K-Pop has taken the world by storm, and you’d be hard-pressed to find any place that hasn’t been hit with the Hallyu wave. With the rise of the musical genre and Korean idol groups, the gaming world naturally followed suit.
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Whether you have one favorite group or you just love K-Pop in general, you might be looking for games that have been directly inspired by that world. Thankfully, there are tons of enjoyable titles that you can easily sink hours into while getting songs stuck in your head.
This list is not ranked in any particular order, so you can enjoy any of these games depending on the type of gameplay you prefer!
K-pop Dance Festival
This game is an oldie that kicks things off as it was originally released in 2013 for the Nintendo Wii. If you still have a Wii around the house, then you can play K-Pop Dance Festival.
It’s basically a dancing rhythm game much in the same vein as Just Dance, but exclusively dedicated to K-Pop. It was so niche at the time that the original release was just for Korea. You can dance along to a playlist that includes classic K-Pop hits from various eras, like Psy’s Gangnam Style, Wonder Girls’ Nobody, or IU’s You and I.
Let’s Meet On The Flower Road
While most idol-based games you’ll find will have you managing new groups and artists, thisindie visual novel on Itch.iowill take you through the journey yourself as a trainee. There are a few choices littered throughout the game, starting with what you plan to do during your audition for the fictional IM entertainment company.
As you meet new characters and go through challenges, you forge your path in the K-Pop industry. It’s an engaging take on the story of a trainee, albeit sometimes romanticizing many aspects of the world. The game is still actively being updated as a work in progress, but there’s already a lot of content to enjoy during downtime.
BTS Island: In the SEOM
Considering how much content BTS produces, it’s hard not to include them a few times in this list. BTS Island strays away from the rhythm genre and introduces players to a relaxing island where you can chill and guide the BTS members through an adventure.
The art and music (produced by the band’s own Suga) are very charming and just add to the notion that this game ismeant for cozy couch sessions. Much of the gameplay just involves solving match-3 puzzles in order to get stars for missions, but there are also other fun elements that encourage you to explore the island and interact with the characters.
Buried Stars
Buried Stars is distinctly different from other games with a K-Pop theme as it is a mystery visual novel with plenty of interactive elements that determine what ending you get. Set during a live audition show gone wrong, you must figure out who is behind the mysterious and violent events before things get worse.
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Even as a visual novel, the game boasts some of the nicest art and graphical elements among its contemporaries. It’s an interesting change of pace if you want something darker, and features a compelling cast with full voice acting.
Girl Group Inc: Love Kpop Idol
If you’re looking for a comprehensive K-Pop agency management sim, this is the game that will keep you hooked. Frequently shortened to Love Idol, this game has you taking over a company that is already nearing bankruptcy. You start out with just one trainee, but you can start building up from there.
There are tons of aspects to manage here, as you not only need your idols to stay happy and well-trained, but you also need to consider costs, management, popularity employees, structures for your agency, producing, scouting, and stocks. Every single detail here has to be checked, even down to how much promo you give your artists, how compatible members are as a group, and more.
Idol Popstars
Idol Popstars is very forgivingif you are new at management sims, and uses a very cute art style that is not too harsh on the eyes. This is for players who want some mini-games mixed in with the usual management mechanics introduced in a less intimidating manner.
The goals are simple, as you have to keep your idols' wants and needs in check to make sure they have the physical and mental capacity to get out and there and perform. From there, you just need to make sure you are making enough money and gaining enough fans to keep the company going. Collect royalties, expand your idol housing, and profit! There are ads but they’re never intrusive and entirely optional if you want some gameplay boosts.
SuperStar Series
Since the dawn of touch screens, there have been plenty ofamazing rhythm games for mobile. Dalcomsoft decided to bank on that and craft its own universe of rhythm games with all manner of artists. The SuperStar series has many entries, so you can choose which game to download depending on the specific K-Pop star or entertainment company you like.
The series started off with SuperStar SMTOWN, which you can still play if you like songs from the likes of Luna, Exo, Lay, and more. Instead of being limited to select lanes, certain notes can require you to follow intersecting patterns, making for a more varied gameplay experience. Although there are in-game purchases available, they aren’t necessary to play.
K-Pop Idol Producer
As the name suggests, you are in charge of producing content to take the world of K-Pop by storm. You can make either a boy or girl group to start with, and the game immediately puts you into the nitty-gritty of designating roles for your trainees. You also have to consider how long they’ve been training, as this affects their potential for a debut.
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Every trainee has their own strengths and aspirations, which you will need to play to in order to make the best concept. you may even change little details like their stage names and clothing style. Eventually, you can create more groups. For every group, you decide how many activities and events they will attend, as well as when they will get any rest. Beyond that, you also take charge of your company’s building, staff, labor costs and loans, and profits.
Rhythm Hive
With Hybe trying out various things, it’s no wonder that it decided to create its own rhythm game exclusively featuring artists under its agencies. It changed things up by not only providing the base rhythm gameplay, but also introducing diary entries and profile skins. That said, the real value is still just being able to play a rhythm game to the music of BTS, TXT, Enhypen, and Seventeen.
You can play in four different game modes - Chapter Stage, Studio, Live Stage, and Cheer Mode. Chapter stages are the basic version where you do songs with different difficulties, whereas other modes include multiplayer and extra challenges.
Monthly Idol
Monthly Idol is arguably one of the most well-rated idol agency games you may find, and it also has the most downloads on both Apple and Google Play stores. You have five years to turn your small entertainment agency into a globally renowned one, all while you turn your rookie group into an international sensation.
Unlike other sims, you get a few more trainees right off the bat and you actually have some money to get things going. Of course, you’ll quickly spend this as you start getting things running. You also have to, sadly, kick some trainees out as you go along.
This game is deceptively intricate, especially as you completely create your idols’ social networking presence, light sticks, and fan clubs. You also get to make mixed groups with both boys and girls, so there’s a lot of freedom with the type of concepts you want to debut.
