Stage Tour Could Bring Guitar Hero Nights Back
I once thought plastic-guitar games looked ridiculous. Then Guitar Hero III took over my family’s Wii.
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The short version
- Stage Tour launches December 10, 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
- The game promises more than 90 licensed songs plus guitar, bass, drums, vocals, keyboard, and gamepad play.
- I have not played it yet. I am excited because it may finally create the kind of loud family game nights Guitar Hero once gave me.
I used to think this looked ridiculous
I am far more excited for Stage Tour than I expected to be. I have not played it, so this is not a preview or a review. It is a reaction from someone who remembers exactly what plastic-guitar games did to his family.
When I first heard about Guitar Hero and Rock Band in high school, I thought the people playing them were weird. Standing in front of a television with a plastic guitar sounded dumb. Then Guitar Hero III went on sale for Wii, my family bought it, and I was completely wrong.
Then Guitar Hero took over the house
My brothers and I played for hours. We tried to master Through the Fire and Flames on Expert, laughed at each other, yelled at the screen, competed, and kept taking another run. It was never only about finishing a song. The fun came from everybody being in the room together.
That is what I miss. A lot of games let families play together, but Guitar Hero turned the room into the game. Even the people who were not holding a guitar were watching, laughing, and waiting for their turn.
Going back has not worked
I have tried to get my old Wii versions running again. The games still work, but aging and broken guitars make it difficult. The controls no longer feel tight, and the off-brand replacements never feel quite like the original hardware.
Stage Tour is offering new Kramer guitar controllers, drums, and microphones. RedOctane also says many modern instruments will work on their supported platforms, while older Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, and PS2 hardware may need adapters. New hardware that actually feels right may be as important as the game itself.
Stage Tour gets the important part
Stage Tour launches December 10 on Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The official site lists more than 90 licensed songs across six decades, with lead guitar, bass, drums, vocals, keyboard, and gamepad support. It can be played offline, and RedOctane says the song list will grow through downloadable content.
Those are good details. My biggest long-term hope is simple: keep the licensed music available. I want this to be a game families can keep playing, not something that loses half its identity after a few years.
I want to start new family nights
I do not think any new game can recreate the exact feeling of playing Guitar Hero with my brothers for hours. It should not have to. Those nights belonged to that time in our lives.
What Stage Tour can do is help me start something new. I am excited to play it with my wife and our two sons—to laugh, fail songs, compete, and let the boys experience a game that takes over the room instead of sending everybody to a different screen.
What song would make you pick up a plastic guitar again?