If you loved playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band as much as I do then you’re going to be super stoked on this news. There is a new “Guitar Hero” coming and it’s going to be released later this year. Here’s the details.
RedOctane Games is a newly formed studio led by veterans of the original Guitar Hero development team. They’ve now revealed a new game called Stage Tour. Stage Tour is a new rhythm game with a guitar controller and considered the successor to the iconic Guitar Hero franchise.
Stage Tour brings back the classic rhythm gameplay players loved. It allows users to play with guitar controllers that have the classic five-button setup. In addition to the game, the developers are releasing new hardware. This will include a Kramer-style guitar controller modeled after iconic guitars, drum controllers, and wired and wireless microphones.
Stage Tour’s partnership with guitar maker Gibson means a lot to potential players. This means fans can unlock virtual Gibson instruments in-game. And with the addition of even more playable instruments those who loved the original games will truly have a blast. It’s not clear at this point if any of the old game controllers will work, but lets hope we can plug in our old hardware and rock on.
Console and PC will get the game in Fall 2026. Stage Tour will support band play while also accommodating gamepad, keyboard, and mouse controls for those without specialized instrument hardware. A closed alpha playtest is expected to begin in late spring/early summer 2026.
RedOctane aims to grow Stage Tour as a long-term platform. Adding seasonal content and community collaboration rather than relying on sequels. So that means that there will probably be an online store and DLC.
