Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 78 | 11 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 98% | 94 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 99% | 95 | 725 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 93.4, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 11,241 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Dec 18, 2025) · 300 reviews sampled · 725 total reviews in window · weighted 165.1 up / 2.2 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (12)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 75
“Trombone Champ is a goofy, chaotic music sim that never for a moment takes itself seriously. Everything from the gameplay to the song selection to the loading screens is meant to amuse, making it a perfect fit for the Switch. The fun can wear off quickly when playing solo, but it’s consistently entertaining for a full band (up to a quartet, anyway).”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Trombone Champ is a game about perfection. Before you play, it asks you to select a stance for your tromboner: 'estudious' or 'jubilant'. Neither of these is appropriate when you know your performance will be as ear-abusive as an excited puppy mauling a bulb horn. Or are they? The true lesson is perhaps to hold your head high anyway. In life, as in Trombone Champ, faced as we all are with certain doom, be estudious if you like, be jubilant, parp like crazy, and be your very best you, no matter how imperfect that invariably is.”
read full review ↗ - 81
“Delightfully weird and silly, music fans should absolutely have a blast with this, though there’s no doubt it has challenges”
read full review ↗ - 70
“An unconventional rhythm game that stands out from the ordinary. In 'Trombone Champ,' where you can discover hidden content by collecting various tokens through your performance. While it may become monotonous with its simple repetitive gameplay, it becomes twice as enjoyable when played with friends.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Though slightly held back by its visual presentation and potentially polarising humour, Trombone Champ is a respectable rhythm game with enjoyable gameplay that fans of the genre are bound to enjoy.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Barring some minor hiccups in performance, Trombone Champ is a true champ on Switch. It perfectly suits the system and the multiple control options, and is a joy to play. I know this year has been great for quality game releases, but if you own a Switch and want to try something interesting when it comes to music games, Trombone Champ is exactly what you need. I hope we get some Nintendo collaboration songs in the future as DLC.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Even if the gameplay loop outstays its welcome after a few rounds, and you can play all of its songs in about two hours, I can’t help but love the fact that Trombone Champ exists. It’s just… weird. Weird in the most adorable of ways.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“This game came about from humble beginnings as a passion project from game devs Holy Wow Studios. They didn’t expect it to reach the lofty heights of popularity as it has done. It went viral quickly and it’s easy to see why. The hilarious visuals, silly sounds and Wii console-esque graphics make this game something unique and special. I hadn’t laughed so much playing a game as I did with Trombone Champ. I did find myself fatigued by all of the tooting and colourful visuals, however. Give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments. I award Trombone Champ a Thumb Culture Gold Award!”
read full review ↗ - 90
“I may have only spent 6ish hours with Trombone Champ’s main game, but those few hours were spent giggling and guffawing at how silly my mistakes sounded. Given enough time, my mistakes were few and far between, and I truly did become the ultimate Trombone Champ of yore. Trombone Champ may present itself as a novelty title, a joke not meant to be taken seriously, but those who give it a chance will find a surprising amount of polish and sophistication. I never could have predicted that Trombone Champ would become my favorite rhythm/music game of 2022, and if you’re even remotely interested in the title, I’m confident it will be yours too.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Trombone Champ may suffer from the joy-con curse, but it’s still a laugh out loud good time with a surprising amount of secrets to find. You’re not supposed to be good at Trombone Champ, but playing with friends will make you feel like a master tromboner.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Real-world trombone playing entails years or decades of study, intense practice, sacrifice, blood, perspiration and tears. With Trombone Champ you can bypass all that sweat equity and just ascend to the trombone throne. Trombone Champ is a humble game made by folks with a genuine love of music, hot dogs, baboons and, even more remarkably, the trombone. It’s fun, funny, a little weird and an actual, genuine game despite what sounds like a silly premise. It’s no surprise that everyone secretly wants to be a trombone player, and now anyone can rise to that only dreamed-of level of coolness. Grab yourself some hot dogs, hug a baboon and go play Trombone Champ.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“As perhaps the most ridiculous rhythm game I've ever played, Trombone Champ presents a surprisingly satisfying level of challenge.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
INVEN
GameGrin
WayTooManyGames
Thumb Culture
Hey Poor Player
GamingTrend
COGconnected
Video ChumsPatch history
- Hotfix 1.29HDec 24, 2025
- Announcing Trombone Champ's First DLCs!Dec 18, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.29G Available NowDec 17, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.28FOct 14, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 1.28EOct 9, 2025
- v1.28 Brings Halloween Tracks and more!Oct 1, 2025
- Hotfix 1.27FAug 12, 2025
- Hotfix 1.26G NotesJun 26, 2025
- Update 1.26 brings Steam Workshop support for custom tracks!Jun 18, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 1.25G is live!Mar 18, 2025
- 1.25 COMING SOON!Feb 6, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.24B brings two holiday tracks, a bonus track, and more!Dec 16, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 1.23F!Sep 16, 2024
- Update 1.22D brings three new tracks and more!Jun 4, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.21 brings two new tracks and more!Apr 16, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Big Localization Update Coming SoonMar 6, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- 1.19 Brings Two New Tracks and Other Good Stuff TooJan 25, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- 1.181A Hotfix for Two Small BugsDec 14, 2023
- Update v1.11 is live!Jun 2, 2023
- v1.10 is out!Apr 25, 2023
- April 1st Update!Apr 1, 2023
- Tiny Patch for 1.098Mar 23, 2023
- 1.098 is live!Mar 17, 2023
- v1.096 is live!Feb 24, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Update v1.095 is live!Feb 10, 2023
- Version v1.093 is now live!Jan 31, 2023
- Mac Version Now Available!Jan 23, 2023
…and 25 earlier patch announcements.