The 10 best rhythm games to play

Nothing can make your heart sing more than the best rhythm games. The world can feel pretty rough right now, but music is always ready to lift spirits, and when it meets fun level design and some touching stories, well, you have some magic there.

Rhythm games don't get nearly enough recognition. It's a genre that is one of the most inventive out there, meshing mechanics and premises with foot-tapping beats. From hitting notes in combat to conquer your foes to landing notes to the music to earn yourself the highest score, there are all types of ways to get an endorphin rush while holding your controller. In fact, from the best roguelikes to the best FPS games, rhythm elements can be found in all kinds of experiences these days, and we've brought together a choice selection across all platforms so you can find something to suit you.

From some of the latest new games to a few throwbacks, read on below as we take you through the 10 best rhythm games that will get you moving and grooving today.

The best rhythm games, starting with...

10. Rift of the Necrodancer

Rift of the NecroDancer is here to help you get into the groove with the rhythm-based battles, boss fights, and mini-games. You follow Cadence, who has to get stuck into musical combat when she's drawn into a strange world where monsters keep pouring out of a rift.

Each creature you face has its own unique behaviors and patterns to learn, and with four different difficulty settings, you can really ramp things up if you're after a challenge. With various levels to take on, you can even make your own "beat maps", or levels, or try out the remix mode to conquer daily challenges.

9. Thumper

Thumper is incredibly cool. Billed as a "rhythm violence game," Thumper has you guiding a beetle-like creature along tracks that take you through bizarre worlds. Press buttons to hit "notes" that pop up along the track in time with the background music while also avoiding obstacles (like spikes, ouch) and defeating enemies along the way.

You can take one hit, but if you take a second, you'll start over from the last checkpoint, so you'll need to be on point with Thumper. This game is full of creepy cosmic entities and other horrors, and the sinister score only adds to the unease. This is a horror rhythm game, so prepare yourself.

8. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory 

Kingdom Hearts fans will love Melody of Memory, a rhythmic action game that offers both single and multiplayer gameplay. Press buttons along with the beat, with misses affecting your health. The game will end if it runs out, so keep an eye on those beats.

You can level up health and attack powers, with every character having a ranged and melee attack. The story campaign takes you through the Kingdom Hearts story so far, with players completing songs and then facing an enemy from the original game that the song is based on. Melody of Memory is a fun romp through the Kingdom Hearts series full of iconic Disney songs - what more could you ask for?

7. Trombone Champ

Most of the rhythm games you play will reward you with amazing music every time you hit the correct notes. However, imagine a title where most of your efforts (good or bad) were hilariously awkward. With similar mechanics to Guitar Hero, players must hit notes at the correct time to pass song choices, the catch here is that you do it on a trombone. There are plenty of songs to pick from, some fitting your instrument of choice and others becoming hilarious when you hear it via a trombone.

Trust us, playing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on Trombone Champ will leave you a giggling mess in the best kind of way. Trombone Champ is a meme maker, tons of fun and can also be surprisingly difficult for all of you seasoned rhythm fans. It's truly the best of both worlds here, and even real trombonists can't get enough of it!

6. Hi-Fi Rush

Hi-Fi Rush, from the Evil Within and Ghost Wire Tokyo developer Tango Gameworks, brings to life a toe-tapping rhythm hack-and-slash adventure where everything moves to the beat. From the combat to the world, everything is infused with a musical beat as you take on the role of Chai, who sets out to take on a mega corporation.

Everything being in sync to the music just adds to the style of Hi-Fi Rush, and with a soundtrack you'll want to listen to outside of the game, rhythm fans are in for a treat with this one. Plus, with more game modes, including an arcade option where you can test your skills, it's well worth trying out if you want some action with your rhythm fare. Check out our Hi-Fi Rush review for more.

5. Unbeatable

If you're looking for a rhythm experience that plays out like an action-adventure, then look no further than Unbeatable. Following the story of protagonist Beat, you venture through a world where music is illegal, the cops are out to get you, and you'll have to fight back against monsters on a stage.

With a story mode to explore and various characters to encounter along the way, you can choose to help out others, make friends, and more as you make your way through story events. And with an arcade mode to try out too, Unbeatable is dripping with style and packs some seriously catchy music, too.

4. Beat Saber

Beat Saber is a fantastic VR rhythm game that basically lets you be a Jedi at a rave - and who doesn't want to be that? In Beat Saber, you'll slash the beats from some of the best bops out there as they fly towards you in a futuristic cyberpunk world.

Beat Saber has some seriously great beats in it, and developer Beat Games just keeps adding more: you can slash the beats of songs from Panic! at the Disco, Lady Gaga, Green Day, BTS, and more.

3. Metal: Hellsinger

This is one for everyone who enjoys listening to some loud, energetic metal while playing FPS games. Hack and slash your way through Satan's damned legions, performing actions to the beat as you're accompanied all the while by a unique soundtrack featuring performances by vocalists from Arch Enemy, Lorna Shore, and Lamb of God, to name a few.

Not only is it a great test of how well you can stick to a beat, but you'll deal even more damage for your rhythmic demon-slaying than you will for just shooting stuff with reckless abandon. Equal parts one of the best rhythm games and an adrenaline-pumping horde shooter, raise your horns and get stuck into Metal: Hellsinger.

2. Sayonara Wild Hearts

Sayonara Wild Hearts is as fun as it is beautiful, with music that will stay in your head long after you stop playing. With a beautiful story about heartbreak and the power of following your heart, you'll step into the neon-soaked world with the beautiful notes of Claire de Lune welcoming you, before you jump into an action rhythm game that will entrance you.

Sayonara Wild Hearts tasks you with weaving a motorcycle through 24 levels, gathering hearts as you weave in and out of lanes and hit quick time events that sync up with the incredible music. Good luck putting this one down.

1. Guitar Hero series

It's hard to top the Guitar Hero series, which revolutionized the rhythm game and made it so popular it spawned tons of copycat games. Guitar Hero lets you be exactly that: a guitar hero with a plastic guitar, playing to a crowd that will cheer wildly when you successfully play "notes," but will boo you off the stage if you miss too many chords. All of Guitar Hero's iterations let you create your own rockstar persona with customizable outfits and looks, and each game seemed to get better and better music.

The cultural conversation around successfully completing some of its most difficult songs (Through the Fire and Flames, anyone) made talented Guitar Hero players the stuff of legend. Although it's gone the same way as Rock Band, a new Guitar Hero game was discussed as part of Microsoft's Activision-Blizzard purchase. Perhaps my dreams of being a rockstar aren't dead yet…

If you're looking for more, check out the best feel-good games and the best shooter games.