Stage Tour is Ready Sooner than Later

Music isn't dead, and neither are rhythm games. The veterans that spearheaded a movement more than 20 years ago, RedOctane Games, took center stage during Gamescom at the Opening Night Live. Geoff Keighley ended up introducing the spiritual successor to Guitar Hero with Stage Tour. The game has a release date, and it will be available on December 10, 2026. Ironically, the release date is right around the Game Awards. A new trailer was showcased that featured Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart. Fans are able to go hands-on with the game on the show floor if they are in attendance. You can check out the trailer below.

Gibson With a Multi-Year Partnership

The guitar manufacturer, Gibson, is on board with Stage Tour over the course of the next several years. This means that there will be over 180 authentic guitars in the game coming from the likes of Gibson, Epiphone and Kramer. This is the largest collection of real-world guitars ever featured in a music game. Players can unlock legendary instruments as they play. Over 50 bandmates will also be available with different styles and skins. This adds up to over 150 unlockable combinations. Both of these aspects are just at launch, so more will be available down the road.

Stage Tour will bring in game modes including Quickplay and Practice. Players can expect a new accuracy-focused Judgement mode and a casual Karaoke mode that are built for all-nighters. Tour Mode is a roguelite-inspired single-player experience where the player chooses the path, picks the bandmates and hits the road. Every tour plays out differently, which allows for endless replayability. More information will be revealed in the future on Tour Mode.

Gibson is Releasing Two Guitar Controllers

CRKD is reuniting the band and joining up directly with Gibson to develop a new Les Paul controller range.

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By Cory Wells

Stage Tour Pricing and Compatibility

Stage Tour will allow players to play the game their way. This won't just be guitars, as drums and microphones can be used for the game. Support goes further with standard gamepad support along with mouse and keyboard support. Custom note charts are built specifically for each input rather than simply adapting the traditional guitar experience. The Guitar Controller is the standard for the game, but anything can be used. Quickplay and Judgements allow for up to four players in any combination of controllers.

The Stage Tour game, itself, will retail for only $39.99. Fans can wishlist the game right now across storefronts. Digital pre-orders will open closer to launch with the exact date being announced soon. There is also hardware involved to purchase just in case you threw yours out while moving five years ago, and later regret it since the price of these controllers has skyrocketed on the resale market. These pre-orders, however, are open now.

Tour Mode is a roguelite-inspired single-player experience where the player chooses the path, picks the bandmates and hits the road.

Players can purchase one of four kits starting with the Kramer Guitar Controller at $109.99. There is a kit for Drums, a Wireless Microphone and a wired USB microphone. The Drum Kit comes in at $199.99, while the mics are $29.99 and $19.99. There is also a specific CRKD x Stage Tour Collection. The choice of guitar controllers on this are the 8K Gibson Explorer 20th Anniversary Edition and the Les Paul Oxblood Edition. All of these are available at the Stage Tour website.

Oh, There are Also Songs in this Game

You want music? There will be over 90 songs at launch that span six different decades of music. This is one of the biggest and most varied launch set lists in the history of the genre. RedOctane Games announce twenty new songs to go along with the previously announced. This totals 45 of the 90 being announced, so more is to come. Highlights include the aforementioned Motley Crue, The Rolling Stones, Radio Head, Paramore and much more. Check out the current list below. Can RedOctane save music once again?