Before K-pop-related games like SuperStar SMTOWN or BTS WORLD made their way into the mainstream, they were small, community-driven activities that fostered fan interactions both on and offline. Whether it was playing along with early K-pop YouTubers, an icebreaker for school clubs, or a free-for-all in public spaces among other fans, K-pop games have taken on various forms over the years and continue to expand in response to the digital age and the rapid growth of Korea’s music industry. But how and when did they become an integral part of the fandom experience, and what is it about certain activities that continue to stand the test of time? Here’s how K-pop games have evolved into the booming industry that it is today.

At some point between the late 2000s and early 2010s, fandom spaces began adopting popular party and conversation games, such as “This or That” or “Would You Rather?” In both of these games, players must choose one of two options presented — in whatever scenario — and cannot answer “both” or “neither.” While the specific origins and timeframe of these games are hard to pin down, they became especially popular within niche communities. K-pop fans began applying this to their own fandoms, mixing and mashing hypothetical scenarios with idols and songs from different groups that would ultimately test their loyalty to one side over the other. 

Another game that K-pop fandoms adopted from other Internet spaces was “Kiss, Marry, Diss,” where three random idols are presented, and the player has to choose which idol they’d kiss, which one they’d marry, and which one they’d diss or “dump.” In some cases, if you were playing with friends, each friend would write down the names of K-pop artists they know are the others’ favorites, making the stakes even higher and the game more chaotic as players are forced to choose between their ultimate biases. Of course, for adult K-pop fans, there were spicier versions of these games, like “Smash or Pass,” but most popular pick-and-choose games are intended for all ages.

YouTube, in particular, became the most popular hub for these types of games and activities, where early K-pop YouTubers would film themselves playing with friends, while viewers and subscribers react and comment on their choices and difficulty levels. One of these channels was 2MinJinkJongKey, created by longtime K-pop fans Cortney and Jasmine in 2012, who became influential YouTubers throughout the genre’s second- to third-gen era. The duo was known for their colorful, relatable personalities, which were reflected in everything from their reaction videos to their game-focused content, resulting in funny moments that viewers could relate to and identify with. But they weren’t the only ones — dozens of fans had the same idea, inviting the online K-pop community into their real-life friend groups through organic content.

From there, other games were created, like “Save One, Drop One” and its sister game, “Save One, Drop Two.” Similar to the aforementioned entries, it’s hard to pin down the origin of “Save One, Drop One,” but after digging through several online spaces, it seems this is a K-pop original, created shortly after or around the same time as other pick-and-choose games permeated and took over the K-pop fandom space. Regardless, it’s another variation where players choose to “save” one K-pop idol or song and drop the other(s). 

Another popular gaming genre is guessing games, which come in all different varieties. Some of the most popular are “Guess That K-pop Song,” where fans get a set amount of time to name the song and artist playing. Outside of online spaces, this activity has become popular offline as well. With K-pop now a globally recognized phenomenon, pop culture conventions (or comic-cons) have started inviting and accepting guests and panels dedicated to the genre. At these events, panelists will map out one or multiple sets of games that sometimes even include prizes and rewards for whoever has the most correct answers. Recently, at Fan Expo Chicago, players would write the song and artist on a whiteboard, discreetly show it to the judges, and if they win, they could pick a free album, sticker, or enamel pin of their choice. For fans who listen to K-pop religiously, this is a great way to test your knowledge and show how well you know your fave artists.

However, the biggest and most globally relevant K-pop-related activity is definitely “Random Dance,” an event where random snippets of iconic K-pop songs play, and anyone who knows the official choreography can jump in and dance along. Out of all the fandom games, this is considered the most popular and a fan favorite, usually drawing participants anywhere from dozens to hundreds, depending on the event and where it’s held. Unlike the others, though, “K-pop Random Dance” actually has an origin story leading up to its boom in popularity.

Originally called “K-pop Random Play Dance” (RPD), the game was a recurring segment on the South Korean variety show, Weekly Idol. Starting in its first season in 2011, the show introduced “RPD” to test guest idol groups' stamina, focus, and knowledge of their own music. But the catch? They also had to do it with the original choreography formations, as if it were a real stage performance. Some of the earliest guests to play included INFINITE, SECRET, Girl’s Day, and 4Minute between 2011 and 2012. Soon after, the game became a staple of Weekly Idol, with many third-gen groups like SEVENTEEN, BTS, and GFRIEND going viral for their synchronicity, chaotic energy, or for mastering the trend at twice the speed, respectively. As the show progressed, the producers even started mixing in songs from other groups, forcing their guests to be familiar with songs and choreography outside of their own.

Naturally, the game caught on not just with K-pop idols, but with the fans themselves, with many organizing “K-pop Random Dance” events at university campuses, public parks, concert venues, and anywhere K-pop fans could gather to socialize and dance. This one is easily the most physically active game and allows fans to flex their dance skills and feel like idols themselves. However, “Random Dance” isn’t just for dancers — it’s open to any K-pop fan regardless of skill level. Whether you know the whole choreography or only parts of it, the main goal is to have fun without judgment and hopefully make friends in the process.

Aside from fan-made games, many companies began noticing the growing intersection between K-pop music and mobile gaming — specifically, rhythm-based games. While popular K-pop rhythm-dance games existed in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, like Andamiro’s arcade game Pump It Up! (a rival to Japan’s Dance Dance Revolution) and T3 Entertainment’s PC game Audition Online, the early 2010s saw the first wave of mobile games aimed at K-pop fans. 

One of these early archetypes was “shake” games, in which players tapped along to the beats of a specific group's discography. According to the Uptowndown app store, shake games featured a traditional "TAP" mode and a unique "SHAKE-WHEEL" mode that used seamless gesture technology to mimic a DJ scratching a turntable. Created by South Korean game developer Doobic Game Studios, the game became officially known as the SHAKE series, with individual apps dedicated to each of K-pop’s most popular groups, including Super Junior, BIGBANG, Girls’ Generation, 2NE1, and more. Each artist’s game offered a personalized playlist, high-quality visuals, and a collectible virtual card trading system featuring unreleased photos, and ran from 2011 to around late 2014 and early 2015.

Although SHAKE games have been discontinued, their influence led to the creation of one of the most popular mobile rhythm games to date: the SuperStar series. Launched in August 2014 by Korean mobile game developer Dalcomsoft Inc., the series began with SuperStar SMTOWN, featuring hundreds of songs by SM groups and artists. While the SHAKE series was group-specific, the SuperStar series is company-specific, with sister games like SuperStar YG, JYPNATION, and FNCfor songs and groups under their respective agencies.

The gameplay is similar, but with more detailed instructions and rewards. Players tap descending colored notes as they line up with the bar at the bottom of the screen, with the goal of earning as many points as possible. Accurate timing and consecutive hits without misses award bonus points. After each song, scores are recorded, allowing players to compare their results with others online. With enough points, players can climb the weekly rankings, moving from Bronze to Silver, Gold, Platinum, and finally Master, with each tier divided into three levels. Players can also earn photo cards featuring their favorite artists, feeding into the rapid photo card collecting culture that’s existed for over two decades.

Since its launch, the broader SuperStar series has officially surpassed 100 million downloads worldwide, but its SMTOWN entry remains the flagship and most popular game of the series, with over 950 songs from 70 of SM Entertainment’s groups, subunits, and soloists.

That leads us into the modern era of K-pop gaming, where global game developers began responding to the industry’s growing demand in the Western market. French company Ubisoft Entertainment SA began incorporating more K-pop songs into the widely popular rhythm game, Just Dance. Although PSY’s “Gangnam Style” was the first to enter the franchise in 2012, more recent songs began to appear in the late 2010s and early 2020s, such as BLACKPINK’s “DDU-DU DDU-DU,” NCT 127’s “Kick It,” and BTS’ “Boy With Luv.”

Concurrently, in 2018, American game development company Riot Games saw the potential for a K-pop crossover with its game, League of Legends, and decided to create the virtual K-pop girl group K/DA, featuring four characters: Ahri, Akali, Evelynn, and Kai'Sa. Interestingly, the voices behind these characters are all singers, two of whom are real K-pop idols. i-dle members Miyeon and Soyeon provide the voices of Ahri and Akali, respectively; Madison Beer voices Evelynn, and Jaira Burns voices Kai'Sa. The group achieved massive success, with their original song, “Pop/Stars,” receiving 5 million views on YouTube within 24 hours and reaching number one on Billboard’s “World Digital Songs Sales” chart. This made K/DA the fourth K-pop girl group to do so, and only the fifth female act overall.

With the popularity and cultural impact of K/DA, Riot Games went on to launch a virtual K-pop boy group next. In 2023, the company debuted its seven-member boy group, HEARTSTEEL, and their debut single, “PARANOIA.” Like K/DA, HEARTSTEEL also used real-life artists to voice their virtual counterparts: Taiwanese-American singer/rapper OZI as Sett, Nigerian-American singer/rapper Tobi Lou as K’Sante, Cal Scruby as Kayn, and EXO’s Baekhyun as Ezreal. As expected, “PARANOIA” became a massive hit, earning 3.5 million views in its first 12 hours and pulling in over 3.8 million streams on Spotify, marking the biggest streaming debut ever for a League of Legends music track and surpassing K/DA. With a slight lineup change, now including American rapper/singer Anderson.Paak and Canadian rapper Connor Price, HEARTSTEEL made a comeback on August 18 with “LIVE MY LIFE.”

From simple fan-made questionnaires to guessing games, dance activities, and mobile games, K-pop has infiltrated nearly every corner of the gaming industry, with each era becoming more immersive, interactive, and fan-oriented than the last. Regardless of format, gameplay, or intricacy, the main takeaway and purpose of K-pop-focused games comes down to building like-minded communities and allowing fans to express their fandom beyond passive engagement and consumption. As long as K-pop music and terminology can be applied, gaming will always be a relevant, consistent activity for fans across the K-spectrum.