Trombone Champ

Short description: 2022 video game

Trombone Champ

Developer(s)| Holy Wow Studios
Publisher(s)| Holy Wow Studios
Director(s)| Dan Vecchitto
Engine| Unity[1]
Platform(s)| Windows
macOS
Nintendo Switch
Meta Quest
PlayStation 5
Release| Windows
September 15, 2022
macOS
January 24, 2023
Nintendo Switch
September 14, 2023
Unflattened
Meta Quest, PlayStation 5
November 26, 2024
Genre(s)| Music, rhythm
Mode(s)| Single-player, multiplayer

Trombone Champ is a 2022 rhythm video game developed and published by American studio Holy Wow Studios.[2][3] Similar in gameplay to rhythm game titles Guitar Hero and Wii Music, players are tasked with timing their input to music note prompts as they appear on screen, with greater accuracy yielding more points and a higher score.[4][5][6] The debut indie title reached widespread popularity on Steam after becoming an Internet meme.[7][8][9] It was nominated for the British Academy Games Award for Debut Game,[10] as well as Family Game of the Year during the 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.[11]

A standalone virtual reality version, Trombone Champ: Unflattened, was released in November 2024.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Development
* 3 Track listing
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Gameplay

Trombone Champ is a rhythm game in which players use a virtual trombone to play along to various songs, ranging from classical and public domain songs to original tracks and remixes. Players move the mouse to change the pitch of the trombone and use either the mouse button or keyboard keys to play. Players earn points by successfully hitting notes as they slide across the screen, with more points earned by maintaining successive combos and filling a meter that activates Champ Fever when filled, earning even more points. Missing notes, however, will cause the player to lose their combo multiplier and Champ Fever, as well as potentially lose points. Players will also momentarily run out of breath if they hold a note for too long.

At the end of each song, players receive a rank from F to S based on their score, as well as an in-game currency known as Toots. Toots can be spent on in-game trading cards known as Tromboner Cards, which contain humorous and sometimes fictional trivia about musicians, trombones, and game lore. Unwanted or duplicate cards can be transformed into Turds, which can then be spent to create new cards. Hidden throughout the game are non-playable characters who assist the player in becoming the eponymous Trombone Champ. By fulfilling requests such as offering a certain amount of Toots or Turds or trading specific Tromboner Cards, players can unlock additional playable characters, trombone colors, and sound sets. There is also a secret boss level that requires certain conditions to fully defeat and claim the title of Trombone Champ.

## Development

Creator Dan Vecchitto had long thought of an arcade video game based on moving a trombone-like slide controller, but the idea was always a joke. He later got the idea of using the mouse cursor to act as the trombone slide, and realized that there was a game concept behind that. His studio, Holy Wow Studios, was a group of part-time developers and while Vecchitto had thought it would take only about six months to realize the game, it ended up taking four years. Two features of the game forced the longer development time: the introduction of the Tromboner Cards, which was to parody loot box systems in other games, and a loose story involving baboons, which Vecchitto created in parody of the Dark Souls series' narratives.[12]

The studio ran a small open playtesting of the game a month ahead of its planned release, from which they received a far greater amount of feedback than expected. When the game was first fully released in September 2022, the reaction to the game went viral, drawing in more players and feedback. Due to this, Vecchitto said they were considering more features as well as potential console ports of the game.[12]

Initially released only for Windows, Trombone Champ became available for macOS users in January 2023.[13] A port for the Nintendo Switch was announced during a Nintendo Direct on September 14, 2023, and released on the same day.[14] The Switch version features alternative control schemes that use the gyroscopic and infrared sensors of the Joy-Con to play the game, as well as local multiplayer support for up to four players.[15]

Localization was added to the game on March 14, 2024, with support for ten languages.[16]

Trombone Champ: Unflattened, a VR adaptation by Flat2VR Studios supporting Meta Quest, Steam VR, and PlayStation VR2, was released on November 26, 2024.[17][18]

A patch released on March 13, 2025 for Windows and macOS added native support for custom tracks, and an in-game level editor.[19] Support for browsing and subscribing to custom tracks via Steam Workshop was added in a patch released on June 18, 2025.[20]

On December 18, 2025, the first three official DLC packs were released for the game, providing a total of 34 song tracks from the games Undertale, Deltarune, Celeste, and Pizza Tower.[21]

## Track listing

As of October 1, 2025, the Trombone Champ base game has a total of 76 playable tracks: 63 arrangements of public domain music, 10 original compositions, and 3 contributed compositions by third-party artists.[22][23] Developer Holy Wow Studios has expanded the number of playable tracks through free updates, and expressed interest in using future downloadable content to expand the tracklist as well.[24] In addition to the first-party included tracks listed below, there are unofficial mods that allow custom tracks such as "Through the Fire and Flames" and "One-Winged Angel" to be loaded into the game.[25][26][27] (In-game support for custom tracks was added in a patch released on March 13, 2025.[19])

On December 18, 2025, three song packs were released as DLC, providing 34 additional tracks.[21] Seven additional tracks were added to the DLC on March 19, 2026.[28]

Public domain  Original  Contributed

Title  | Composer  | Added in

|
|

"Also sprach Zarathustra" | Richard Strauss  | v1.00 (original release)
"Auld Lang Syne" (Champ Mix) | Robert Burns, Holy Wow Studios
"Baboons!" | Holy Wow Studios
"Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" | Ludwig van Beethoven
"The Blue Danube" | Johann Strauss II
"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
"Eine kleine" (Champ Mix) | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Holy Wow Studios
"Eine kleine Nachtmusik" (Trap Mix) | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Holy Wow Studios
"The Entertainer" | Scott Joplin
"Entry of the Gladiators" | Julius Fučík
"God Save the King" | Unknown
"Hava Nagila" | Abraham Zevi Idelsohn
"Long-Tail Limbo" | Max Tundra
"O Canada" | Calixa Lavallée
"Old Gray Mare" | Thomas Francis McNulty
"SkaBIRD" | Holy Wow Studios
"Skip to My Lou" | Unknown
"Stars and Stripes Forever" | John Philip Sousa
"The Star-Spangled Banner" | Francis Scott Key, John Stafford Smith
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" | Albert Von Tilzer, Jack Norworth
"Trombone Fuerte" | Holy Wow Studios
"Trombone Skyze" | Holy Wow Studios
"Warm-Up" | Holy Wow Studios
"William Tell Overture" | Gioachino Rossini
"Rosamunde" (Beer Barrel Polka) | Jaromír Vejvoda  | v1.03 (September 21, 2022)[29]
"Jarabe Tapatío" | Jesús González Rubio  | v1.05 (September 29, 2022)[30]
"ARE U READY 4 THIZ?" | Holy Wow Studios  | v1.07 (October 15, 2022)[31]
"Happy Birthday to You" (Ska Mix) | Patty Hill, Mildred J. Hill, Holy Wow Studios
"Ode to Joy" | Ludwig van Beethoven
"Martian Killbots!!!" | Holy Wow Studios  | v1.08 (October 30, 2022)[32]
"The Celebrated Chop Waltz" | Euphemia Allen  | v1.085 (November 14, 2022)[33]
"Sakura Sakura" | Unknown  | v1.087 (November 30, 2022)[34]
"Taps" | Daniel Butterfield, Oliver Wilcox Norton  | v1.088 (December 7, 2022)[35]
"La Marseillaise" | Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
"Jingle Bells (Jazz Mix)" | James Lord Pierpont, Holy Wow Studios  | v1.089 (December 15, 2022)[36]
"Max Tundra's Silent Night" | Franz Xaver Gruber, Max Tundra
"Mars, the Bringer of War" | Gustav Holst  | v1.0897 (January 3, 2023)[37]
"Funiculi, Funicula!" | Luigi Denza, Peppino Turco  | v1.091 (January 16, 2023)[38]
"Gymnopédie No. 1" | Erik Satie  | v1.093 (January 31, 2023)[39]
"Old MacDonald" | Unknown  | v1.095 (February 10, 2023)[40]
"Commander Tokyo, The Dancing Robot" | CV  | v1.096 (February 24, 2023)[41]
"The Sailor's Hornpipe" | Unknown, Max Tundra
"St. James Trombonery Blues" | Unknown, Holy Wow Studios  | v1.098 (March 17, 2023)[42]
"Danny Boy" | Unknown, Frederic Weatherly  | v1.099 (April 1, 2023)[43]
"In the Hall of the Mountain King" | Edvard Grieg
"Flight of the Bumblebee" | Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov  | v1.10 (April 25, 2023)[44]
"Washington Post March"  | John Philip Sousa  | v1.11 (June 2, 2023)[45]
"When the Saints Go Marching In"  | Unknown
"The Barber of Seville"  | Gioachino Rossini  | v1.13 (August 11, 2023)[46]
"Down by the Riverside"  | Unknown  | v1.14 (September 13, 2023)[47]
"House of the Rising Sun"  | Unknown  | v1.15 (October 11, 2023)[48]
"Hino Nacional Brasileiro"  | Francisco Manuel da Silva
"She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain"  | Unknown  | v1.16 (October 27, 2023)[49]
"Jasmine Flower (Mo Li Hua)"  | Unknown
"Night on Bald Mountain"  | Modest Mussorgsky  | v1.17 (November 17, 2023)[50]
"Arirang"  | Unknown
"O Christmas Tree"  | Ernst Anschütz, Melchior Franck  | v1.18 (December 12, 2023)[51]
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"  | Unknown
"Habanera (from Carmen)"  | Georges Bizet  | v1.19 (January 25, 2024)[52]
"Trombone Skyze (Nasty Mix)"  | Holy Wow Studios
"Hello! Ma Baby"  | Joseph E. Howard and Ida Emerson  | v1.21 (April 16, 2024)[53]
"Korobeiniki"  | Unknown
"Toccata and Fugue"  | Johann Sebastian Bach  | v1.22d (June 4, 2024)[54]
"The Four Seasons (Summer)"  | Antonio Vivaldi
"Trombone Champ Medley"  | Holy Wow Studios
"The Can-Can"  | Jacques Offenbach  | v1.23E (September 9, 2024)[55]
"Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2"  | Franz Liszt
"Carol of the Bells"  | Mykola Leontovych  | v1.24B (December 16, 2024)[56]
"Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah!"  | Unknown
"Puttin' On the Ritz"  | Irving Berlin
"Rhapsody in Blue"  | George Gershwin  | v1.25E (March 13, 2025)[19]
"Vogons"  | Max Tundra  | v1.26 (June 18, 2025)[20]
"Item Shopping"  | Holy Wow Studios
"Danse Macabre"  | Camille Saint-Saëns  | v1.28 (October 1, 2025)[57]
"The Skeleton Rag"  | The American Quartet
"Hungarian Dance No. 5"  | Johannes Brahms

## References

1. ↑ Saver, Michael (2022-12-27). "Made with Unity: 2022 in review". Unity Technologies. https://blog.unity.com/games/made-with-unity-2022-in-review. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
2. ↑ "Trombone Champ's developers want to take the game "farther than we originally planned"" (in en-US). September 22, 2022. https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/22/23366935/trombone-champ-holy-wow-studios-developers-future-plans-success.
3. ↑ Christopher Livingston (2022-09-22). "Trombone Champ creator sounds off about baboons, trombone traphouse, and Goku vs Vegeta" (in en). PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/trombone-champ-creator-sounds-off-about-baboons-trombone-traphouse-and-goku-vs-vegeta/.
4. ↑ Korn, Jennifer (September 22, 2022). "The internet's new favorite video game is like 'Guitar Hero' but with trombones". https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/22/tech/trombone-champ/index.html.
5. ↑ Clark, Nicole (2022-09-21). "There is no song that cannot be improved by Trombone Champ" (in en-US). https://www.polygon.com/23365828/trombone-champ-memes-goty-genius-toot-toot-tooooooooooooot.
6. ↑ "Play The Trombone Game, It's Great" (in en-us). 2022-09-21. https://kotaku.com/trombone-champ-steam-pc-mac-rhythm-game-impressions-1849561097.
7. ↑ "Trombone Champ is a new game that's exactly what it sounds like, and the videos are hysterical" (in en-US). 2022-09-21. https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/trombone-champ-game-videos-memes.
8. ↑ "Trombone version of "Guitar Hero" goes viral: "Best video game ever made"" (in en). 2022-09-21. https://www.newsweek.com/guitar-hero-like-trombone-champ-game-goes-viral-best-video-game-ever-made-1744959.
9. ↑ "Trombone Champ is the internet's new favorite video game. The developer never expected the toots to go viral." (in en). September 22, 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/trombone-champ-internets-new-favorite-video-game-developer-never-expec-rcna48979.
10. ↑ "2023 BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. 2 March 2023. https://www.bafta.org/games/awards/2023-nominations.
11. ↑ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Detail Trombone Champ". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2023&idGame=1877.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Disndale, Ryan (September 30, 2022). "How Trombone Champ Evolved from an Inside Joke to a Viral Success". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/trombone-champ-husband-and-and-wife-joke-this-years-funniest-game. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
13. ↑ "Mac Version Now Available!". Valve Corporation. January 23, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3666527187726221231.
14. ↑ Silberling, Amanda (September 14, 2023). "The very memeable ‘Trombone Champ’ is coming to Nintendo Switch". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/14/the-very-memeable-trombone-champ-is-coming-to-nintendo-switch/.
15. ↑ Hauges, Alana (2023-09-14). "Trombone Champ Makes Noise On Switch With Gyro Controls Today" (in en-GB). https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/09/trombone-champ-makes-noise-on-switch-with-gyro-controls-today.
16. ↑ "Trombone Champ 1.20 Brings Localization to the Game!". Valve Corporation. March 14, 2024. https://steamcommunity.com/app/1059990/eventcomments/4291439686300884223/.
17. ↑ Stockdale, Henry (November 26, 2024). "Trombone Champ: Unflattened Is An Absurdly Funny VR Rhythm Game". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/trombone-champ-unflattened-full-release/.
18. ↑ "‘Trombone Champ: Unflattened’ Brings Absurd Rhythm Game Antics to Meta Quest Today". November 26, 2024. https://www.meta.com/blog/quest/trombone-champ-unflattened-meta-quest-vr/.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "Patch 1.25E brings native support for custom tracks & more!". March 13, 2025. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/519707981834616835.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Update 1.26 brings Steam Workshop support for custom tracks!". June 18, 2025. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/505080152266375223.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Announcing Trombone Champ's First DLCs!". December 18, 2025. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/532116339592003921.
22. ↑ Pace, Emma (2022-09-22). "Trombone Champ – Full Song List" (in en). https://progameguides.com/trombone-champ/trombone-champ-full-song-list/.
23. ↑ "'Terrible music and absurdity': introducing Trombone Champ, the internet's new favourite video game" (in en). 2022-09-23. https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/sep/23/trombone-champ-the-internets-new-favourite-video-game.
24. ↑ Wait, Christian (2022-09-22). "Trombone Champ Song List - All Tracks Confirmed" (in en-GB). https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/09/22/trombone-champ-song-list-all-tracks-confirmed/.
25. ↑ Wallace, Chris (2022-10-11). "'Trombone Champ' offers its greatest challenge yet with 'Through the Fire and Flames' mod" (in en-AU). https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/gaming-news/trombone-champ-offers-its-greatest-challenge-yet-with-through-the-fire-and-flames-mod-3327146.
26. ↑ Petrovich, Erik (2022-10-10). "The Most Infamous Guitar Hero Song Comes To Trombone Champ" (in en-US). https://www.svg.com/1047180/the-most-infamous-guitar-hero-song-comes-to-trombone-champ/.
27. ↑ Campbell, Cody D. (2022-10-19). "Final Fantasy 7 Meets Trombone Champ In Hilarious Mod" (in en-US). https://www.svg.com/1062008/final-fantasy-7-meets-trombone-champ-in-hilarious-mod/.
28. ↑ "Update 1.30C brings more tracks to the UNDERTALE+DELTARUNE DLC!" (in en). March 19, 2026. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/506230784633340106.
29. ↑ "Trombone Champ - v1.03 is live!" (in en). September 21, 2022. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3274703239539562815.
30. ↑ "Trombone Champ - New Track: "Jarabe Tapatio," The Mexican Hat Dance!" (in en). September 29, 2022. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3282585172168238676.
31. ↑ "Trombone Champ - v1.07 is live!" (in en). October 15, 2022. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/5722411638178761301.
32. ↑ "Trombone Champ - v1.08 is live!" (in en). October 30, 2022. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3389548200198464615.
33. ↑ "Trombone Champ - v1.085 is live!" (in en). November 14, 2022. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/6232446836706931989.
34. ↑ "Trombone Champ - v1.087 is live!" (in en). November 30, 2022. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3634997551241467714.
35. ↑ "Trombone Champ - v1.088 is live!" (in en). December 7, 2022. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3645131352093989608.
36. ↑ "Trombone Champ - 1.089 is live, with Holiday Tracks!" (in en). December 15, 2022. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/5507370455345170540.
37. ↑ "Trombone Champ - Version 1.0897 is live!" (in en). January 3, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3636125350405564143.
38. ↑ "Trombone Champ - v1.091 is live!" (in en). January 16, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/6935014076591730311.
39. ↑ "Trombone Champ - Version v1.093 is now live!" (in en). January 31, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3666527822821815077.
40. ↑ "Trombone Champ - Update v1.095 is live!" (in en). February 10, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3671032690249901115.
41. ↑ "Trombone Champ - v1.096 is live!" (in en). February 24, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3657523159362899625.
42. ↑ "Trombone Champ - 1.098 is live!" (in en). March 17, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/5216896531506590592.
43. ↑ "April 1st Update!" (in en). April 1, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/5515261257638838314.
44. ↑ "Trombone Champ - v1.10 is out!" (in en). April 25, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3683424019800452505.
45. ↑ "Trombone Champ - Update v1.11 is live!" (in en). June 2, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3694686731774023679.
46. ↑ "Update v1.13 Brings a Trombone Customizer, New Track, and More!" (in en). August 11, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/6575871026897483888.
47. ↑ "Update 1.14 brings "Down By the Riverside" and other improvements!" (in en). September 13, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3718340141810046271.
48. ↑ "Update 1.15 brings two new tracks and other improvements!" (in en). October 11, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3752119675456393958.
49. ↑ "Trombone Champ - 1.16 Brings Two New Tracks & Under-the-Hood Improvements!" (in en). October 27, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3739736044837822802.
50. ↑ "1.17 Brings Two New Tracks & Even More Improvements" (in en). November 17, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/5912724862966790781.
51. ↑ "1.18 Brings Two New Holiday Tracks & Other Improvements!" (in en). December 12, 2023. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3873722126474344756.
52. ↑ "1.19 Brings Two New Tracks and Other Good Stuff Too" (in en). January 25, 2024. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/3960420675281128128.
53. ↑ "Update 1.21 brings two new tracks and more!" (in en). April 16, 2024. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/5850813762795864061.
54. ↑ "Update 1.22D brings three new tracks and more!" (in en). June 4, 2024. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/4187863868000776645.
55. ↑ "Version 1.23 Brings 2 New Tracks, Better Solos... and a Level Editor Beta!" (in en). September 9, 2024. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/4575182314571074027.
56. ↑ "Patch 1.24B brings two holiday tracks, a bonus track, and more!" (in en). December 16, 2024. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/520825731534554214.
57. ↑ "v1.28 Brings Halloween Tracks and more!" (in en). October 1, 2025. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1059990/view/514096230384534670.

## External links

* Official website
* Holy Wow Studios

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