Learn › Guitar Games on a Real Guitar

New Released in April 2026

Guitar Games on a Real Guitar

Guitar games used to need a plastic controller. ChordRunner is a guitar game you play on your real guitar: the browser listens through the microphone, recognises the chord you strum, and your runner jumps. Acoustic or electric, on a phone, tablet or computer, and every run makes you a better player.

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

Real guitar, real game

Controller rhythm games	ChordRunner
Coloured buttons	Real chords on real strings
Memorise one song's pattern	Random chords: skills for any song
Console or special hardware	Your guitar + a browser

Game modes for guitarists

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

Chord runs

Strum each chord before it reaches you; changes get faster.

Boss battles

Beat a boss with clean, quick chords.

Speed challenge

As many chords as you can in the time.

Online multiplayer

Play live against other musicians, piano or guitar.

Setting up a guitar game online

Tune your guitar: chord recognition needs the strings in tune.
Allow the microphone when the browser asks, once.
Play near the device: an acoustic guitar 30-50 cm away is enough; an electric through its amp, at a clean, moderate volume.
Use headphones so the game music does not reach the microphone.

The game shows chord names, not diagrams. New to the shapes? Start with easy guitar chords or the guitar chord chart.

Guitar games for every level

Beginner

Start with G, C, D, Em and Am. The game sends them at a gentle pace, so you can look at your hand while the shapes settle. When the changes feel smooth, the adaptive mode adds augmented and diminished chords.

Intermediate

Sus chords and 7ths: Dsus4, Asus2, G7, E7. These are the chords that make songs sound finished, and the game mixes them with the basics in random order.

Advanced and pro

9ths, 11ths and 13ths for jazz, funk and soul, in all 12 keys. Any shape with the right notes counts, so you can use small three-string voicings or full barre chords.

Piano players welcome

Got a keyboard too? The same game reads a USB MIDI keyboard automatically: see piano games online.

Why play a guitar game at all?

Learning guitar has a gap: you know a few shapes, but changing between them in time is slow, and practising changes alone is boring. A guitar game fills that gap. Chords arrive in an order you cannot predict, there is a small reason to be on time, and you hear at once whether every note rang. Ten minutes like that every day builds the fast, clean changes that make songs possible.

It also trains reading: the game shows chord names, the way chord sheets and bands give them, so you stop needing a diagram for every chord. And because it listens to a real guitar, nothing you learn stays inside the game. A MIDI keyboard works too, if you also play piano.

An acoustic guitar beside a phone running ChordRunner

Grab your guitar

Beginner chords first, 7ths and 9ths later, all 12 keys. More: guitar chord game.

Play the demo

Common questions

Is there a guitar game that uses a real guitar?

Yes. ChordRunner listens through the microphone of your computer, tablet or phone and recognises the chords you strum on an acoustic or electric guitar. No controller needed.

Can I play guitar games online?

Yes, it runs in the browser. Allow the microphone once and start playing; live multiplayer lets you play against others (Premium).

Do guitar games help you learn guitar?

Games built on real chords do: random chord changes with instant feedback train the skill every song needs. Learn the shapes first with a chord chart.

Does it work with an electric guitar?

Yes, play through your amp near the microphone on a clean, moderate sound.

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