Video Game Bandle rules and how to play
Video Game Bandle is a music guessing game about video game soundtracks. A small MIDI band starts playing a tune, musicians join one at a time, and you have to name both the game it comes from and the song itself. This page lays out the round order, the hint mechanic and an important update about the game's status.
What is Video Game Bandle?
Video Game Bandle, usually shortened to VGBandle, is a daily musical guessing game created and maintained by Carson Kompon. A MIDI band plays a video game track, and the difficulty comes from how slowly the arrangement fills in.
It is a fan take on the original Bandle, and the site states plainly that it is not affiliated with that game. It runs in the browser on its own domain, with statistics, streaks and a difficulty label for each round.
How to play Video Game Bandle
Press play and listen. The band joins in one instrument at a time, and the official round order runs: drums and chime first, then music box, then bass, then the first trombone, then the second trombone, and finally a reveal stage that shows more information.
Your goal is to guess both the game the song is from and the name of the song. You only get six guesses, but a wrong guess is not wasted: guessing games from the same year, console or series as the answer reveals that information about the hidden game.
Each round shows released-in, console, series and difficulty fields at the top, all masked as question marks until your guesses unlock them. Turn the volume up before you start, because early rounds are thin arrangements that rely on rhythm and timbre.
Status: the daily is winding down
This is the part worth knowing before you build a streak habit. The creator announced that VGBandle has officially ended: he no longer has time to keep the project running, so no new songs are being added. The site still serves a song each day, but from here on those are repeats drawn from the back catalogue.
The round structure, statistics and archives still work, so the game remains playable as a catalogue of past songs. This page never names the current song or game.
Similar games
Audio guessing and trivia formats keep the same six-guess rhythm. These guides on the same site are the closest matches while VGBandle's new-song feed is paused.
Video Game Bandle at a glance
- Guess both the video game and the song title
- Six guesses per round
- Instruments join one at a time, up to a reveal stage
- Matching year, console or series unlocks that field
- Created and maintained by Carson Kompon
- No new songs: the daily now repeats past tracks
Frequently asked questions about Video Game Bandle
What do I guess in Video Game Bandle?
Two answers: the game the music is from and the title of the song. Both have to be correct to solve the round.
How does the band build up?
One instrument at a time. The order runs drums and chime, music box, bass, trombone one, trombone two, then a stage that reveals more information.
How many guesses do I get?
Six. Guessing a game from the same year, console or series as the answer reveals that detail about the hidden game.
Is VGBandle still getting new songs?
No. The creator announced the project has ended and that no new entries will be added; the daily now loops songs from the existing library.
Video Game Bandle (source site): the daily round, the how-to-play panel, the round order and the creator's status announcement, all read while writing this page.