Many hours of my lockdown life were spent on Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock as the effortlessly cool Judy Nails, and the recently announced Stage Tour just might be the thing to take me back to those days.
So, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably excited to know that a lot of the veteran Guitar Hero developers, and even the original Guitar Hero co-founders, Charles and Kai Huang, are involved in the project.
But with Stage Tour’s first trailer, that hit Gamescom this week, comes an onslaught of questions, so keep reading to find out everything you need to know about Guitar Hero’s spiritual sequel.
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When is the Stage Tour release date?
Soundtracked to "Kickstart My Heart" by Mötley Crüe, the trailer revealed that the release date for Stage Tour is 10 December 2026.
Stage Tour will be launching on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam and the Nintendo Switch 2.
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What to expect from Stage Tour
Developed by RedOctane Games, a reformed studio comprised of members from the original RedOctane team who were behind Guitar Hero, the game is being hailed as almost another instalment in Guitar Hero history.
The studio has even directly involved their community, including the feedback of rhythm game content creators such as Acai to aid them during development.
And with the game coming to so many platforms, crossplay is also included, so you can easily jam with your friends online as well as in local multiplayer.
In terms of the setlist, 90 songs will be included at launch, ranging from the likes of The Cure and Radiohead to Paramore and Olivia Rodrigo as the tracks span across six decades.
With a seemingly huge selection of characters to play as, stages to rock out on and instruments to choose, Stage Tour is taking Guitar Hero’s legacy to another level.
Stage Tour even has a DLC lined up, with the FAQs stating that song selection will continue to grow even after launch.
With all of this info combined in one sitting, it’s enough to make any Guitar Hero fanatic swoon.
What hardware will I need for Stage Tour?
While an official retail price for the game has not been released yet, the instrument controller hardware will have to also be purchased.
However, if you already own CRKD guitars, the Riffmaster, or any Rock Band 4 instruments, you’re in luck, as these will work natively with Stage Tour.
For legacy hardware designed for the Xbox 360, Wii, PS3 and PS2 the Stage Tour FAQs state this "may also work" but might require an adapter.
Still, this effort by RedOctane Games to make the barrier to entry as low as possible is applaudable, and displays a strong care over their loyal fanbase.
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