Ludography
89/100
Players13 ratings
78/100
Critics4 reviews
More scores
Metacritic4 critic reviews
83/100
Metacritic usersuser score
68/100
GameFAQsJust Right/Tough
3.5/5
Player reviews
92% positive1,349 reviews
Steam Deck
Unsupported
Runs on
Windows
Price
US$24.99

Where to get it

Synth Riders cover

2018 · Kluge Interactive · Arcade · Indie

Synth Riders

PlayStation console exclusive

An action-dance VR rhythm game with custom song support and a thriving multiplayer community.

Released
2018
Platforms
Meta Horizon OSMeta QuestPlayStation VRSteamVRWindowsvisionOS
Genres
ArcadeIndieRhythmSports
Developers
Kluge Interactive
Publishers
—
Modes
MultiplayerSingle-player
Perspective
Virtual Reality
Themes
ActionParty
Age ratings
GRAC ALLPEGI 12ESRB T
Languages
Chinese (Simplified), English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat
6hmain story26hcompletionist

About

Synth Riders is a virtual reality rhythm game developed and published by Kluge Interactive. It involves players touching spheres ('notes'), tracing lines ('rails'), and avoiding obstacles that move towards them.

Following an early access release in July 2018, the game was officially released for Steam VR and Meta Quest on May 21, 2019, and supports most virtual reality headsets including Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Quest 2, Quest 3 and Quest Pro, PlayStation VR, PlayStation VR2, HTC Vive, Pico 4, Valve Index, Samsung Galaxy XR and Apple Vision Pro.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game is designed for virtual reality headsets and requires at least one motion controller on all platforms except for Apple Vision Pro, which utilizes hand tracking. Players have access to a selection of music tracks, each of which can be played at different difficulty levels. Additionally, players can choose from a range of virtual environments known as 'Stages', which can be paired with any song. Alternatively, they may opt for one of the 'Experiences'- visual animations inspired by and synchronized with specific songs.

Upon selecting a song, notes and rails appear and move towards the player who must match the correct colored hand to the object. Aside of the regular objects there are also special sections attracting bonus points. These are either gold objects, which must be played with both hands, or green objects, where the player must use the hand first used to complete all objects in that section. Additionally, players need to navigate around obstacles that occasionally appear in the game, which can be accomplished through ducking or dodging to the sides.

Development

Synth Riders's development started in 2016, when Kluge Interactive began experimenting with VR technology. It was conceived by creative director Abraham Aguero, who collaborated with another developer, Jhean Ceballos, in designing and building the game. The concept took shape through a series of prototypes, and it made its debut on July 12, 2018 as an early access title on Steam. After the release, Aguero listened to community feedback as the game underwent successive updates.

Reflecting on the initial years, he mentioned, "The first two years were pretty much me watching people play on Twitch for hours. I'd jump into their stream, hearing their feedback, asking them questions."

Reception

Synth Riders received "generally favorable" reviews according to Metacritic.

The game was featured by Forbes in their list of The Top 50 VR Games of 2019. In 2020, The Guardian acknowledged the fitness aspect of the game, placing it among the top 10 VR fitness apps, calling it "Joyful, even if you look ridiculous to onlookers." Push Square appreciated the ability to personalize gameplay according to one's preferences. As they noted, "The game is also a very malleable one, with an almost overwhelming number of modifiers and settings to play around with."

Awards

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
SteamVR12 July 2018Worldwide
Meta QuestNext-Gen Optimization Patch Release31 October 2019Worldwide · Worldwide 9 September 2025
PlayStation VR27 July 2021Worldwide · Worldwide 22 February 2023
visionOS2 February 2024North America

Editions and related releases

Included in
Synth Riders + Experiences
Downloadable content
Synth Riders: Lady Gaga & Beyoncé - "Telephone"Synth Riders: Queen - "Don't Stop Me Now"Synth Riders: Starship - "We Built This City"Synth Riders: League of Legends - "Legends Never Die"Synth Riders: Lindsey Stirling - "Shatter Me"Synth Riders: The Interrupters - "Gave You Everything"Synth Riders: The Electric Swing Circus - "Empires"Synth Riders: Tamela D'Amico, Wolfgang Lohr - "Boring 20s"Synth Riders: Jamie Berry - "Guilty Pleasure"Synth Riders: Parov Stelar - "Booty Swing"Synth Riders: Gorillaz - "Cracker Island"Synth Riders: Gunship - "Tech Noir (Carpenter Brut Remix)"Synth Riders: Lindsey Stirling - "Underground"Synth Riders: Linkin Park - "One Step Closer"Synth Riders: Linkin Park - "Papercut"Synth Riders: Crypt of The NecroDancer Music PackSynth Riders: Linkin Park - "In the End"Synth Riders: Au5 - "Eden"Synth Riders: Linkin Park - "Faint"Synth Riders: Linkin Park - "Castle of Glass"Synth Riders: Linkin Park - "The Emptiness Machine" (Radio Edit)Synth Riders: Linkin Park - "Battle Symphony"Synth Riders: Linkin Park - "Breaking the Habit"Synth Riders: Muse - "Starlight"Synth Riders: Jamie Berry - "Lost In The Rhythm"Synth Riders: Gorillaz - "Clint Eastwood"Synth Riders: The Midnight - "Days of Thunder"Synth Riders: Simple Minds - "Don't You (Forget About Me)"Synth Riders: Starcadian - "Manuals"Synth Riders: Muse - "The Dark Side"Synth Riders: Infected Mushroom - "Becoming Insane"Synth Riders: Gorillaz - "Sleeping Powder"Synth Riders: Caravan Palace - "Wonderland"Synth Riders: Lady Gaga - "The Dead Dance"Synth Riders: Muse - "Algorithm (Alternate Reality Version)"Synth Riders: Daryl Hall & John Oates - "Out of Touch"Synth Riders: Gorillaz - "On Melancholy Hill"Synth Riders: Lindsey Stirling - "First Light"Synth Riders: FM-84 & Ollie Wride - "Running in the Night"Synth Riders: Infected Mushroom - "I Wish"Synth Riders: Lady Gaga - "Disease"Synth Riders: Muse - "Reapers"Synth Riders: Pegboard Nerds - "Moshi"Synth Riders: Infected Mushroom - "Black Velvet" (feat. Ninet Tayeb)Synth Riders: Gorillaz - "Dare"Synth Riders: The Cure - "Just Like Heaven"Synth Riders: Lady Gaga & Colby O'Donis - "Just Dance"Synth Riders: Tokyo Machine - "Turbo"Synth Riders: Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc"Synth Riders: Bruno Mars - "Runaway Baby"Synth Riders: Lady Gaga - "Bloody Mary"Synth Riders: Muse - "Uprising"Synth Riders: Gorillaz - "New Gold"Synth Riders: Starcadian - "New Cydonia"Synth Riders: The Smile - "Zero Sum"Synth Riders: Lady Gaga - "Poker Face"Synth Riders: Balduin, Wolfgang Lohr - "Magic Man"Synth Riders: Bruno Mars - "24K Magic"Synth Riders: The Midnight - "Sunset"Synth Riders: Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance"Synth Riders: Cut Capers - "Let's Start Again (Odd Chap Remix)"Synth Riders: The Offspring - "Come Out and Play"Synth Riders: Lindsey Stirling - "Mirage"Synth Riders: The Midnight - "Jason"Synth Riders: Lady Gaga - "Abracadabra"Synth Riders: Swingrowers - "Rose"Synth Riders: A-ha - "Take On Me"Synth Riders: Muse - "Pressure"Synth Riders: Starcadian - "Supersymmetry"Synth Riders: GosT - "Behemoth (Perturbator Remix)"Synth Riders: Lady Gaga - "Paparazzi"Synth Riders: Devo - "Whip It"Synth Riders: The Offspring - "Self-Esteem"Synth Riders: Swingrowers - "Butterfly"Synth Riders: Zardonic - "Blue Monday (Synth Riders version)"Synth Riders: Lady Gaga - "Born This Way"Synth Riders: INXS - "New Sensation"Synth Riders: Bad Religion - "21st Century (Digital Boy)"Synth Riders: True Damage - "Giants"Synth Riders: Lady Gaga - "Applause"Synth Riders: Phil Collins - "Sussudio"Synth Riders: League of Legends - "Awaken"Synth Riders: Caravan Palace - "Tattoos"Synth Riders: Nitro Fun - "New Game"Synth Riders: Riot - "Take That"Synth Riders: David Guetta & OneRepublic - "I Don't Wanna Wait"Synth Riders Experience: Barbie Dance 'n DreamSynth Riders: Artemas - "I Like the Way You Kiss Me"Synth Riders: Rancid - "Time Bomb"Synth Riders: K/DA - "Pop/Stars"Synth Riders: K/DA - "More"Synth Riders: Toto - "Africa"Synth Riders: Jack Harlow - "Lovin On Me"Synth Riders: Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up"Synth Riders: Sia - "Gimme Love"Synth Riders: Caravan Palace - "Rock It For Me"Synth Riders: Silk Sonic - "Skate"Synth Riders: Lindsey Stirling - "Shadows"Synth Riders: Caravan Palace - "Miracle"Synth Riders: Blur - "Song 2"Synth Riders: Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give It Away"Synth Riders: Muse - "Madness"Synth Riders: Swingrowers - "No Strings Attached"Synth Riders: Soundgarden - "Black Hole Sun"Synth Riders: Radiohead - "Creep"Synth Riders: Parov Stelar - "All Night"Synth Riders: Caravan Palace - "Lone Digger"Synth Riders: Charli xcx - "Apple"Synth Riders: Wham! - "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"Synth Riders: The Presidents of the United States of America - "Lump"Synth Riders: Kendrick Lamar - "Humble." + Experience
Ported as
Synth Riders
Remastered as
Synth Riders: Remastered Edition

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