David Greedy / Stringer via Getty Images/Getty Images Guitar Hero Controller
By Zak Wojnar
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Fans of "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero" rejoice, your time has come again. Between 2007 and 2009 or so, the video game landscape was dominated five-fret rhythm games that made use of USB microphones and video game controllers shaped like musical instruments that allowed players to live out their inner rock-and-roll fantasy. The genre was so popular, bands like The Beatles, Metallica, Van Halen, and Green Day received their own games. These days, the genre is dead, remembered as a relic of the past... But the fans never stopped playing.
In recent years, players have had fan-made PC games like "Clone Hero" and "YARG" to keep them busy. When studios like Harmonix and Neversoft stopped charting songs, the fans took it upon themselves to do so. The fan community has created untold thousands of charts, and a small, but dedicated group of fans, myself included, have played them incessantly.
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David Greedy / Stringer via Getty Images
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Last year, CRKD developed multiple new guitar controllers and announced a new drum controller for release sometime this year, but that was just the beginning. The main attraction was unveiled today at IGN Fan Fest. Red Octane Games announced "Stage Tour," a brand new five-fret guitar game that seeks to recapture the magic of the golden age of "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band."
"Stage Tour" will feature support for Lead (Guitar), Drums, Vocals, and an option called "Groove," which looks to me like some songs will have bass guitar while others may feature rhythm guitar, instead. As for instrument controllers, it remains to be seen if the game will support older, PS3-era instruments. For players who like rhythm games but don't like guitar controllers, you can also play using a mouse and keyboard or using gamepad controls instead.
The first trailer for the game, embedded above, is little more than a tease, but it gives us a little bit of an idea of what to expect. For five-fret enthusiasts who have yet to invest in a CRKD guitar, "Stage Tour" will have a bundle option that includes a Kramer-style guitar controller. The Kramer guitar is a nod to the fan-favorite instrument shape that was previously exclusive to the PS2 versions of "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" and "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith." Visually, "Stage Tour" will feature motion capture from Eidos Montreal, giving the game a cinematic flair that's lacking from "Clone Hero" and "YARG."
"Stage Tour" isn't the only upcoming five-fret music game. There's also "Fret Smasher" and "Sound System," which seek to put their own stamp on the genre. Simply put, the next generation of music video games is here, and "Stage Tour" is its vanguard. If you're looking to get back into the scene, or if you never left, there's no time like the present. And if you just can't wait for "Stage Tour," you can still play "YARG," "Clone Hero," or "Fortnite Festival," the last of which is developed by Harmonix, the studio behind the original "Guitar Hero" titles before they moved on to the "Rock Band" series.
"Stage Tour" is currently slated to release for PC and consoles in Fall 2026.
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