hololive Dreams Review — The Verdict After Three Weeks

hololive Dreams (holodori) is the rare launch that makes two completely different games look like one: on mobile it's a polished, generously monetized rhythm RPG that sits at 4.9 stars on the App Store; on Steam it's a 61%-positive Mixed mess of anti-cheat, keyboard awkwardness, and locked-out leaderboards. Same build, same songs, radically different reception. This review sorts the signal from the noise: what the game does genuinely well, where it's genuinely broken, and who should (and shouldn't) install it. For the raw data behind the ratings, the platforms guide has the version-by-version comparison.

The Ratings Story: Why Mobile Loves It and Steam Doesn't

The numbers as of August 13, 2026:

• App Store: 4.9/5 (4,781 ratings) — per the App Store listing
• Google Play: 4.6/5 (46,951 ratings) — per the Google Play listing
• Steam: Mixed — 61% positive from 1,243 English reviews (65% across all languages) — per the Steam store page

The gap isn't a mystery: the top Steam reviews are dominated by two concrete complaints — PC players are excluded from score-rate rankings and event leaderboards (locking achievements and event rewards), and the kernel-level anti-cheat + keyboard-first controls make the PC rhythm experience worse than the mobile one. Neither issue exists on mobile. One widely-upvoted review sums it up: "PC players can't participate in the score ranking system... Don't publish a game on PC if you're just going to punish players for using the PC version."

Official source: the App Store listing shows 4.9 from 4,781 ratings and the Steam store page shows Mixed (61% of 1,243 English reviews) — both figures as of August 13, 2026.

What hololive Dreams Does Brilliantly

• The song library. 150+ tracks at launch with every member's originals, unit songs, and a curated cover set — then +25 songs in the first 15 days via the Extra Song Campaign. Few rhythm gacha launch with this much licensed-and-original depth (Wikipedia documents the scope).
• The Redraw Gacha. The unlimited-redraw starter banner with a guaranteed 5-star of your chosen member is the most player-friendly opening system in the genre — no account rerolling required (see the reroll guide).
• Create Chart. A real in-game chart editor with damage notes, speed shifts, and global publishing. This is the feature that makes the song list infinite (create chart guide).
• Fan service density. Every facility, costume, and mini-game is a hololive inside joke; the holohome go-board easter egg (Miko + Fubuki = the legendary 23-second note) is the kind of detail that builds cults.
• F2P friendliness. Members and songs are unlockable entirely without paying via daily holomem quests; the mailbox (pre-registration + login bonus) funds your first real pulls.

What hololive Dreams Gets Wrong

• The PC version. Anti-cheat false-positives, Deck/Linux blocked, leaderboard exclusion, and controls that feel like touch mapped to keys. The system requirements guide documents the anti-cheat situation; the review consensus is that PC players get the worst version of a good game.
• Optimization. Frame drops on mid-range hardware and mobile heat are the most common complaint in Google Play reviews. There are no advanced graphics settings to tune.
• The tutorial is long. 30–60 minutes before systems fully open; the story gate keeps some players from ever reaching the good part.
• The 500k power wall. Chapter 2 Episode 12 demands a team power figure that takes weeks of uncapping and Board grinding (documented in the ResetEra OT thread) — live-service pacing that surprises rhythm-game veterans.
• Memberships are mobile-only. The per-member subscriptions are blocked on Steam, another platform-fairness complaint.

Who Should Play It

Play it if: you're a hololive fan (this is the best fan-service density in any official hololive game), a casual rhythm player (the difficulty spread and autoplay make it approachable), or a mobile-first player who wants a generous gacha rhythm game.

Think twice if: you're a PC-only player chasing leaderboards (you currently can't), a Steam Deck owner (anti-cheat blocks it), or a hardcore arcade-rhythm purist (team math outranks execution at the top of the scoreboard — the RPG half is half the formula, per the how to play guide).

FAQ

Is hololive Dreams good? The rhythm core, song library, and fan service are excellent; the mobile experience is a 4.9-star game. The PC version is the weak point — Mixed on Steam due to leaderboard exclusion and anti-cheat issues.

Why is the Steam rating Mixed? Two documented reasons: PC players are excluded from score-rate and some event leaderboards (blocking achievements and rewards), and the kernel-level anti-cheat plus keyboard controls hurt the PC rhythm experience. Neither issue exists on mobile.

Is it worth playing? Free to try. For hololive fans and casual rhythm players, yes — especially on mobile. PC-only leaderboard chasers should wait for the platform fixes.

What is the Metacritic score? No significant critic Metacritic score exists yet three weeks after launch. The meaningful data is the store split: 4.9 App Store / 4.6 Google Play / Mixed on Steam.

Related Guides

• hololive Dreams Platforms — Steam, Mobile, Cross-Save, Deck
• Is hololive Dreams Free — Price and Membership
• How Long is hololive Dreams — Playtime Breakdown
• hololive Dreams Guide — Everything New Players Need
• hololive Dreams Tier List — Best Members and Leaders Ranked

Official resources: Steam store page · App Store · Google Play · Wikipedia

Last Updated: August 13, 2026