maimai DX in Singapore

If you have spent any time in a Singapore arcade, you have probably seen maimai. It is the rhythm game with the huge circular screens, a crowd gathered behind it and players moving their hands so quickly that the whole thing can look slightly intimidating.

It is also one of Singapore’s biggest arcade games.

There are now more than 30 arcades in Singapore with maimai DX machines, from major chains such as Cow Play Cow Moo and Timezone to rhythm-game favourites like Virtualand, Paco FunWorld and FunTan. That makes Singapore an unusually good place to get into the game: wherever you live, there is probably a machine somewhere within a few MRT stops.

As of August 2026, Singapore machines are moving onto maimai DX CiRCLE PLUS, the latest international version of SEGA’s long-running rhythm series.

So, what exactly is maimai?

The “washing machine game” description is hard to escape, but maimai is essentially a music rhythm game built around a circular touchscreen.

Notes travel towards the outside of the screen and you respond using the eight physical buttons around the edge, the touchscreen itself, or a combination of both. Songs range from relatively gentle beginner charts to astonishingly fast high-level patterns. Up to four players can also link machines for multiplayer sessions.

The music selection is a big part of the appeal. Expect Vocaloid, anime tracks, Touhou arrangements, game music and a large catalogue of maimai originals alongside plenty of Japanese internet culture that may be completely incomprehensible to anyone watching from behind you.

Where are the best places to play maimai in Singapore?

There are too many maimai locations to list here — that is what our arcade directory is for — but a few stand out.

Cheapest easy option: Virtualand Bugis+

For straightforward value, Virtualand at Bugis+ is difficult to beat. It has six maimai DX cabinets, and players consistently report a weekday rate of around S$0.60 per play thanks to its weekday credit deal.

It can get busy, unsurprisingly. But there is a useful backup plan: take the escalator down.

Best place to make a day of it: Bugis+

Paco FunWorld is on level 3 of the same mall, giving Bugis+ two substantial maimai arcades under one roof.

Paco can be extremely cheap for regular players because its larger promotional top-ups bring the effective cost per game down significantly. Singapore players report prices below S$0.60 per game on some bulk deals. The catch is in the word “bulk”: you may need to put quite a lot of money onto the card to achieve those rates.

For someone visiting Singapore, Bugis+ is probably the safest maimai destination simply because you have two choices without even leaving the building.

Best budget alternative: FunTan KINEX

If you care more about playing than being in the middle of town, FunTan at KINEX deserves a look.

It has four maimai DX cabinets, a quieter rhythm-focused floor and games priced under S$1. Recent Singapore players put maimai at around S$0.80 per set.

It is about a seven-minute walk from Paya Lebar MRT and is one of those arcades people actually cross Singapore to visit.

Best in the north-east: Virtualand NEX

Virtualand NEX has one of the two biggest rhythm floors in the country, with around ten maimai cabinets alongside CHUNITHM, Taiko, jubeat and SOUND VOLTEX. Racing machines and a claw section stocked with Japanese imports fill the rest.

It is not the cheapest place to grind hundreds of songs, and top-ups are cash only, so bring notes. It sits above Serangoon station and runs to 11pm on weekdays and 1am on Saturdays — but the maimai cabinets switch to guest mode after 11pm, so a late Saturday session will not save your scores.

Best in town, and open latest: Cow Play Cow Moo Suntec

Do not be fooled by the several hundred claw machines outside.

The basement Cow Play Cow Moo at Suntec City hides a rhythm room about the same size as Virtualand NEX’s, covering maimai DX, CHUNITHM, beatmania IIDX, SOUND VOLTEX, GITADORA, DDR, Pump It Up, jubeat, pop’n music and Taiko. Since November 2025 those cabinets read a member card rather than coins — a dollar at the counter, and the same card works on the claw machines.

It stays open until 1am every night, with no late switch to guest mode, so for anything running past 11pm this is the one to pick.

A few things beginners should know

First: you do not need to be good before playing in public. Everyone started somewhere. Choose an easy difficulty, learn what taps, holds and slides look like and work upwards.

Second: if you think you might play more than once, get an Aime card. It saves your scores and progression and gives you access to maimai DX NET. SEGA even provides a free tutorial and one free song when a new Aime card is first used. Start two new cards together on a two-player game and that becomes four free songs. Virtualand and Paco FunWorld both sell them, as do the Timezone outlets that have the machines.

Third: bring gloves. They are not compulsory, but there is a reason almost every regular player wears them. Cheap cotton or work gloves reduce friction when sliding across the screen and make longer sessions far more comfortable. You do not need expensive specialist gloves; the maimai community regularly recommends basic Daiso-style cotton gloves.

And finally, learn the queue etiquette. If people are waiting, finish your set and give the next player a turn. Do not immediately tap back in because you already happen to be standing at the machine.

Singapore’s maimai Community

Singapore has a genuinely serious player base. Spend an evening at Bugis, NEX or KINEX and you will see people playing charts that appear physically impossible.

That should not put beginners off. The community is also one of the best sources of information about the game.

The r/maimai community on Reddit is particularly useful for Singapore players. People regularly share current arcade prices, machine conditions, Aime-card availability, recommendations and advice for improving.

There is also a Maimai SG Community Discord, where Singapore players share scores, find people to play with and talk about the game.

To see some of the best maimai players in action, and study the patterns, check out the amakage and yoshiki YouTube channels.

An even bigger thank you goes to Aurora, who maintains the excellent maimai & CHUNITHM Singapore Public Sheet. It tracks Singapore locations, machines, versions, prices and other details.

If you have never played maimai before, the easiest advice is simply to try it. Pick an arcade, grab a pair of cheap gloves and ignore the person beside you casually full-comboing something at level 14.

They were a beginner once too.

Details change — cabinet counts and prices move around. If something on one of our listings is out of date, there’s a form at the bottom of every one.

Browse every arcade in Singapore →

— arcades.SG