Started by Johnson in 2016, The Night Game began writing music and playing small shows under the moniker "Impossible Color".

[1] Eventually Johnson changed the project's name to "The Night Game" based on a Paul Simon song.

During the production of the band's first album Johnson recalls "being angry at music", noting that it became "an office job" and thought about quitting.

[4] It was only two weeks following their release of "The Outfield" that the single was recognized by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter John Mayer via Spotify.

This caused many new listeners to pay more attention to the band, asking and demanding more music, as the group gained a mass following via social media.

On February 23, 2018, The Night Game released their fourth studio single, "Bad Girls Don't Cry".

On May 18, 2020, The Night Game announced a new record called Dog Years that would be released in eleven installments.