This is a list of my three favorite free cross-platform rhythm based games, in no particular order.
I love music, and I love video games. This makes rhythm games perfect for me. And the best part? I don’t have to pay for some of the great ones!
Frets on Fire
This is a Guitar Hero like game for Windows, Linux, and macOS. One of the great things about Frets on Fire is that it lets you rip songs from the Guitar Hero games! The first question in their FAQ explains where you can download even more songs – or create your own. If you don’t have a Guitar Hero controller to hook into your computer, you can use your keyboard.
StepMania
StepMania is a Dance Dance Revolution like game for Windows, Linux, and macOS (although unfortunately at this moment it doesn’t work in macOS Catalina or later). It’s been around for a long time and is still being worked on, although not as much lately. Multiplayer mode? You bet! You can use a dance pad or just use you arrow keys. It’s much simpler than most rhythm games (if you’re using the arrow keys, that is) and is still just as fun. It doesn’t come with any songs, but you can download some from their forums.
Osu!
Osu! is a game I pretty much just found out about. Gameplay is similar to Elite Beat Agents for the DS. This game is very nice and it makes installing songs easy. You can download beatmaps here. You have to register to download songs, but it’s a good idea to do it anyway. The game keeps track of how good you do and you get levels for it, and there’s a thriving community of players. It’s hard to explain the gameplay if you haven’t played the game it’s based on. Plays on Windows and macOS!
