You're the manager. Your band plays in a garage, in front of three friends and a dog. It's up to you to take them all the way to the Hall of Rock… without blowing them up on the way. And without signing just anything.
Nothing climbs on its own: without gigs, the crowd forgets; without rest, the band burns out; four months in the red and it's bankruptcy.
One turn is one month. Choose the band's action, then take what comes: a fee paid in beer, a booker in the room, an amp that dies.
Hype, talent, credibility, cohesion, energy. Push one up and another drops. The band holds as long as the balance holds.
Advances, royalties, publishing, 360 deals, option clauses: every signature hides a trap. And there's often a third contract in the drawer, if you think to ask for it.
Photocopied or offset posters, merch, radio, media: five promo levers, each with its own price and its own audience.
Every mistake unlocks a Codex card. It arrives after the consequence, never before: you live the situation, then you understand what happened.
Normal: choices only show which gauges they affect. Discovery: shorter acts and visible numbers, for a first run.
'80s rock neon and fanzine: VU-meter gauges, contracts on torn paper, typewriter storytelling. Tap a screenshot to enlarge.
Five acts, up to sixty months of career. Hype opens the door to the next act; you still have to pay to keep up.
Find your sound, play the local bars.
Regional clubs, the first EP, the first contracts.
Signing, national tours, artistic tensions.
World tours, festivals, managing fame.
The Hall of Rock, the legacy, the catalogue.
Small storylines come back months later: a roadie, a guru who moves into the entourage, the drummer's back that finally gives out.
Each card unlocks after a mistake, and explains in a few lines what the player has just been through.
Rockstar Manager is for players who love rock, narrative games and management, in the spirit of Reigns, 80 Days or Game Dev Story. And for beginner musicians and those around them who want to understand the business without wading through a manual.
Rockstar Manager is made by U-PROD and Mescalina, an online music magazine. The game lends itself to a workshop on music-industry careers: play a run, then debrief the contracts you signed.
New versions are distributed through Google Play.
A question, a problem with a run, an idea for an event? Check the answers below or write to us.
On Android 8 or newer phones, in portrait. An iPhone version is in the works.
Yes: no ads, no in-app purchases, no account, no energy system that blocks play.
No. Everything is bundled in the app, which doesn't even request Internet access.
Automatically, on the phone. Uninstalling the app erases your game; an update keeps it.
They're based on the real mechanics of the music industry (advances, royalties, publishing, 360 deals), simplified for the game. The Codex cards explain the principle; for a real contract, get advice from a professional.
None. No account, no ads, no analytics, no connection to our servers. See the privacy policy.
