Performous

Performous is an innovative simulation game developed by Performous, falling under the Games category with a specific focus on Simulation. The latest version, 1.3.1, offers an engaging experience where you can improve your musical skills by playing popular songs. No special hardware is required; you can use your PC keyboard as a guitar or sing using your laptop’s microphone. If you have peripherals like SingStar microphones, Guitar Hero or Rock Band instruments, or dance pads, simply plug them into your USB ports and get started.

Performous is an extraordinary blend of karaoke and rhythm games similar to Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. The best part is that it is totally free and an open-source platform. With a simple microphone, like those built into laptops or standard headsets, you can dive into singing karaoke. Additionally, you can enhance the experience by connecting peripherals like guitars or dance mats.

Compatible with songs prepared for UltraStar, Frets on Fire, and StepMania, Performous provides a practically unlimited supply of songs. On the official Performous website, various song packs are available for users to download. Just unzip these files into the game folder, and you're ready to go. You can also find more songs on the official sites for Frets on Fire and UltraStar. The endless variety means you can constantly refresh your playlist.

A significant highlight of Performous is its competitive aspect. It’s more than a standard karaoke app—it’s a music-based video game where your objective is to score high based on your performance. Your score will reflect how well you interpret the song using either your voice, guitar skills, or dance steps.

Available for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, and 11, Performous offers users a range of versions such as 1.0, 0.6, and 0.5. The primary executable file is performous.exe.

Pros:

• Free and open-source
• Broad compatibility with Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10/11
• Large library of downloadable songs
• Utilizes various peripherals for enhanced gameplay

Cons:

• Might require additional peripherals for the full experience
• Score accuracy can vary based on microphone quality

It is not possible to confirm if there is a free download for this software available on the developer's website. According to the results of the Google Safe Browsing check, the developer's site is safe. Despite this, we recommend checking the downloaded files with any free antivirus software.

You may want to check out more software, such as Performance Now, Inza Performance Software or Web Performance Tester, which might be related to Performous.