends.
To play, decide if you are playing in teams or as individuals and if you are playing with tokens or not (the tokens make it a bit more challenging). Each player or team receives one music card (face up), which shows the song title, artist and release year. This is the side without the QR code, and it starts their timeline. The player with the oldest song on their timeline starts and the game continues clockwise.
Players scan the QR code on the top card of the deck which then takes them to Spotify and will play the tune after flipping over the phone (so no one gets to see the song details). The player then decides what year that track was released and places it in their timeline in the correct position in ascending years. Once done, they flip over the card and if the year of release is in the right position they keep the card in their timeline, if its wrong they discard it. The first player to have ten correct cards in their timeline wins.
If you choose to play with the Hitster tokens, these are won by correctly naming the song title and artist. These tokens allow you to skip a card, steal a card from another players timeline, or to add a card to your timeline without needing to guess.
There are also rules for advanced gameplay, great if your musical knowledge is spot on. You can play with:
- PRO: Follow the original rules, but you must name the artist and song title to win or steal cards. Each PRO player starts with 5 tokens. No new tokens can be earned.
- EXPERT: Follow the original rules, but you must name the artist, song title and the exact release year. Each EXPERT player starts with 3 tokens and no new tokens can be earned.
- COOPERATIVE: Play together as one team. Start with 5 tokens and 1 music card to begin your timeline. Work together to place new cards in the right spot – if you’re wrong, lose a token. Collect 10 cards before running out of tokens to win.
Overall, if you are a music lover (and who isn’t) then Hitster: Guilty Pleasure is a fantastic game. It features music from the 1950s right up to 2020s, so is inclusive for everybody. I love that it is more than just naming the song title and artist but trying to determine the correct year of release in a timeline, it makes it more than just music trivia. And actually hearing the songs rather than being asked a question about a song makes it so much more enjoyable and interesting (and people will be singing and humming along in every round).
The Hitster Tokens add in an extra layer of depth, which reward players who can name both the song and artist in addition to placing it correctly. Tokens can be spent to skip a tough card, challenge another player’s placement or even trade for a guaranteed card. They help to introduce a bit of strategy into the game. It also keeps everyone engaged, since you can intervene during other players turns. And if that wasn’t enough, the advanced gameplay rules take it further for those music brainiacs.
Playing Hitster: Guilty Pleasures is lots of fun – it has the ability to create an instant party atmosphere. With a wide and varied choice of songs, that will be familiar, fun and often evoking strong reactions – whether that’s groans of recognition or guilty sing-alongs. As it doesn’t just ask a series of dry questions but involves listening to music, it thrives on energy and social interaction. It’s accessible to casual players, yet still rewarding for music buffs who pride themselves on encyclopaedic knowledge.
Hitster: Guilty Pleasures is a fantastic music-themed party game. It combines the joy of listening to songs from throughout the decades with the challenge of building a timeline, offering something fresh and engaging. With its mix of fun nostalgia, humour and competition it is perfect for family gatherings, parties or game nights with friends. For readers of What’s Good to Play, this is a title that deserves a spot on your shelf if you’re looking for a game that guarantees laughter, sing-alongs and plenty of “I can’t believe that came out then!” moments.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £22.99
For more information, visit jumboplay.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.