GET THE PARTY STARTED WITH HITSTER!

Enjoy the greatest hits of all time while guessing when they were released. You don’t need to know the exact year*, just whether it comes before, after or between the songs on your timeline. Your chances of winning improve if you also know the names of the artists and the song titles.

* The date on each card corresponds to the year in which the song was released, or the year in which the artist first performed the song in public in its original version.

ORIGINAL MODE | ADVANCED MODES | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Get started!

  • 1. SCAN

    The DJ scans the top card of the deck with the HITSTER app and a song starts playing.

  • 2. PLACE

    On your turn, take the card and place it on your timeline face down, guessing whether it goes before, after or between the cards already in front of you.

  • 3. FLIP

    Flip the card over to check if the year is in the correct position. If so, keep it; if not, discard it. If the year matches another card on your timeline, you can place it just before or just after.

    It’s now the next player’s turn.

    ORIGINAL MODE

    SET UP

    • Decide if you want to play in teams or individually.
    • Place a deck of cards on the table, with the QR codes facing up.
    • Give each player (or team) 1 music card. Place the card face up in front of you (with the year visible) to start your timeline.
    • For a more challenging game, use the tokens. [Click here to learn how the tokens work.]
    • Open the HITSTER app on your mobile.
    • Choose a player to be the DJ. They will scan the cards and can still play along with the others. Keep the same DJ for the whole game or switch players, you decide!
    • Pick a card at random from the deck to decide who starts. The one with the oldest card goes first, then play continues clockwise. Return those cards to the deck and start the game.

    Note: Players acting as the DJ should not wear smartwatches (e.g. Apple Watch) during the game, as they may display song information on the screen.

    MUSIC SETTINGS

    The way the songs are played depends on the streaming platform you use and the type of account you have.

    If you’re playing without an account or with a free account

    You’ll only hear a short clip of the song.

    You can choose one of two playback options from the app’s SETTINGS menu:

    • Gyrosensor 🔄
      The song starts playing when you turn your phone face down.
    • Countdown ⏳
      The song starts playing after a brief 3-second countdown. Make sure you place your phone face down before the countdown ends.

    If you’re playing with a paid account

    In addition to the playback options above, you can also choose how you want to listen to the songs:

    • Full tracks 🎵
      Listen to the whole song from the beginning. Perfect for the full experience.
    • Previews ⚡
      Fast mode! Turn your phone over to start playback and listen to a short clip.

    WHO WINS?

    The first player (or team) to correctly place 10 cards on their timeline wins!

    THE HITSTER TOKENS

    For the complete HITSTER experience, each player or team starts with 2 HITSTER tokens and 1 music card.

    • On your turn

      Don’t know the song? Use 1 HITSTER token to skip the current song and scan a new card.

    • On an opponent’s turn

      Think someone put their card in the wrong place? Shout “HITSTER” and place 1 of your tokens on your opponent’s timeline where you think the card should go. If you’re right, take the card and place it on your own timeline. Spent tokens go back in the box.

    • At any time

      Swap 3 HITSTER tokens for a card from the deck and place it directly on your timeline, with no guessing required. You don’t have to wait your turn to do this.

    • How to earn more HITSTER tokens

      On your turn, you can earn 1 HITSTER token by correctly naming the song and the artist. You still win the token even if you place the card incorrectly on your timeline. Players cannot have more than 5 tokens at any time during the game.

      Notes:

      If you challenge an opponent but they were correct, your challenge is void and your opponent keeps the card. Even if you placed your token on another valid position on their timeline (e.g. both cards are the same year), the player whose turn it is keeps the card and the challenging player loses their token.

      The quickest player to shout HITSTER places their token first. If another player also shouted HITSTER, they can choose a different position on the opponent’s timeline to try to steal the card. Two tokens cannot be placed in the same position on an opponent’s timeline.

      ADVANCED MODES

      To get a well-balanced game, each player (or team) can choose their own level of difficulty:

      • PRO

        As well as placing the card correctly on your timeline, you must also name the artist and song title to win or steal a card.

        Each PRO begins with 5 tokens and cannot earn any more throughout the game.

      • EXPERT

        As well as placing the card correctly on your timeline, you must also name the artist, the song title and the exact year the song was released to win or steal a card.

        Each EXPERT begins with 3 tokens and cannot earn any more throughout the game.

      • COOPERATIVE

        Start with 5 tokens and 1 music card to begin your timeline. Work as one team to place new cards in the correct position; if you make a mistake, you lose a token.

        You win if you can place 10 cards correctly before your HITSTER tokens run out.

        Other ways to play:

        To raise the stakes, reduce the number of HITSTER tokens. Or make things more difficult by increasing the number of cards needed to complete your timeline.

        Frequently Asked Questions

        Read all FAQs
        How do I play the music?

        On opening the app, follow the on-screen instructions to connect to your preferred music streaming service, or choose to play without an account.

        If you’re playing without an account, the track either starts playing after you physically turn your phone face down (‘Gyrosensor’) or after a short 3-second countdown (‘Countdown’).

        If you’re playing with a paid account, you can either listen to the whole song from the start (‘full tracks’) or enjoy a preview (’Previews’). Please see the game rules for more details on how to play the music.
        Can I play HITSTER without the card game?

        No. You need the HITSTER cards to be able to play. For more information, check out our where-to-buy page.