AC General Info

This information should be generally correct for styles back to IIDX RED. There is currently a lack of detail for newer games, especially tricoro and later.

The Basics

The beatmania IIDX arcade experience is relatively similar to playing at home, in most respects. There are a few key differences, however, that you will likely notice:

1. The presence of a number of sliders on a control panel below the screen.
2. The presence of "EFFECT ON/OFF" (subsequently referred to as EFFECT) and "VEFX CHANGE" (subsequently referred to as VEFX) buttons to the left of the sliders.
3. A bass-shaker platform for you to stand on.
4. e-amusement pass readers and numeric keypads, one set for each player. These aren't present on machines running 8th style or older, and are optional on machines that run offline.
5. Two built-in cameras for hand-shooting, one on the metal cage in front of the neon lights pointing at the controls, and other to the left of the screen pointing at the player(s). These are present on machines running CANNON BALLERS or later, and are optional on older machines.

Other minor differences such as a widescreen display and a nine-speaker setup are present, too, but aren't as important to this guide.

Getting Started

To start a game, you'll obviously want to insert some coins. Typically, singles play takes one credit, doubles play takes two credits (until tricoro, where double play was changed to only needing one credit) , and two-player play takes one credit per player.

In older styles, before DistorteD, once you have inserted your coins, you can press the VEFX button (NOT the Start button) to bring up the Options menu. If you want to play Battle or Double in these styles, you need to select it at this time, before you press the Start button to begin the game. Additionally, you can set the other game options here as well (high speed, random, autoscratch, etc.) to save yourself some time when picking your first song, but it's not necessary.

Styles after HAPPY SKY do not allow you to access the options menu from the title screen. Instead, you are able to select Single or Double mode at a separate screen after the player entry screen.

Beginning in Resort Anthem, you can insert your e-amusement pass and log in before you insert your coins. You can also pay for your game using PASELI instead of coins. The actual deduction of credits or PASELI does not take effect until you choose a game mode.

Selecting a Mode

Rather self-explanatory. Once you pick your desired play type (single, double, battle, or 2P non-battle), you are presented with the Mode Select screen. You can pick from a variety of modes.

On older styles (RED and prior)

• BEGINNER Mode (introduced in 9th style)
  • 3 songs maximum.
  • The groove gauge never falls when you perform poorly.
  • Easier note charts are available.
• 4KEYS Mode (introduced in 1st style, removed in 3rd style)
  • Mode aimed towards beginner players where only the white keys are used. Charts are identical to their 7KEYS version, minus the black keys.
  • Replaced by LIGHT7 mode.
• 5KEYS Mode (introduced in 1st style, removed in 7th style)
  • Mode where keys 6 and 7 are played automatically. Aimed at beginners and people transitioning from the 5-key beatmania games.
  • Available as a modifier from 7th style to CANNON BALLERS.
• LIGHT7/LIGHT14 Mode (introduced in 3rd style)
  • LIGHT7/LIGHT14 charts are shown by default.
  • You are allowed to continue on even if you fail your first song (so you get at least two stages).
  • You can play 7KEYS/14KEYS note charts by holding down the VEFX button when you select the song.
• 7KEYS/14KEYS Mode (introduced in 1st style)
  • Normal gameplay mode
  • You can play LIGHT7/LIGHT14 note charts by holding down the EFFECT button when you select the song.
  • You can play ANOTHER(7)/ANOTHER(14) note charts by holding down the VEFX button when you select the song (if the song has an Another notechart; if not, you will be given the 7KEYS/14KEYS notechart).
• EXPERT Mode (introduced in 1st style)
  • Pick from a selection of five-song Expert courses.
  • See if you can last all the way to the end! You lose if your life bar reaches zero at any point (it should be noted that the Expert groove gauge falls slower than a normal one).
  • Holding the following buttons while selecting a course perform the following actions:
    • EFFECT
      • Internet Ranking course: 7KEYS/14KEYS songs become LIGHT7/LIGHT14, ANOTHER(7)/ANOTHER(14) songs become 7KEYS/14KEYS
      • Ranking course: All songs become LIGHT7/LIGHT14
      • Original course: All songs become LIGHT7/LIGHT14
    • VEFX
      • Internet Ranking course: Allows you to play the course's corresponding "backside" course
      • Ranking course: All songs become ANOTHER(7)/ANOTHER(14) (if present)
      • Original course: All songs become ANOTHER(7)/ANOTHER(14) (if present)
    • EFFECT+VEFX
      • Internet ranking course: Allows you to play the course's corresponding "backside" course, but all 7KEYS/14KEYS songs become LIGHT7/LIGHT14, ANOTHER(7)/ANOTHER(14) songs become 7KEYS/14KEYS
      • Ranking course: All songs become LIGHT7/LIGHT14
      • Original course: All songs become LIGHT7/LIGHT14
• CLASS Mode (introduced in 7th style)
  • Play preset four-song courses (with an Expert gauge) to see what level of player you are
  • Courses are organized by difficulty, from 7-kyu (the easiest) through Kaiden (the hardest)
  • No options are selectable except for HI-SPEED settings
• FREE Mode (introduced in 3rd style)
  • Two songs total, extra stage is not possible to obtain
  • All unlocked songs are selectable for each stage
  • You get to play both stages even if you fail

Recent releases (HAPPY SKY and beyond)

• TUTORIAL Mode (removed in SIRIUS)
  • This mode teaches you how to play the game through a series of tutorials.
  • From SIRIUS onwards, the tutorial is accessed via a pop-up after choosing the play mode. Only available for players without an e-amusement pass and first time e-amusement players.

• STEP UP Mode (introduced in Lincle)
  • Lincle:
    • Choose from one of four different difficulty tiers, each corresponding to a particular dan rank range.
    • You start with a single month folder, with a pool of songs from a specific difficulty range.
    • Clear three songs from the current month folder to advance to the next month and unlock more songs.
    • You are guaranteed three songs, even if you fail your first two.
  • tricoro onwards adds some significant changes:
    • You are given a dynamic songlist that changes as you clear and fail songs. Clearing songs will change the songlist to have more difficult charts, while failing songs will result in less difficult charts.
    • You may unlock Q-Pro parts by completing certain tasks.
    • Beginning in SPADA, the difficulty tier list is gone; your Dan rank dictates the initial songlist in the TASKS folder (Players without e-amusement passes and e-amusement players without Dan rank start at LEVEL 1 in their 1st play).
    • Played songs in all modes are added to Review LEVEL tiers. Review LEVEL folders appear up to the lowest level available in the TASKS folder.
      • On Japanese machines, Level 11 and 12 Review folders are only available on Premium Start.
    • Played Class courses are added to Practice Exam folders from Rootage onwards.
    • From SINOBUZ onwards, all Review LEVEL folders are available on certain days, regardless of the contents of the TASKS folder, and regardless of Standard/Premium Start.

• STANDARD Mode
  • As the name implies, this is the standard gameplay mode in which you pick songs and play them. Most machines are set to three stages, plus Extra Stage if the player qualifies.
  • To open up the mod menu, hold your START button.
  • To switch difficulties, hit the VEFX button. Beginning in SPADA, you may also press 1 on the numeric keypad to change difficulties.
  • In SPADA onwards, you may switch between Single Play and Double Play during the song select screen by pressing 3 on the numeric keypad.
  • Unlike prior games, you can pick any song; however, chart availability is limited by what your Class rank is.
    • On Single Play (and Double Play from Rootage and later), if you are...
      • 5th dan and lower: You can pick charts up to Lv8 on first stage and Lv10 on your second.
      • 6th dan: Lv9 for first stage; Lv10 for second stage.
      • 7th dan and above: Lv10 for first and second stages.
      • 8th dan and above, plus 100 plays on the card: Lv11 for first and second stages.
      • 10th dan and above, plus 1000 plays on the card: removes level restrictions.
    • On Double Play through CANNON BALLERS, if you are...
      • 6th dan and lower: You can pick charts up to Lv9 on first stage and Lv11 on your second.
      • 7th dan and above: Lv10 for first stage; Lv11 for second stage.
      • 8th dan and above, plus 100 plays on the card: Lv11 for first and second stages.
      • 10th dan, plus 1000 plays on the card: removes level restrictions.
    • Lincle and beyond: You can purchase a DJ VIP Pass for your game using PASELI points, if you have a PASELI account.
      • DJ VIP PASS GOLD: Allows you to play three songs guaranteed, regardless of whether you fail.
      • DJ VIP PASS PLATINUM: Allows you to play three songs guaranteed, without difficulty limits.
      • DJ VIP PASS BLACK: Allows you to play three songs guaranteed, without difficulty limits, and you can play the same song multiple times.
        • A DJ VIP PASS BLACK is only obtained by collecting 100 V-Discs (or through daily bonuses), and cannot be purchased with PASELI.
  • If EXTRA STAGE is enabled, you may earn an EXTRA STAGE on your FINAL STAGE by fulfilling one of the following requirements:
    • Single Play:
      • Achieve a PERFECT COMBO (all Greats or Perfect Greats) on a Level 4 chart or lower. Beginner charts also count.
      • Achieve a FULL COMBO on a Level 5 or 6 chart
      • Finish with 100% Groove Gauge on a Level 7 chart (even if using HARD or EX-HARD)
      • Clear the song on a Level 8 chart or higher
    • Double Play:
      • Achieve a PERFECT COMBO (all Greats or Perfect Greats) on a Level 4 chart or lower
      • Achieve a FULL COMBO on a Level 5 chart
      • Finish with 100% Groove Gauge on a Level 6 chart
      • Clear the song on a Level 7 chart or higher
  • On Japanese releases of SPADA onwards, you must be using PASELI (premium start for copula and onwards). If you do not meet the above requirements, you can still access the Extra Stage simply by using 7 V-Discs (or 1 in certain days).
  • Note that you can't choose the same song more than once per game (except if using a DJ VIP PASS BLACK).

• EXPERT Mode (available in most games)
  • Pick from a selection of courses. Through Lincle, each course had five songs, but this was changed to four songs when EXPERT mode was reintroduced in PENDUAL.
  • See if you can last all the way to the end! You lose if your life bar reaches zero at any point (it should be noted that the Expert groove gauge falls slower than a normal one).
  • From PENDUAL onwards, EXPERT mode is not available at launch, but is added later as an update.

• CLASS Mode
  • Play preset four-song courses (with an Expert gauge) to see what level of player you are
  • Courses are organized by difficulty, from 7-kyu (the easiest) through Kaiden (the hardest)
    • Prior to DistorteD, 10th Dan was the highest level.
  • No options are selectable except for HI-SPEED, ADVANCED OPTIONS and Note Chart Display Area settings. MIRROR and EX GAUGE are available from copula onward.
    • In PENDUAL, playing CLASS Mode in FUTURE Phase will trigger the MIRROR modifier.

• FREE Mode
  • Similar to STANDARD Mode, but:
    • You get two stages, but EXTRA STAGE is not accessible.
    • All unlocked songs are selectable for each stage, without difficulty limits, and songs can be repeated.
    • You get to play both stages even if you fail the first.

• FREE PLUS Mode (introduced in Lincle)
  • Available when two players are present.
  • Similar to FREE Mode, but with three stages instead of two.

• HAZARD Mode (introduced in EMPRESS)
  • Hidden mode; select FREE Mode and press the three black keys; FREE will change to HAZARD and you will hear a sound effect.
  • Similar to FREE Mode, but:
    • If you break combo, you fail the song instantly!
    • You get four stages instead of two.
    • In styles prior to SINOBUZ, the CLEAR RATE window will instead show FULL COMBO RATE.

• PREMIUM FREE Mode (introduced in Resort Anthem, PASELI only for Japan)
  • Just like FREE mode, only it runs on a timer instead of giving you two stages.
  • Play as much as you'd like for a set amount of time! Six-minute, eight-minute, and ten-minute modes are available.
    • These play times can be adjusted in the operator menu up to a maximum of a 30 minute session.
  • You can quit a song by pushing the EFFECT and VEFX buttons, although it will count as a STAGE FAILED.
  • If the countdown timer reaches 0:00 while in the Select Music screen, a 15 second timer will begin countdown for your final song selection or to end the session.

• ARENA Mode (introduced in CANNON BALLERS, post-launch update)
  • An online matching mode where four players compete against each other on a four-song set.
    • Only Local Match is selected outside Online periods.
  • Players are awarded points similar to the KONAMI Arcade Championship, with points awarded each round based on what place they came in, calculated by EX score. The player with the most points at the end of the fourth round wins.
  • Players may change options in-between songs. Anyone playing with RANDOM or similar options on will have the same randomization pattern used by the other players.
    • Players playing the 2P side will have their randomization pattern mirrored.
    • Options that invalidates scores are disabled.

Beginning with the introduction of daily bonuses in SINOBUZ, there are also modes that can only be played on certain days. For more info on what modes are available on what days, check the corresponding style's page.

• TIME FREE Mode (introduced in SINOBUZ)
  • Functions identically to PREMIUM FREE.
  • Sessions last five minutes (or seven, if two players are present). You can play 3 songs fully if you don't take too long selecting songs to play.
  • TIME FREE can also be chosen if online ARENA MODE only detects CPU players.

• TIME HAZARD Mode (introduced in SINOBUZ, hidden mode)
  • Just like HAZARD mode, only it runs on a timer instead of giving you four stages.
  • Sessions last eight minutes.

• TIME HELL Mode (introduced in CANNON BALLERS, hidden mode)
  • Like TIME FREE, except that you must play on HARD or EX-HARD and the groove gauge can't be recovered!
  • Sessions last eight minutes.

Selecting a Song

Just like playing at home, with a few differences:

1. You cannot freely toggle between difficulties before IIDX RED, or play styles (Single, Double) before SPADA.
2. In HAPPY SKY and later, you can press the VEFX button to switch difficulty. Pressing VEFX switches to a harder difficulty, and then wraps back around to NORMAL after the hardest available difficulty.
   • In IIDX RED and earlier, you must do the following to change difficulties:
   1. To play a song at a harder level than you currently have selected (that is, to play 7KEYS/14KEYS songs during LIGHT7/LIGHT14 mode or to play ANOTHER(7)/ANOTHER(14) songs during 7KEYS/14KEYS mode), hold the VEFX button down as you select the song.
   2. To play a song at an easier level than you currently have selected (that is, to play LIGHT7/LIGHT14 songs during 7KEYS/14KEYS mode), hold down the EFFECT button as you select your song.
3. To change difficulty only on your side in a 2-player BATTLE game (GOLD and onwards only), hold VEFX and press your corresponding START button, or simply press 1 on your corresponding keypad.
4. To switch between SINGLE and DOUBLE, press 3 on the keypad. This feature is only available in SPADA onwards.
5. Just like Arcade mode at home, not all songs are available during each stage. Only easy songs are available at first, then the harder songs begin to become available during subsequent stages.
6. To choose gameplay options, hold down your START button (1P Start for left side, 2P Start for right side). The options menu will stay up as long as you keep the button held down.
   • Since tricoro, it is possible to keep the window up by just pressing START.
7. If you're browsing a sorting category (style, alphabet, etc.), you can close the current category and return to the master list by pressing the VEFX and EFFECT buttons simultaneously, or simply press 2 on your corresponding keypad.

Effector Usage

9th style does not include effector support.

To use the effector in the arcade, there are a few different things that you have to understand.

• The EFFECT button
  • Press the EFFECT button to turn ON/OFF the effector system (by default: EFFECTOR OFF).
• The VEFX button
  • Press the VEFX button to switch between the effector modes and "EQ ONLY" mode.

In classic cabinets:

• The VEFX slider
  • Move the VEFX slider up and down to select your desired effector. In IIDX RED through DistorteD, the effector options are (from top to bottom on the slider):
    • ECHO 5
    • ECHO 4
    • ECHO 3
    • ECHO 2
    • ECHO 1
    • REVERB 1
    • REVERB 2
    • REVERB 3
  • CANNON BALLERS adds several more effector options to the VEFX button:
    • COMPRESSOR
    • CHORUS
    • GARGLE
    • REVERB EX
    • FLANGER
    • DISTORTION
• The EQ sliders
  • Just like on a stereo, you can adjust the relative volumes of low- and high-frequency sounds by moving the low-EQ and hi-EQ sliders (in LIGHTNING MODEL cabinets, Lower-Mid EQ and Hi-Mid EQ sliders are added).
• The Filter slider
  • According to KONAMI, the Filter slider functions as an adjustable lowpass filter. Moving the slider down will cut out some of the low-frequency sounds, while putting the slider at max ensures that you hear everything the machine's sound system can throw at you.
  • Prior to versions on released on PC hardware, this slider was labelled "Track Volume"
• The Play Volume slider
  • Self-explanatory. Adjusts the overall sound volume.

In LIGHTNING MODEL cabinets, the effect sliders, LCD marquee and keypads have been replaced with a touchscreen called the Premium Area, located under the screen where the sliders used to be. There are three option menus available: Sound, Settings and News (the latter added in January 23rd, 2020).

• Sound effectively emulates the effect sliders. Headphone volume and effectors can be adjusted here as well.
• Settings lets you adjust the turntable resistance, as well as the cabinet lighting.
• The News menu is divided into two sections, Breaking News (introduced in HEROIC VERSE) and Tsujigiri Battle (introduced in Rootage).
  • The Breaking News tab serves as an archive of the news ticker on the song selection screen, and includes a button that jumps the cursor to the relevant song.
  • The Tsujigiri Battle tab shows the number of players defeated using the feature, with separate totals for Single and Double play.
• A button to bring up the keypad menu is also available from any screen (besides ENTRY and GAME OVER screens), as the physical keypads have been removed.
• A toggle switch, named CONCENTRATION MODE, was added in the February 18th, 2020 update that turns the screen off during gameplay to avoid distraction. Touching the screen will turn it back on.

Gameplay

Things are more or less the same as at home. The main differences are that to change your current effector, simply move the VEFX slider, and that if you receive more than 50 Poors in a row without pressing any keys, you get an automatic STAGE FAILED. In later styles, a "RETIRE?" notice will be displayed on the screen shortly before this happens to give you a chance to press keys again. From SPADA's April 23rd, 2014 update, you can use 6 V-Discs to keep playing after failing a session. Since CANNON BALLERS, on certain days this cost is lowered to only 1 V-Disc.

Don't give up, even if it looks impossible!

Secrets

Daily Bonus

From SINOBUZ onwards, every day of a week comes with a daily bonus. As of CANNON BALLERS:

• Sunday - One free DJ VIP PASS BLACK.
• Monday - One extra minute in PREMIUM FREE mode (for PASELI enabled locations only).
• Tuesday - HAZARD is replaced by TIME HAZARD.
• Wednesday - FREE is replaced by TIME FREE.
• Thursday - HAZARD is replaced by TIME HELL.
• Friday - V-Disc bonus and V-Disc cost reduction (EXTRA STAGE remains inaccessible in STANDARD MODE on Japanese machines, however).
• Saturday - No level restrictions in STEP UP mode.

EXTRA STAGE

For information on how to obtain each style's special EXTRA STAGE song, consult the corresponding arcade style's wiki page.

Additional options

NOTE: Since tricoro, most of these options are available in the advanced options menu.

Force EXTRA STAGE

From 10th style to DistorteD, you can force-enable the special EXTRA STAGE BGM and theme for that game. You still need to meet the regular EXTRA STAGE requirements, and the code can't be used if the machine is on IR beat#1 (and beat#2 for DistorteD).

• 10th style: On the title screen, hold the EFFECT button and press 3, 1, 7, 3, 9, 1, 1, 2 in that order.
• IIDX RED: Hold both players Start buttons while advancing to the EXTRA STAGE.
• HAPPY SKY: Hold VEFX and EFFECT while advancing to the EXTRA STAGE.
• DistorteD: Hold 4 and 11 while advancing to the EXTRA STAGE. You must be playing with an e-amusement pass for the code to work.

Judge Mode

In 10th style and later, you can bring up a small display that shows a running total of all of your note counts (PGREAT, GREAT, GOOD, BAD, POOR) at the bottom of the video display. To do so, at the title screen (before you press Start), hold the EFFECT button and press the following button sequence:

• 7, 6, 9, 8

In more recent releases (up to Lincle):

• 1P: 7-6-2-1
• 2P: 14-13-9-8

RANDOM+

In IIDX RED, to enable the RANDOM+ option, hold the EFFECT button and perform the following button sequence at the title screen:

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Expert View

In IIDX RED, to view the first three songs in an Expert course, go to the Expert course selection screen, hold the Start button, and press the following button sequence:

• 2, 2, 1, 1, 3, 5, 3, 5, 7, 6 (for 1P side)
• 9, 9, 8, 8, 10, 12, 10, 12, 14, 13 (for 2P side)

In later styles, this has been simplified to 2-2-1-1 on the left side, or 9-9-8-8 on the 2P side.

When you do this, however, since you're holding down the Start button, your play options will be changed! Be sure to verify that you're using the options that you want to before you select a course!

REGUL-SPEED

Introduced in GOLD; this will cause songs to run at a regulated BPM of 150, and will avoid all BPM changes in the song. However, doing this will cause all scores to become invalid, as if you were using 5-keys or Auto-Scratch, so keep that in mind.

But if you still wish to apply REGUL-SPEED, hold the Start button at the title screen, and input the code below.

• 2, 3, 5, 7, 4, 6 (for 1P side)
• 9, 10, 12, 14, 11, 13 (for 2P side)

H-RANDOM (Samurai S-Random)

Introduced in GOLD, this is a S-random where the notes will be scattered around the chart but will be less likely to be clustered on an individual key. All scores played in this mode will be invalid.

To access this mode (as of EMPRESS):

• During mode select, using the e-amusement keypad on the side of the machine, type in 7, 0, 4, 6, 9, □.

ALL-SCRATCH

Introduced in DJ TROOPERS, this causes most of the notes of the song to be mapped to the turntable column. Chords will have their extra notes mapped to their regular column. All scores in this mode are invalid.

To access this mode (as of EMPRESS):

• During mode select, using the e-amusement keypad on the side of the machine, type in 8, 0, 8, □, 2.

GAMBOL HYPER & ANOTHER Timing

• Introduced in IIDX RED CS and expanded on DJ TROOPERS CS, this allows for songs to be played to the (infamous) timing windows of GAMBOL hyper and another.

To access GAMBOL HYPER timing mode (as of EMPRESS):

• During mode select, using the e-amusement keypad on the side of the machine, type in 9, 7, 0, □, 3, 2.

To access GAMBOL ANOTHER timing mode (as of EMPRESS):

• During mode select, using the e-amusement keypad on the side of the machine, type in 7, 9, □, 0, 1, 2.

Window Hold

• When Window Hold is enabled, when you press the Start button in-game to open up your Hi-Speed setting popup, it stays open!! This way, with every key you press/every scratch you do, your HS settings and Sudden+ settings change!

To access Window Hold within Resort Anthem, using either the keyboard or the e-amusement keypad, type in 1-2-3-4-5.