- Decide if you’re playing in teams or individually.
- Each player/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.
- You can play without using tokens for a simpler game. However, if you want to make it more challenging, each player/team can receive 2 HITSTER tokens. [Click here to learn how tokens work.]
- Choose a player to be the DJ. If you set your HITSTER app to Spotify Premium, the DJ can play along!
Overview:
Quick rules | Extra rules | FAQ
Quick rules
PREPARATION
Note: We recommend using Spotify Premium for the best game experience when setting up your HITSTER app. You can switch to Spotify Free for a faster game where songs are sampled in the middle, but song data will be visible, so the DJ can only act as MC and cannot take part in the scoring for that round. Using Spotify Free, players can take turns as DJ, round by round.
GAMEPLAY
SCAN
The DJ scans a card using the HITSTER app and a song starts playing.
PLACE
The player to the DJ’s left places the card (face down) on their timeline, guessing whether it fits before, after, or between the cards already there.
FLIP
Flip the card to check if it’s in the correct position. If yes, the player keeps it. If not, discard it. If the year matches an existing card, you can place it just before or just after that card, and it will still count as correct.
WINNING
- The first player to correctly position 10 cards on their timeline wins.
HITSTER TOKEN
For a more strategic game, tokens can be added:
- On Your Turn: Spend 1 token to skip the current song and draw a new card
- On Opponent’s Turn: Shout “HITSTER” and place your token on their timeline if you think they placed a card incorrectly. If you’re correct, steal the card for your own timeline.
- Anytime: Trade 3 tokens for a music card from the deck, placing it directly on your timeline without guessing.
Earning Tokens:
- Name the song and artist correctly to earn 1 token (even if you misplace the card). Max 5 tokens per player.
Extra rules
Advanced Gameplays
If you want to increase the difficulty, each player can choose their own level:
- 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.
Token Usage Rules
- Exchanging 3 HITSTER Tokens
If a player wants to exchange 3 HITSTER tokens to place a card directly on their timeline, they must do so before listening to the song. They cannot listen to the song and then decide to exchange the tokens. Additionally, once a player exchanges 3 tokens to place the card, they must skip their next turn. The game proceeds to the next player. - Token Betting on Correct Placement
If a player places a token on another player’s timeline, betting that the card has been placed incorrectly, and the card turns out to be correct (even if the two cards share the same year), the player who originally placed the card keeps it. The player who bet the token loses their token, as the original player was correct. In cases where multiple players bet tokens, only the player who placed the card gets to keep it if they were right. All other tokens are lost.
FAQ
How do I play the music?
The music automatically plays when you scan the QR code on a HITSTER card using a mobile phone with the free HITSTER app installed. On opening the app, follow the on-screen instructions to connect to the Spotify app or choose to play with Spotify Free.
Spotify Premium will give you the best HITSTER experience. The Spotify Free version might have some limitations.
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.
