Groove Coaster

Groove Coaster is a rhythm game franchise for iOS, Android, and arcade machines, developed by Matrix Software and published by Taito. The series debuted on iOS on July 28, 2011, and features a musical roller coaster-style track where players must input commands at the right moments. A life bar, shown as a percentage gauge at the top-right of the screen, tracks performance: points are gained or lost depending on input timing.

The first major update, Groove Coaster Zero, arrived as a free-to-play version on November 20, 2012. The arcade version, sometimes called Rhythmvaders outside Japan, launched on November 5, 2013, replacing the touchscreen with two large controllers called "BOOSTERs," each with a white button. An arcade update, Groove Coaster EX (or Rhythmvaders EX), followed on May 26, 2014.

Groove Coaster 2: Heavenly Festival (also known as Rhythmvaders 2) was released on January 22, 2015. It removed the "LEVEL" system and introduced "GROOVE COINs," which players earned based on performance and could spend on virtual goods. The mobile version, Groove Coaster 2: Original Style, came out on July 1, 2015, adding arcade-style stage charts for some tracks (enabling two-finger play) and a new input mode where players triggered stages by making sounds instead of touching the screen. This version shut down on March 31, 2025.

Groove Coaster 3: Link Fever, released on March 10, 2016, added online multiplayer and removed the "MUSIC PANEL" system. It also introduced a fictional navigator named Linka (voiced by Moe Toyota in Japanese and Jennifer Skidmore overseas) who guided players. The update Groove Coaster 3EX: Dream Party arrived on March 16, 2017, allowing players to select navigators and adding a new one, Yume (voiced by Nanami Takahashi in Japanese). It also brought back the Solo Event Mode from earlier versions.

Groove Coaster 4: Starlight Road launched on March 29, 2018, with a revamped "LEVEL" system (difficulty now ranged from 1 to 15), a new stage unlocking system, and additional online functions. A new navigator, Seine (voiced by Eriko Kawakami), was introduced. The Steam version of Groove Coaster came out on July 16, 2018, but after criticism for lag issues, Taito abandoned all operating systems from the DJMAX Respect update.

Groove Coaster 4EX: Infinity Highway was released on March 28, 2019, adding new songs and adjusting the difficulty of existing ones. Groove Coaster: Wai Wai Party!!!! launched on Nintendo Switch on November 7, 2019. The final arcade version, Groove Coaster 4MAX: Diamond Galaxy, came out on April 9, 2020; it stopped receiving updates in 2022 and went offline on April 1, 2024. Another Switch title, Groove Coaster: Future Performers, released on July 31, 2025, introducing new target types, a story mode, and a 16:9 play interface instead of the traditional 9:16.

A Disney-themed spin-off, Disney Music Parade, launched on mobile devices on January 21, 2021, with slightly different gameplay. It was discontinued on January 10, 2023, but later re-released for the Switch as Disney Music Parade Encore on November 21, 2024.

In gameplay, when the avatar reaches a target, the player inputs the required command. Judgments range from highest to lowest: GREAT, COOL, GOOD, and MISS. GREAT, COOL, and GOOD fill the GROOVE gauge at the top of the screen, while MISS depletes it (starting with Groove Coaster 4: Starlight Road, FAST or SLOW indicators appear for COOL and GOOD hits). To clear a stage, the player must fill at least 70% of the gauge—indicated by a white flash in iOS versions or yellow in arcade versions—before the song ends, or they fail.

Hitting a target triggers a sound sample that either recomposes or accompanies the song, or produces a consistent sound for every hit, depending on the track. These samples remain the same across all difficulties for the former type. In Groove Coaster: Wai Wai Party!!!!, targets always play a consistent sound, with different sounds for different target types, configurable by style and volume.

Successful consecutive hits increase the CHAIN count. When the CHAIN reaches 10, FEVER activates, doubling the CHAIN number earned per hit. In arcade versions, reaching a CHAIN of 100 triggers TRANCE, quadrupling the CHAIN number. Missing a target resets the CHAIN and ends FEVER or TRANCE.

After a song, the player receives a RATING (called RATE in arcade versions), from lowest to highest: E, D, C, B, A, and S. The EX and 2OS versions added two higher ratings, S+ and S++. Players select a song first, then a mode, though not all modes are initially available. In Groove Coaster 2: Original Style, each song offers EASY, NORMAL, and HARD difficulties, plus AC-EASY, AC-NORMAL, and AC-HARD for songs with arcade stages. HARD, AC-EASY, and AC-NORMAL are unlocked by clearing NORMAL, while AC-HARD requires clearing AC-NORMAL.