Game mode

osu! has four built-in game modes with different mechanics, originally inspired by other rhythm games:

• osu!
• osu!taiko
• osu!catch
• osu!mania

To switch between modes, click the Mode button at the bottom of the song selection screen for osu!(stable), use the buttons on the top of the screen for osu!(lazer), or use these key combinations:

• Ctrl + 1 for osu!
• Ctrl + 2 for osu!taiko
• Ctrl + 3 for osu!catch
• Ctrl + 4 for osu!mania

Mode selection interface in osu!(stable)

Mode selection interface in osu!(lazer)

osu!

Main page: osu!

osu! is the default mode, where players are expected to tap circles, hold sliders, and spin spinners to the beat of the music. It is based on the original iNiS' rhythm game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. osu! has its own mascot called pippi, a pink/black-haired girl.

osu! gameplay

osu!taiko

Main page: osu!taiko

osu!taiko simulates the process of playing a real drum, where players make use of a keyboard or drum kit to hit differently-coloured circles on a single conveyor. It is based on the Taiko no Tatsujin game series produced by Bandai Namco Entertainment. osu!taiko's mascot is Mocha, a green-haired girl in a kimono holding drumsticks.

osu!taiko gameplay

osu!catch

Main page: osu!catch

In osu!catch, fruits of differing varieties fall from the top of the screen, and the player must catch them to the beat. To this end they control a catcher with a plate atop their head for catching said fruits. This mode is loosely based on a minigame inside of a Beatmania simulator, which itself is believed to be based on the EZ2CATCH mode from the EZ2DJ series. osu!catch's mascot is Yuzu, a blue-haired boy.

osu!catch gameplay

osu!mania

Main page: osu!mania

osu!mania is a vertical scrolling rhythm game (VSRG) mode designed as a piano simulator. It was chiefly introduced and implemented by woc2006, and is based on a variety of conveyor-type rhythm games (namely Dance Dance Revolution and Beatmania). osu!mania's mascots are the twins Mani and Mari, both with purple and light purple hair.

osu!mania gameplay

Custom game modes

In osu!(lazer), it's possible to manually install custom game modes (also called custom rulesets) via .dll files. They introduce a new way to play the game using the beatmap library that osu! offers. Custom game modes, like the main modes, are often inspired by other rhythm games.

The full list of playable custom game modes can be found in this GitHub discussion.