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Hard Mode Prompts

For music nerds. Tight constraints and deep cuts that punish anyone reaching for the obvious pick.

218 Hard Mode aux battle prompts to pick from. Use them for a song battle with friends, an aux war, or your next round in Aux Battles.

  1. Song with No Drums That Still Hits

  2. Song Where the Hook Is Not the Best Part

  3. Song That Feels Longer Than It Is

  4. Song That Feels Shorter Than It Is

  5. Song That Sounds Happy but Is Dark

  6. Song That Sounds Sad but Is Uplifting

  7. Song Where the Feature Outshines the Main Artist

  8. Song with the Weirdest Production That Still Works

  9. Song That Should Not Work but Does

  10. Song That Changes Your Mood Instantly

  11. Song with No Chorus

  12. Song Where the Intro Is Better Than the Rest

  13. Song Where the Outro Saves It

  14. Song with Awkward Lyrics That Still Go Hard

  15. Song Where the Beat Carries Everything

  16. Song Where Lyrics Carry Everything

  17. Song That Feels Unfinished but Perfect

  18. Song That Feels Overproduced but Still Good

  19. Song That Sounds Like a Different Genre Halfway Through

  20. Song You Would Never Play on Aux Normally

  21. Song That Grows on You After 3 Listens

  22. Song That Gets Worse the More You Hear It

  23. Song That Feels Illegal to Play in Public

  24. Song That Feels Like a Guilty Pleasure but Isn't

  25. Song You Only Play Alone

  26. Song with the Best Silence Moment

  27. Song Where Timing Makes It Hit Harder

  28. Song That Needs Loud Volume to Work

  29. Song That Sounds Better Quiet

  30. Song That Hits Different with Headphones

  31. Song That Hits Different in the Car

  32. Song That Feels Like a Live Performance Even in Studio

  33. Song Where the First 10 Seconds Decide Everything

  34. Song with a Beat Switch That Changes the Whole Vibe

  35. Song with No Beat Switch but Still Feels Dynamic

  36. Song That Feels Like a Flex Without Bragging

  37. Song That Feels Confident but Not Aggressive

  38. Song That Is Honest to a Fault

  39. Song with the Most Unique Voice

  40. Song Where Pronunciation Makes It Better

  41. Song with Ad-Libs That Carry

  42. Song with No Ad-Libs That Still Feels Full

  43. Song with Awkward Structure That Works

  44. Song That Breaks Normal Song Rules

  45. Song That Feels Like Spoken Word but Hits

  46. Song That Feels Like a Conversation

  47. Song That Feels Like a Confession

  48. Song That Feels Like a Warning

  49. Song That Feels Ahead of Its Time Even Now

  50. Song That Sounds Stuck in Its Era but Still Works

  51. Song That Aged Badly but You Still Like It

  52. Song That Aged Perfectly

  53. Song That Sounds Expensive but Is Simple

  54. Song That Sounds Simple but Is Complex

  55. Song That Feels Minimal but Powerful

  56. Song That Feels Repetitive but Never Boring

  57. Song That Should Be Boring but Is Not

  58. Song That Builds Tension but Never Drops

  59. Song That Drops When You Do Not Expect It

  60. Song That Feels Like a Loop

  61. Song That Feels Like Time Slowing Down

  62. Song That Feels Like Time Speeding Up

  63. Song That Feels Like Silence After Noise

  64. Song That Feels Unresolved

  65. Song That Wins Over Strangers

  66. Song That Divides the Group

  67. Song That Only Works with the Right Crowd

  68. Song That Feels Like an Inside Joke

  69. Song That Feels Like a Statement

  70. Song That Feels Like a Question

  71. Song That Feels Lonely but Crowded

  72. Song You Would Risk the Aux For

  73. Song That Could Clear the Room

  74. Song with the Best Vibe Switch

  75. Song That Feels Like a Memory Replay

  76. Song That Feels Like the Last Song You Hear

  77. Song That Feels Like You Are Watching Yourself

  78. Song With Lyrics in More Than One Language

  79. Song That Samples a Classical Piece

  80. Song With a Key Change That Actually Works

  81. Song Recorded in One Take (Allegedly)

  82. Song That Was Almost Cut From the Album

  83. Song With a Secret Track or Hidden Outro

  84. Song That Was Banned Somewhere

  85. Song Written About Someone Who Never Found Out

  86. Song That Was a Demo First and Still Slaps

  87. Song With a Music Video Better Than the Song

  88. Song That Flopped on Release but Became a Classic

  89. Song With an Iconic Bassline and Nothing Else Memorable

  90. Song That Only Works as Background Music

  91. Song That Was Written in Under an Hour

  92. Song With a Guest Verse That Was Leaked Before the Song

  93. Song That Feels Like It's Skipping on Purpose

  94. Song With No Official Music Video

  95. Song That Was a Bigger Hit Somewhere Else in the World

  96. Song That Samples Itself Later in the Album

  97. Song With Lyrics That Don't Match the Vibe of the Instrumental

  98. Song That Was Rejected by Another Artist First

  99. Song That Peaked at a Weird Chart Position

  100. Song With a Title That Doesn't Appear Anywhere in the Lyrics

  101. Song That Was Originally Much Slower (or Faster)

  102. Song With an Interpolation You Didn't Notice at First

  103. Song That Feels Like It's About to End but Doesn't

  104. Song With a Feature That Wasn't Credited

  105. Song That Was Remixed Into Something Completely Different

  106. Song That Only Makes Sense With the Music Video

  107. Song That Was Leaked Before Its Official Release

  108. Song With a Vocal Run That Shouldn't Work but Does

  109. Song That Was Recorded as a Joke

  110. Song With Production That Sounds Broken on Purpose

  111. Song That Was Almost a Duet

  112. Song That Ends on an Unresolved Chord

  113. Song With No Repeated Lyrics

  114. Song That Was Written From a Dream

  115. Song With a Runtime That's a Palindrome (e.g., 3:33)

  116. Song That Was Originally a B-Side

  117. Song With a Feature Verse Longer Than the Lead Artist's

  118. Song That Was Inspired by a Painting or Book

  119. Song With Lyrics That Contradict the Title

  120. Song That Was Recorded Entirely in One Mic Take

  121. Song With No Percussion at All

  122. Song That Was a Response to Another Song

  123. Song With a Sample Cleared at the Last Minute

  124. Song That Took Years to Finish

  125. Song With a Time Signature That Feels Off

  126. Song That Ends Mid-Sentence

  127. Song With a Hidden Meaning Most People Miss

  128. Song That Was Recorded Live in the Studio With No Overdubs

  129. Song With a Runtime Under 90 Seconds That Still Hits

  130. Song That Uses the Same Chord the Whole Way Through

  131. Song With a Vocal Take That Was Never Meant to Be Used

  132. Song That Was Finished by Someone Other Than the Original Artist

  133. Song With a Bridge That Changes the Whole Meaning

  134. Song That Was Originally an Interlude

  135. Song With Lyrics Written in Reverse Chronological Order

  136. Song That Was Never Performed Live

  137. Song With a Feature That Recorded Their Verse Remotely

  138. Song That Was Almost Titled Something Completely Different

  139. Song With No Official Lyrics Sheet

  140. Song That Was Composed on a Broken Instrument

  141. Song With a Vocal Chop as the Main Hook

  142. Song That Was Mixed Completely Differently for Radio

  143. Song That Was Written Backward From the Ending

  144. Song With a Vocal Take Recorded in the Dark

  145. Song That Was Originally Instrumental

  146. Song With Lyrics That Only Make Sense After a Rewatch of the Video

  147. Song That Was Rejected by a Label First

  148. Song With a Producer Tag That's More Famous Than the Song

  149. Song That Was Recorded in a Single Afternoon

  150. Song With a Vocal Double That Isn't the Same Person

  151. Song That Changes Genre in the Bridge

  152. Song With a Melody Lifted From an Unexpected Source

  153. Song That Was Almost Never Released

  154. Song With a Runtime That Keeps Changing Across Versions

  155. Song With a Guitar Tuned Unconventionally

  156. Song That Was Written in a Different Key Than It's Played In Live

  157. Song With a Vocal Take Pitched Down for Effect

  158. Song That Uses Silence as a Percussion Instrument

  159. Song With a Sample Nobody Ever Identified

  160. Song That Was Originally Written for a Different Artist Entirely

  161. Song With a Chorus That Only Appears Once

  162. Song That Ends Exactly Where It Began

  163. Song With a Vocal Track Recorded Underwater (Allegedly)

  164. Song That Was Mixed in Mono on Purpose

  165. Song With a Guitar Solo That's Actually a Bass Solo

  166. Song That Was Performed Entirely A Cappella First

  167. Song With No Metronome Click, Feels Human

  168. Song That Was Composed Around a Single Sound Effect

  169. Song With a Vocal That Was Never Auto-Tuned

  170. Song That Feels Like It's Speeding Up Without a Tempo Change

  171. Song With Lyrics That Were Improvised on the Spot

  172. Song That Samples a Field Recording

  173. Song With a Bridge Longer Than Both Verses Combined

  174. Song That Was Cut Short on the Album Version but Longer Live

  175. Song With a Vocal Doubled an Octave Apart

  176. Song That Uses Negative Space Better Than Sound

  177. Song With a Guitar Part That Was Never Meant to Be Kept

  178. Song That Was Recorded With the Lights Off

  179. Song With a Vocal Crack Left in on Purpose

  180. Song That Was Built Around a Mistake in the Studio

  181. Song With a Drum Pattern That Never Repeats the Same Way Twice

  182. Song That Feels Like It Was Mixed by Ear, Not by Rules

  183. Song With a Vocal Take That Was the First and Only Take

  184. Song That Ends With the Instrumental Alone

  185. Song With a Guitar Tone Achieved by Accident

  186. Song That Was Never Meant to Be a Single but Became One

  187. Song With a Hook Buried in the Bridge Instead of the Chorus

  188. Song That Was Composed Entirely on a Phone

  189. Song With a Vocal Melody That Contradicts the Chord Progression

  190. Song That Feels Like It's Falling Apart on Purpose

  191. Song With a Bassline That Was Recorded Last

  192. Song That Uses the Room's Natural Reverb Instead of Effects

  193. Song With a Vocal That Was Pitched Up for the Final Mix

  194. Song That Was Originally Twice as Long

  195. Song With an Intro Longer Than the Rest of the Song Combined

  196. Song That Was Deliberately Mixed Off-Center

  197. Song With a Sample Slowed Down Beyond Recognition

  198. Song That Feels Unrehearsed but Was Practiced for Years

  199. Song With a Vocal Take Recorded Through a Phone Mic on Purpose

  200. Song That Was Written the Night Before It Was Recorded

  201. Song With a Guitar String Breaking Mid-Recording (Kept In)

  202. Song That Was Almost Scrapped After the First Playback

  203. Song With a Vocal Harmony That Was Never Planned

  204. Song That Feels Like It Shouldn't Have Been Finished but Was

  205. Song by a Local Artist Nobody Outside Your City Has Heard Of

  206. Song Where the Feature Verse Was Clearly Recorded Separately but Still Works

  207. Song That Aged Like Milk (but You Still Play It)

  208. Song by an Artist Everyone Says 'Fell Off' but You Disagree

  209. Song With an Intro So Good It Should've Been the Single

  210. Song With an Interlude Better Than Half the Album's Real Tracks

  211. Song by a Non-US Artist That Goes as Hard as Anything Domestic

  212. Song That Only Works If You Already Know the Backstory

  213. Song With a Beat So Hard the Lyrics Don't Even Matter

  214. Song That Was a Deep Cut Until One TikTok Sound Changed Everything

  215. Song That Proves the Album Version Beats the Radio Edit

  216. Song With a Verse That Should Have Been the Hook

  217. Song That Sounds Unfinished on Purpose and Is Better For It

  218. Song Where the Producer Tag Hits Harder Than the First Bar

What makes a hard mode prompt hard?

The constraint rules out the obvious answer. "Song with No Drums That Still Hits" and "Song Where the Feature Outshines the Main Artist" cannot be satisfied by reaching for a favourite; you have to hold a track in your head and check it against a rule. That is a different skill from having good taste and it separates a room fast.

Who should play hard mode prompts?

Groups where at least half the room listens deliberately. In a mixed group these rounds go quiet: two people submit immediately and everyone else stalls, which kills the pace a party game runs on. Use them with the friends who already argue about production, and use mood or wildcard prompts with everyone else.

How do you win a hard mode round?

Satisfy the constraint in a way nobody else thought was legal. Everyone finds a song with no drums. Fewer find one that genuinely hits without them, and that gap is the whole round. Explain nothing before the vote; if the pick needs a defence to land, it is not the right pick.

Hard Mode Prompts card from Aux Battles, showing Song with No Drums That Still Hits, Song Where the Hook Is Not the Best Part
Hard Mode aux battle prompts

Song lists for Hard Mode rounds

Hand-picked answers to hard mode prompts, with a reason attached to every track. Useful when a prompt lands and nothing comes to mind.

Hard Mode prompts, answered

What are Hard Mode aux battle prompts?

For music nerds. Tight constraints and deep cuts that punish anyone reaching for the obvious pick. In an aux battle, Hard Mode prompts are the brief every player answers with a single song, and the room then votes on whose pick fits best.

What are some good Hard Mode prompts for an aux battle?

Three of the 218 on this page: "Song That Feels Minimal but Powerful", "Song With Production That Sounds Broken on Purpose" and "Song That Was Mixed in Mono on Purpose". A prompt works when it is broad enough that everyone has a song for it but specific enough that the picks are worth arguing about.

How many Hard Mode aux battle prompts are there?

218 Hard Mode prompts, part of a free library of 3,505 prompts across 16 themes. They are free to read, free to copy into a group chat, and free to play through on Aux Battles with no account and no download.

How do you play an aux battle with Hard Mode prompts?

Pick one Hard Mode prompt, say "Song That Feels Minimal but Powerful", and give every player the same brief. Each person submits one song from Spotify, YouTube or SoundCloud, the room plays the submissions back without revealing who picked what, and everyone rates them. The highest average score wins the round.