Several veteran developers who worked on the original Guitar Hero games have announced their next big project: Stage Tour, a Rock Band-like rhythm game arriving later this year that the studio hopes will feel a lot like the plastic instrument games you played (and probably loved) back in the day.
Announced during IGN Fan Fest 2026, Stage Tour is the first new game from RedOctane, a studio made up of and founded by devs who previously worked with Harmonix on the original PS2-era Guitar Hero games. In 2025, the reformed RedOctane, named after the OG studio behind those popular music games, helped create a new plastic guitar controller that can be used to play Fortnite Festival, classic Rock Band games, and Clone Hero. At the time, the studio, which has since teased a new drum kit controller, made it clear this was the beginning of something bigger. Stage Tour is the next step.
“Stage Tour is our love letter to rhythm gaming,” said RedOctane boss Simon Ebejer in a press release. “We want Stage Tour to feel familiar and authentic, but also fresh, utilizing modern technology to connect gamers with the music they love and enjoying a platform that evolves and grows over time. With new instruments and deep charting systems, we’re raising the bar on what we believe a rhythm game can be, while also catering to those wishing to simply enjoy a casual experience and have a good time.”
RedOctane says Stage Tour will work with a variety of input options, including PC keyboards, and will feature songs with note charts that change depending on not just the difficulty you pick but what controller you use. The company has a deal with Gibson already lined up to offer Gibson-branded in-game guitars, similar to what was seen in Guitar Hero back in the day.
The studio says it plans to do alpha testing on Stage Tour this summer, ahead of its fall release on PC and a “wide range” of consoles.