Rhythm game fans rejoice because Stage Tour is here to bring back those nostalgic hits for an encore. It’s being developed by RedOctane Games, at least in name, who previously worked on the earliest Guitar Hero games throughout the 2000s.
Stage Tour ambitiously claims it is “poised to rekindle the flame of plastic instrument rhythm gaming” with a new five-fret peripheral that features the blessings and support of Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer, and Mesa/Boogie for in-game authenticity.
No confirmed Stage Tour release date or pricing has been announced at this stage, other than a rough Fall 2026 window. The reveal trailer makes particular mention of its bespoke controller, looking straight out of the mid-2000s in all the right ways. We also, unfortunately, have no insight into what the soundtrack to this title could be.
Speaking of that time period, that’s certainly where Stage Tour‘s visuals come from. The upcoming rhythm game has a distinct flair to its graphics, reminiscent of the Guitar Hero series’ earlier entries, such as Legends of Rock, and continues the grungy, stylized, and gleefully garish looks of those games.
It’s claimed that Stage Tour will feature a “deep competitive spine, and an extensive roadmap of seasonal content and live events”. It’s a venerable effort; community is the heart of the rhythm game genre, which for the last 10 years has been (largely) upheld by freeware titles such as Clone Hero and YARG.
Can Stage Tour justify itself in a post-GH world?
After the better part of a decade of silence, we appear to be in something of a renaissance for five-fret rhythm games. Earlier this month, Lavoie Studios’ Fret Smasher announced its public playtest; the indie game looks incredibly similar to what we saw from the more modern Guitar Hero games, such as 2010’s Warriors of Rock. Stage Tour appears to be dialling the clock back a little further.
As someone who grew up with the Guitar Hero franchise and still regularly plays Clone Hero, I am cautiously optimistic about what Stage Tour brings to the table. It ideally needs to be a perfect storm featuring an exceptional OEM controller, an all-killer setlist, and decent game modes that will keep players coming back.
Guitar Hero and Rock Band are long since dead, and the less said about their respective attempted 2015 revivals, the better. It was no longer on RedOctane, Neversoft, Beenox, Vicarious Visions, or FreeStyleGames to deliver that experience, because it lived on through the community, the same audience Stage Tour is trying to appeal to. Let’s hope this revival can hit all the right notes.
