Learn › Guitar Chord Game: Practise Chords on Your Guitar

New Released in April 2026

Guitar Chord Game: Practise Chords on Your Guitar

A guitar chord game makes chord practice feel like play: a chord name appears, you strum it on your own guitar, and the game hears through the microphone whether you got it. ChordRunner is a guitar chord game in your browser, from the first open chords for beginners to 7th, 9th and 13th chords.

Play the demo

No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.

MIDI keyboard
Digital or acoustic piano
Guitar
Computer, phone or tablet

ChordRunner running on a phone next to an acoustic guitar, above a piano being played

How the guitar chord game works

No tapping on a screen and no multiple choice: you answer with your guitar.

1. A chord appears

A chord symbol such as G, Em or D7 rides towards your runner.

2. You strum it

Play it on an acoustic or electric guitar near the microphone. Open shape or barre, any shape with the right notes counts.

3. Your runner jumps

Right chord in time, the run goes on. The next chord is already coming, so your chord changes get faster with every run.

Guitar chord practice, level by level

Start with the chords most songs use and add a family when the last one is automatic.

Level	Chords you play	Examples
Beginner	Major and minor chords, then augmented and diminished	C · G · D · Am · Em
Intermediate	+ suspended chords	Dsus2 · Asus4
Advanced	+ 6th, 7th and 9th chords	G7 · Am7 · Cmaj7 · E9
Pro	+ 11th, 13th and altered chords	A13 · E7#9 · B7b9

Every level mixes all 12 keys. An adaptive mode starts with triads and brings in the next chord family by itself as your hit rate goes up.

Why a game beats a chord chart for chord changes

A chart shows you a shape once. Fast, clean chord changes come from playing many chords in a row, in an order you cannot predict, with a reason to be on time. That is what a guitar chord trainer game adds:

Instant feedback on every chord, so you hear and see what went wrong at once.
Random order: G to Em to C7, the way chords come in real songs.
Gentle time pressure that trains quick changes without boring drills.
Read the symbol, not a diagram: the game shows chord names, so you learn to read chord charts the way bands and songbooks write them.

The game shows chord symbols, not fretboard diagrams. If you are still learning a shape, look it up once, then let the game drill it until your hand finds it alone.

ChordRunner on a phone next to an acoustic guitar, with a chord block on screen

Your guitar is the controller

Runs in the browser on a computer, tablet or phone. Nothing to install.

Microphone

Acoustic or electric guitar: the microphone listens and recognises the chord you play.

Piano or MIDI keyboard too

The same game works on a piano, or a USB MIDI keyboard detected automatically. See the piano chord game.

Short runs

A few minutes per run, easy to fit in before you pick up your songs.

Play the demo

More ways to play

The demo has limited content. These advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.

Your own chord set: pick the chord types you want and only those appear.
Chords in a key: every chord stays inside the key you choose.
Your chord progression on loop, until the changes are automatic.
Boss battles, speed runs and live multiplayer against other players.

Common questions

Can a game hear my guitar?

Yes. ChordRunner listens through the microphone of your computer, tablet or phone and recognises the chord you strum on an acoustic or electric guitar. A MIDI keyboard or a piano works too.

Is the guitar chord game good for beginners?

Yes. Start with major and minor chords such as C, G, D, Am and Em, then add new chord families one at a time. An adaptive mode brings in harder chords only when your hit rate goes up.

Does the game show chord diagrams?

No. It shows chord symbols, the way songbooks and bands write them. Look up a new shape once, then let the game drill it until your hand finds it without thinking.

How does a game help with chord changes?

Chords come in a random order with a little time pressure, so you practise switching between them many times in a few minutes, with instant feedback on every chord.

Your instrument is the controller.

ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.

Try the demo