Hitster Wacken Open Air: the metal edition of the timeline game
Hitster Wacken Open Air is a themed edition of the Hitster music party game, built entirely on metal, hard rock, and heavy classics and curated with Wacken Radio by RADIO BOB!. Here's what makes the theme tick, how it plays, and where to get it.
Prefer digital?
Tunigma has a Metal genre, so you can filter to a heavier round of riffs on your phone, free.
Hitster Wacken Open Air is a themed edition of Hitster, the music timeline party game from Jumbo. It keeps the same guess the song and place the year mechanic as the rest of the range, then swaps the usual chart pool for a deck of metal anthems, hard rock, and heavy classics. The songs were curated with Wacken Radio by RADIO BOB!, tying the box to the legendary Wacken Open Air festival. It premiered on-site at the festival in the summer of 2026, with a wider retail release following in September 2026.
What is the Hitster Wacken Open Air edition?
At its core it's still Hitster: you listen to a song, then place it on a shared timeline in the right spot by the year it came out, building a run of correctly ordered tracks. The Wacken edition points every card at one target: metal and hard rock, the sound of the festival that gives it its name.
The festival connection runs deeper than the name. Wacken Open Air is one of the biggest metal festivals in the world, held each summer in the small German village of Wacken, and this edition was curated with Wacken Radio by RADIO BOB!, the station tied to the event. It also marked a first for the series: it went on sale to festival-goers on the Wacken grounds before it ever reached shops.
The theme: metal, from the pit to the timeline
This is the loudest deck in the Hitster range. Where other editions reach for radio-friendly hits, the Wacken edition is built for a crowd that treats a crushing riff as the main event. The picks span decades of heavy music, and placing them in order turns into a rough history of the genre laid out card by card across the table. Because the selection was put together with Wacken Radio by RADIO BOB!, it leans on the kind of tracks that fill the festival's stages and its listeners' playlists.
Metal is not one sound but many, and the deck reaches across a good few of them. In practice the theme tends to gather a familiar spread:
- Classic heavy metal and hard rock: the foundational anthems from the 1970s and 1980s that set the template, big riffs and bigger choruses.
- Thrash and the heavier end: the faster, harder tracks that pushed the genre on through the late 1980s and beyond.
- Power, gothic, and symphonic metal: the melodic, theatrical side of the scene that fills European festival bills.
- Modern metal and festival staples: more recent bands that have become fixtures of a Wacken lineup, alongside acts who shaped the sound without ever playing the festival.
Because the picks lean so hard into one culture, the game plays differently in spirit even though the rules match the original. Rounds fill up with air guitar, arguments over which decade a riff belongs to, and the odd burst of headbanging. It suits a night built around a shared love of heavy music, where knowing your bands is a badge of honor and a misplaced classic gets a proper reaction. If your group's idea of a party playlist runs to distortion rather than dance pop, this is the box aimed squarely at them.
How it plays
The Wacken edition runs on the standard Hitster timeline rules, so a metal anthem plays like any other card: hear it, drop it on your timeline by release year, and build your run. The heavy soundtrack turns each turn into a debate over which decade a riff belongs to, which is where the festival energy takes over. For the full rundown of tokens, steals, and the tougher modes, see the guide on how to play Hitster.
How it differs from the Original and other editions
Every main Hitster edition shares the same timeline rules, so the difference is always the song pool and the mood it creates. The Wacken edition trades the original's all-round mix for a deck of metal and hard rock, while Guilty Pleasures gathers cheesy sing-along hits for a lighter night. Here's how the three compare:
| Feature | Hitster Wacken Open Air | Hitster Original | Hitster Guilty Pleasures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core idea | Build a timeline by release year | Build a timeline by release year | Build a timeline by release year |
| Song theme | Metal, hard rock, and heavy classics | A broad spread of the biggest hits | Cheesy, catchy guilty pleasures |
| Mood at the table | Loud, heavy, festival energy | Classic all-round quiz | Nostalgic, silly, sing-along |
| Win condition | First to place 10 songs | First to place 10 songs | First to place 10 songs |
| Best for | Metalheads and festival fans | A first Hitster box for any crowd | Groups who love a cheesy chorus |
The Wacken box is complete on its own, and since most editions mix together, you can fold its metal deck into your other boxes for a longer set, though a crowd chasing a pure headbanging night will probably keep the riffs unmixed. There's a wider look at the full lineup on the Hitster editions page, along with dedicated rundowns of Hitster Guilty Pleasures and the action-packed Hitster Flying Mic.
Who it's for
The Wacken edition is built for a crowd that already loves heavy music. It suits metalheads, festival fans, and anyone whose game nights come with a rock soundtrack. Because the deck sticks to one genre, it rewards players who know their bands and their eras, so it plays best with a group that shares that passion, not a mixed room reaching for pop hits. The 16 and up age rating and the festival-first spirit make it a natural pick for a loud night among friends who would rather argue about thrash than chart singles. If your group already has the original and wants a heavier flavor, this is an easy one to add.
What's in the box
- Songs: 308 cards of metal, hard rock, and heavy classics with QR codes.
- Tokens: 37 chips for claiming and stealing cards.
- App: the free Hitster app scans the cards and plays each song.
- Players: 2 to 10.
- Age: 16 and up.
- Play time: around 30 minutes.
- Publisher: Jumbo, curated with Wacken Radio by RADIO BOB!.
Where to buy
The Wacken box broke the usual pattern: it reached fans on the festival grounds in the summer of 2026, the first Hitster edition ever sold on-site, before the shops caught up with a wider release in September 2026. It arrived as a German edition, and because the language and version that actually ships to you shifts by country, the official Hitster website is the surest way to confirm what reaches your region. Some verified listings to start from, mostly German, sit at a recommended price around €26.99:
- Germany: Müller (around €19.99 on a temporary offer, recommended price €26.99), allgames4you (€26.99), and Thalia.
- Toy retailers: also listed at Smyths Toys.
Prices depend on the retailer and your region, so it's worth comparing a few listings before you buy.
Prefer to play digitally?
If it's the guess the song and place the year timeline game you're after, but you'd rather skip the box, the cards, and the setup, you can play the same style of game right on your phone. Tunigma plays the songs itself, with no cards to scan and no Spotify, Apple Music, or other streaming app or subscription, and it's a free download. It has Rock and Metal among its genres, so you can filter to heavier tracks and build your own run of riffs, or pick a different mood by decade and country. The Hitster alternative page digs into how the two compare, and the Hitster editions page maps out the full boxed range.
Coming soon
Frequently asked questions
What is Hitster Wacken Open Air?
It's a themed edition of the Hitster music timeline game, filled with metal, hard rock, and heavy classics curated with Wacken Radio by RADIO BOB!. The rules match the original: you hear a song and place it on your timeline by release year, but the whole deck is built on heavy music tied to the Wacken Open Air festival.
Is it a standalone game?
Yes. The box has everything needed for a full metal night on its own, and since most Hitster decks are cross-compatible, you can pour it into your other editions when you want a bigger mix.
Is it only metal songs?
The deck is built around metal, hard rock, and heavy classics, so it stays in that lane rather than mixing in pop. It spans decades of the genre, from foundational anthems to more recent festival staples, curated with Wacken Radio by RADIO BOB!.
How many cards and songs does it have?
The box holds 308 cards, so more than 300 songs, along with 37 tokens for claiming and stealing cards.
How many people can play?
Anywhere from 2 to 10 people can join in, with a 16 and up age rating and a typical round wrapping up in about half an hour.
Where can I buy it?
It went on sale first at the Wacken Open Air festival in the summer of 2026, then reached wider retail in September 2026 as a German edition. It's listed at retailers such as Müller, allgames4you, Thalia, and Smyths Toys, with a recommended price around €26.99. Availability elsewhere depends on your region, so check the official Hitster site.
Do you need Spotify to play?
Downloading the Hitster app costs nothing, but the songs themselves come from a linked music streaming service, so to hear the metal tracks in full you will most likely want an active streaming account.
Is there a digital version of this kind of game?
The boxed game runs on cards and the Hitster app. For a fully digital timeline game with no cards to scan and no streaming subscription, Tunigma is a separate app that plays the songs itself and has Rock and Metal among its genres, so you can filter to heavier tracks and build rounds by decade, genre, and country.
Hitster is a trademark of its respective owner. Tunigma is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hitster.