diff --git a/app/Models/Multiplayer/PlaylistItem.php b/app/Models/Multiplayer/PlaylistItem.php
index 4c8e6175505..4782c1714a5 100644
--- a/app/Models/Multiplayer/PlaylistItem.php
+++ b/app/Models/Multiplayer/PlaylistItem.php
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
  * @property int $owner_id
  * @property int|null $playlist_order
  * @property json|null $required_mods
+ * @property bool $freestyle
  * @property Room $room
  * @property int $room_id
  * @property int|null $ruleset_id
@@ -35,6 +36,7 @@ class PlaylistItem extends Model
     protected $casts = [
         'allowed_mods' => 'object',
         'expired' => 'boolean',
+        'freestyle' => 'boolean',
         'required_mods' => 'object',
     ];
 
@@ -64,6 +66,7 @@ public static function fromJsonParams(User $owner, $json)
             $obj->$field = $value;
         }
 
+        $obj->freestyle = get_bool($json['freestyle'] ?? false);
         $obj->max_attempts = get_int($json['max_attempts'] ?? null);
 
         $modsHelper = app('mods');
@@ -169,6 +172,13 @@ private function assertValidRuleset()
 
     private function assertValidMods()
     {
+        if ($this->freestyle) {
+            if (count($this->allowed_mods) !== 0 || count($this->required_mods) !== 0) {
+                throw new InvariantException("mod isn't allowed in freestyle");
+            }
+            return;
+        }
+
         $allowedModIds = array_column($this->allowed_mods, 'acronym');
         $requiredModIds = array_column($this->required_mods, 'acronym');
 
diff --git a/app/Models/Multiplayer/Room.php b/app/Models/Multiplayer/Room.php
index 30041b14c4b..06088752613 100644
--- a/app/Models/Multiplayer/Room.php
+++ b/app/Models/Multiplayer/Room.php
@@ -662,9 +662,21 @@ public function startPlay(User $user, PlaylistItem $playlistItem, array $rawPara
     {
         priv_check_user($user, 'MultiplayerScoreSubmit', $this)->ensureCan();
 
-        $this->assertValidStartPlay($user, $playlistItem);
+        $params = get_params($rawParams, null, [
+            'beatmap_hash',
+            'beatmap_id:int',
+            'build_id',
+            'ruleset_id:int',
+        ], ['null_missing' => true]);
+
+        if (!$playlistItem->freestyle) {
+            $params['beatmap_id'] = $playlistItem->beatmap_id;
+            $params['ruleset_id'] = $playlistItem->ruleset_id;
+        }
 
-        return $this->getConnection()->transaction(function () use ($playlistItem, $rawParams, $user) {
+        $this->assertValidStartPlay($user, $playlistItem, $params);
+
+        return $this->getConnection()->transaction(function () use ($params, $playlistItem, $user) {
             $agg = UserScoreAggregate::new($user, $this);
             if ($agg->wasRecentlyCreated) {
                 $this->incrementInstance('participant_count');
@@ -676,11 +688,11 @@ public function startPlay(User $user, PlaylistItem $playlistItem, array $rawPara
             $playlistItemAgg->updateUserAttempts();
 
             return ScoreToken::create([
-                'beatmap_hash' => get_string($rawParams['beatmap_hash'] ?? null),
-                'beatmap_id' => $playlistItem->beatmap_id,
-                'build_id' => $rawParams['build_id'],
+                'beatmap_hash' => $params['beatmap_hash'],
+                'beatmap_id' => $params['beatmap_id'],
+                'build_id' => $params['build_id'],
                 'playlist_item_id' => $playlistItem->getKey(),
-                'ruleset_id' => $playlistItem->ruleset_id,
+                'ruleset_id' => $params['ruleset_id'],
                 'user_id' => $user->getKey(),
             ]);
         });
@@ -741,7 +753,7 @@ private function assertValidStartGame()
         }
     }
 
-    private function assertValidStartPlay(User $user, PlaylistItem $playlistItem)
+    private function assertValidStartPlay(User $user, PlaylistItem $playlistItem, array $params): void
     {
         // todo: check against room's end time (to see if player has enough time to play this beatmap) and is under the room's max attempts limit
 
@@ -749,6 +761,13 @@ private function assertValidStartPlay(User $user, PlaylistItem $playlistItem)
             throw new InvariantException('Room has already ended.');
         }
 
+        if ($playlistItem->freestyle) {
+            // assert the beatmap_id is part of playlist item's beatmapset
+            if ($playlistItem->beatmap->beatmapset_id !== Beatmap::find($params['beatmap_id'])?->beatmapset_id) {
+                throw new InvariantException('Specified beatmap_id is not allowed');
+            }
+        }
+
         $userId = $user->getKey();
         if ($this->max_attempts !== null) {
             $roomStats = $this->userHighScores()->where('user_id', $userId)->first();
diff --git a/app/Transformers/Multiplayer/PlaylistItemTransformer.php b/app/Transformers/Multiplayer/PlaylistItemTransformer.php
index 99cd7f98d83..f7b331b05e9 100644
--- a/app/Transformers/Multiplayer/PlaylistItemTransformer.php
+++ b/app/Transformers/Multiplayer/PlaylistItemTransformer.php
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ public function transform(PlaylistItem $item)
             'ruleset_id' => $item->ruleset_id,
             'allowed_mods' => $item->allowed_mods,
             'required_mods' => $item->required_mods,
+            'freestyle' => $item->freestyle,
             'expired' => $item->expired,
             'owner_id' => $item->owner_id,
             'playlist_order' => $item->playlist_order,
diff --git a/database/migrations/2025_01_16_000000_add_freestyle_to_multiplayer_playlist_items.php b/database/migrations/2025_01_16_000000_add_freestyle_to_multiplayer_playlist_items.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9136afe63b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2025_01_16_000000_add_freestyle_to_multiplayer_playlist_items.php
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+<?php
+
+// Copyright (c) ppy Pty Ltd <contact@ppy.sh>. Licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0.
+// See the LICENCE file in the repository root for full licence text.
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    /**
+     * Run the migrations.
+     */
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('multiplayer_playlist_items', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->boolean('freestyle')->after('required_mods')->default(false);
+        });
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Reverse the migrations.
+     */
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('multiplayer_playlist_items', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->dropColumn('freestyle');
+        });
+    }
+};