Some of my favourite memories are made with friends and family around a board game, and if you’re anything like me, game nights become a staple when fall hits. Of course, there are classics like Catan and Clue to help you pass the time, but if you’ve grown a little tired of your old and faithfuls, why not try something new?
Identifying songs within the first few seconds is my party trick, so when I heard HITSTER, I knew I had to give it a try. In short, it’s a music guessing game that’ll not only put your music knowledge to the test, but also how well you can place them on a timeline from the 1930s to now. Mesh my love of music with a good game, and I’m sold.
I pulled it out over Thanksgiving to play with my family, and it became an instant favourite. Here’s why.
My experience playing HITSTER
As much as I enjoy board and card games, learning how to play new ones always stresses me out a little bit. Luckily, HITSTER is super simple and fast to learn. Each player or team starts with a random song card from the deck. This is flipped over immediately, acting as an anchor to start the music timeline. Then the “DJ” will use a phone or tablet to scan the QR code on the back of another card, pairing with the free companion app.
The companion app walks you through instructions, so you don’t have to do any guesswork (at least at this stage — save that for the game!). It automatically connects to your Apple Music or Spotify account, but if you don’t have a music subscription, it can still play song clips. One caveat to that: you do get better song clips, and the option to play a snippet or the whole song, if you have a Spotify or Apple Music account, so my advice is to make sure someone in the group has an account for a more seamless game.
When a song is played, a player or team places the card (still face down) on their music timeline. If the card was placed in the right spot and flipped, they get to keep the card on their timeline. The goal is to get 10 song cards correctly placed on your timeline, and the first team or player to do so wins the game!
I like that you don’t have to know the exact year a song was released (although it’s a bonus if you do) to get the point, just approximately where it should be on your timeline. Even though the rounds move pretty fast, we ended up playing for hours, and it did get pretty heated, which, in my opinion, is the indicator of a perfect game night.
The game also comes with HISTER tokens, which are optional to play with. You can use them to steal points from other players if you believe they’ve incorrectly placed a song on their timeline. You win them for yourself by properly identifying the artist and song title as they’re playing, even if you can’t place the card correctly on your own timeline. With so many ways to play and make the game your own, HISTER has cemented itself as a game night staple in my home. I’m literally counting down the days until I can play it next.
For a music nerd like me, it was super easy to pick up, but it was just as fun for people who aren’t as into music. The songs are all popular hits, so you won’t find any deep cuts from obscure artists. There are also a few Canadian artists like Alessia Cara and The Tragically Hip, mixed in with global superstars like Taylor Swift, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys, which I think is really cool. Since it covers such a wide range of songs and musicians, people 10 to 100 can truly have a blast playing together.
Is HITSTER worth the hype?
If you love music and a good party game, HITSTER is definitely worth the hype. It has provided my family with hours of fun, and we’ve barely made a dent in the 300 song cards. Because your timeline starts in a different year every time you play, it offers a lot of replayability. Once things do start feeling stale, you can diversify with other games in the range. HITSTERRock, HITSTER Guilty Pleasures, HITSTER Film &TV, and even HITSTER 100% Franco are available now!
You should get HITSTER if…
- You enjoy music and music trivia
- You like games that can be played in teams or individually
- You prefer games that are easy to learn and can be played pretty fast
You should not get HITSTER if…
- You prefer board games with longer gameplay and strategy
- Popular music isn’t your jam
What reviewers are saying about HITSTER
As it’s relatively new, HITSTER only has around 180 reviews, but it has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, which means people are loving it just as much as I am. Most reviewers appreciate how easy it is to learn, and that you don’t need extensive music knowledge to play (though it certainly helps). They also really like that it can be played with a tight group of good friends and with larger groups of all ages, which is rare for card and party games.