Friday Night Funkin'

Friday Night Funkin': The Rhythm Game That Took Over the Internet

Boyfriend wants to date Girlfriend. Unfortunately, Girlfriend's dad is a retired rock star who wants him gone, and so is pretty much everyone else she knows. The only way through is a rap battle. Then another. Then another. That is the plot of Friday Night Funkin', and it is all the plot a rhythm game this fun needs.

FNF began as an entry in the Ludum Dare 47 game jam in October 2020, made by programmer ninjamuffin99, artists PhantomArcade and evilsk8r, and musician Kawai Sprite. It quickly became one of the biggest indie games of its time, and because it is open source, it built a huge modding community. If you have played FNF XE on this site, this is where all of it started.

Controls

• ⬅️⬇️⬆️➡️ Arrow keys or W A S D: hit the notes.
• Enter: select. Escape: go back or pause.
• + / -: volume up and down, 0 to mute.

How to Play

Arrows scroll up the right side of the screen. When an arrow overlaps the matching outline at the top, press that key. Hit it on time and Boyfriend sings the note. Miss, and the health bar moves toward your opponent. If it reaches their side completely, you lose the song. Long arrows with a tail need to be held until the tail ends.

In Story Mode, you play through "weeks", a set of three songs each against one opponent. You can choose Easy, Normal or Hard. In Freeplay, you can pick any song you have unlocked and play it on its own.

The Weeks and the Opponents

This version includes the full story, with every main week and the newer Weekend 1:

• Tutorial: Girlfriend teaches you the basics.
• Week 1 – Daddy Dearest: Bopeebo, Fresh, Dad Battle. Girlfriend's rock star father.
• Week 2 – Skid & Pump: Spookeez, South, and the Monster song. Halloween kids, plus a scary surprise.
• Week 3 – Pico: Pico, Philly Nice, Blammed. On the trains of Philly.
• Week 4 – Mommy Mearest: Satin Panties, High, M.I.L.F. On top of a speeding limo.
• Week 5 – Christmas: Cocoa, Eggnog, Winter Horrorland. A shopping mall at Christmas, and something worse.
• Week 6 – Senpai: Senpai, Roses, Thorns. A pixel-art dating sim gone wrong.
• Week 7 – Tankman: Ugh, Guns, Stress. A battle on a war field.
• Weekend 1 – Pico vs. Darnell: Darnell, Lit Up, 2Hot, Blazin'. A new chapter with Pico in the lead.

Tips to Stop Missing Notes

• Read ahead. Look a little lower on the screen than where the notes are hit, so your fingers are ready for patterns before they arrive.
• Don't mash. Pressing keys that have no arrow also counts against you. Only press what you see.
• Use two hands. Many players put two fingers on A/S and two on the Up/Right arrows, or the other way around. Find the layout that feels natural.
• Listen to the song. Notes follow the vocals. Once you know how the melody goes, timing gets much easier.
• Practise in Freeplay. If one song keeps beating you in Story Mode, play it on its own until you have it.

The Music

The soundtrack is by Kawai Sprite, and it is a big part of why the game spread so fast. Each week's songs have their own style, from the bouncy pop of Week 1 to the heavy beats of Week 7. Many players come back simply to hear them again.

If You Like This One

For the modded side of FNF, try FNF XE. For more music games, there is Magic Tiles 3, and for a different kind of rhythm challenge, Geometry Dash. Now grab the mic. Daddy Dearest is waiting.