There are few bands whose music has crossed generations quite like ABBA. Whether you grew up listening to them, discovered their songs through your parents, or simply found yourself singing along to Mamma Mia! at some point in your life, their catalogue has a remarkable ability to bring people together. The melodies are instantly recognisable, the choruses are practically impossible to resist, and even songs you haven’t heard in years come flooding back after just a few notes. With Let’s Sing ABBA, developer Voxler and publisher PLAION have taken that wonderfully familiar collection of pop classics and given it a dedicated karaoke celebration.
Arriving as a special edition of the established Let’s Sing series, this release puts the spotlight firmly on the Swedish pop legends. Rather than offering a mixed collection of contemporary hits and older favourites, the entire experience revolves around ABBA’s extraordinary back catalogue. With 32 songs to choose from, including the newly added I Have A Dream, there is plenty here to get a party started. The question, naturally, is whether a dedicated ABBA edition offers enough to keep both casual singers and devoted fans coming back for more.
A Songbook Packed With Memories
The biggest attraction is undoubtedly the music itself. ABBA’s catalogue is packed with songs that have become part of popular culture, and Let’s Sing ABBA makes a strong case for putting the microphone down on the coffee table and getting everyone involved. Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Waterloo, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight), The Winner Takes It All, Take A Chance On Me and Money, Money, Money are among the familiar names included. These are not simply songs people recognise; they are tracks with enormous personality, memorable melodies and choruses that practically demand to be sung at full volume.
There is something particularly satisfying about having an entire karaoke collection devoted to one band. Instead of jumping between unrelated musical styles, the experience has a clear identity and a consistent atmosphere. You can move from the infectious energy of Waterloo to the emotional pull of The Winner Takes It All, before bringing the room back to life with Dancing Queen. That variety is important because ABBA were never a group with just one sound or mood. Their music could be playful, dramatic, romantic and wonderfully theatrical, often within the same album.
The inclusion of I Have A Dream is also a welcome addition, giving the collection another familiar favourite to enjoy. For fans, the appeal is obvious, while those who simply enjoy a good karaoke session will find plenty of songs they can recognise, even if they are not particularly knowledgeable about the band’s history. There are inevitably tracks that some listeners might wish had made the cut, but the selection provides a strong foundation for an evening of singing. With 32 songs available, there is enough variety to make this feel like more than a brief novelty.
Finding Your Voice
At its heart, Let’s Sing ABBA sticks to the series’ established formula. Players follow the on-screen pitch guides, aiming to match the notes and timing of the original performances. The game rewards accuracy, so simply knowing the words is not enough to achieve the highest scores. You need to pay attention to the pitch lines, hold notes for the required duration, and try to stay in tune throughout each performance.
That distinction makes the experience more entertaining than simply singing along to a music video. You might know every word of Mamma Mia, but that does not necessarily mean you will be able to reproduce every note accurately. The scoring system gives you something to work towards, particularly if you are playing with friends or trying to improve your personal best. It can also produce some wonderfully amusing moments when somebody confidently launches into a chorus only to discover that their vocal abilities are not quite as impressive as their enthusiasm.
Getting everyone involved is refreshingly straightforward, too. Players can use USB microphones, compatible gaming headsets, or turn their smartphones into wireless microphones via the free Let’s Sing Companion app. That flexibility is particularly useful for parties, as it removes the need to purchase additional microphone hardware simply to get a group together. It is a practical feature that makes the game easier to introduce to people who might otherwise be reluctant to join in.
Seven Ways to Enjoy the Music
The different game modes provide a welcome amount of variety, catering for everything from solo performances to competitive evenings with friends. Classic is the most straightforward option, letting players choose a song and focus on achieving the best possible score. It is the ideal starting point if you simply want to sing your favourite ABBA tracks without worrying about additional challenges or progression systems.
Legend offers a more structured single-player experience, pitting you against AI-controlled avatars across challenges with different star ratings. Completing these challenges gives you something to work towards, while unlocking additional avatar outfits and accessories provides a little incentive to keep playing. It is a useful addition for anyone who enjoys having objectives beyond simply choosing a song and singing it. However, the real appeal remains the opportunity to improve your performances and work your way through the band’s catalogue.
Feat. is particularly appropriate for an ABBA-themed release. The band’s music is famous for its vocal arrangements and harmonies, so performing alongside another player feels like a natural fit. It is one thing to sing an ABBA chorus on your own, but quite another to coordinate with somebody else and try to recreate some of those familiar vocal combinations. When it works, it can be a genuinely enjoyable shared experience.
For larger gatherings, Let’s Party offers team-based competition, with support for up to eight players across a selection of party challenges. This is where the game is likely to generate its loudest and most entertaining moments. Not everyone needs to be a particularly talented singer to enjoy themselves, and the competitive format gives even the least confident participants a reason to pick up a microphone. Mix Tape adds another option by combining shorter sections of songs into medleys, keeping the action moving and making it easier to fit several performances into a shorter session.
The seven modes collectively give the package a decent range of ways to enjoy its music. Some will appeal more than others, depending on whether you prefer playing alone or entertaining a room full of friends, but there is enough choice to accommodate different occasions. Crucially, the modes complement the central karaoke experience rather than distracting from it.
A Celebration That Looks and Sounds the Part
Presentation is an important part of any music game, and Let’s Sing ABBA recognises that the experience should feel like more than a collection of lyrics and scoring indicators. Its visual style embraces the group’s colourful, disco-inspired atmosphere, with vibrant menus, retro-themed costumes and customisable avatars. It is an appropriately celebratory look, giving the game a sense of occasion without becoming unnecessarily complicated.
The official music videos are another welcome feature, bringing a generous dose of nostalgia to performances. Seeing familiar footage alongside the on-screen vocal guides helps reinforce the connection with the original recordings. For long-time fans, that familiarity is a large part of the appeal, while newer listeners get a chance to enjoy the band’s music in the context of its original presentation. It also helps each song feel like an individual performance rather than simply another entry in a karaoke playlist.
Audio is naturally the most important element, and the game makes good use of ABBA’s wonderfully distinctive recordings. The band’s harmonies have always been a defining part of their sound, and these songs remain a pleasure to listen to. The pitch guides, scoring feedback and audio cues provide the information needed during performances, while streak multipliers and crowd reactions help create a more lively atmosphere when you are hitting the right notes. It is easy to become caught up in the excitement of a particularly good performance, especially when everyone else in the room is joining in.
Familiar Foundations, Rather Than a Musical Revolution
There is, however, one area where Let’s Sing ABBA feels somewhat limited. Anyone familiar with previous entries in the series will recognise the core mechanics almost immediately. The singing system, scoring approach and overall structure are familiar territory, and this dedicated edition does not attempt to reinvent the formula. That is not necessarily a problem, as the established gameplay works perfectly well for what the game aims to achieve, but it does mean the experience is largely defined by its song selection rather than any major mechanical improvements.
The other consideration is the inevitable debate over which songs have been included and which have been left out. With a band as successful as ABBA, selecting a relatively small collection from their extensive catalogue was never going to satisfy everybody. There will always be personal favourites that players would love to see included, and the absence of a particular track can be disappointing when the entire release is built around one artist. Nevertheless, the selection contains enough recognisable material to make it an appealing package.
Ultimately, this is a game that knows exactly what it wants to be. It is not trying to transform karaoke gaming or introduce an entirely new way of interacting with music. Instead, it takes a proven format and gives players the opportunity to celebrate one of pop music’s most enduring groups. That focus gives the release its personality, even if the familiar mechanics mean there are few surprises for returning players.
The Winner Takes It All
Let’s Sing ABBA is a thoroughly enjoyable tribute to a band whose music deserves to be celebrated. Its greatest strength is the songbook, with 32 tracks offering plenty of opportunities to revisit some of the most memorable pop songs ever recorded. The variety of modes suits both solo players and larger groups, while the smartphone companion app removes much of the hassle of starting a karaoke session. Add in the official music videos, colourful presentation and ABBA’s unmistakable sound, and there is plenty to enjoy.
It is perhaps a little disappointing that the gameplay itself does not offer much that returning fans of the series will find new. The familiar scoring system and established modes make this feel more like a themed celebration than a significant step forward for the franchise. However, that criticism becomes less important when the music starts playing and everyone is singing along. Sometimes a game does not need to reinvent the wheel, particularly when it has a collection of songs this good at its disposal.
For ABBA fans, this is an easy recommendation, and for anyone who enjoys karaoke with friends, it offers a wonderfully accessible way to spend an evening. Whether you are confidently belting out Dancing Queen or discovering just how difficult it can be to stay in tune during The Winner Takes It All, there is plenty of fun to be had. After all, when the music is this timeless, sometimes the best a game can do is give everyone a microphone and let the good times roll.
