Guitar Hero vets return with Stage Tour, a new rhythm game coming this year with a closed alpha playtest launching soon

I've spent over a decade pining for the glory days of Guitar Hero and Rock Band to make their triumphant return, and it seems the rock gods have heard my prayers. RedOctane Games – a reconstituted version of one of the OG Guitar Hero studios, with several original devs in tow – has revealed Stage Tour, and it looks like exactly the plastic instrument heaven I've been waiting for, even if some unanswered questions remain.

The reveal trailer makes no bones about the kind of game Stage Tour is. You and up to three friends take on some combination of microphones, drums, and five fret guitars and play along to an array of rock and metal tracks. The official site makes clear you'll also be able to play with gamepad or keyboard controls, but let's be real – it's the plastic instruments that are going to make or break this thing.

There will be a new guitar, modeled after Gibson's Kramer, that'll be offered in a bundle with the game. (Sadly, the game itself is digital only, though the devs note in a blog post that they'll consider a physical edition down the line.) There's also a new drum controller on the way which will "likely" be out before the game itself. And, of course, you'll have your choice of wired and wireless microphones, including some with Stage Tour branding.

STAGE TOUR • Official Game Reveal - YouTube

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Stage Tour is set to launch this fall across PC and a "wide range" of consoles. There will also be a closed alpha in "late spring/early summer," and the devs expect sign-ups for that alpha to begin soon.

There are no details on the game's soundtrack yet – and that'll obviously be essential to the game's success – but the real question is how Stage Tour will be expanded. An oversaturation of sequels and expansions is part of what killed these rhythm games in the first place, and it sounds like the devs are taking cues from modern live service titles to keep that from happening again.

"The plan is regular special events that are more than just music drops," the announcement blog explains. "Real moments. Real themes. Real updates. We want to evolve the game alongside the fans who support it. Improve it. Expand it. Keep it alive. This is not about a sequel treadmill. It is about building something for the long haul."

I couldn't be more excited to see this type of game make a comeback, but Stage Tour has a lot of questions to answer – perhaps none more pressing than how it'll compare to Fortnite Festival and community projects like Clone Hero. The devs are keen to note that they're already working with members of the rhythm game community to make Stage Tour all it can be, which bodes well, but we'll have to wait and see how the game ultimately shapes up.

Here are the best rhythm games you can play right now.