Gamescom ’26: Stage Tour set to arrive this December

The rhythm genre is back and ready to rock, or at least it will be, when RedOctane‘s Stage Tour arrives to round out 2026.

Starting the Stage Tour

Have you been following along with the rolling reveals that developer RedOctane has been making as to Stage Tour? If so, then you know that the rhythm game has been shaping up nicely, with a pretty loaded set list and some sharp looking gameplay. What was decidedly lacking though, was a release date.

Well, hang on, because that’s arrived as of today. Said reveal was made at Gamescom, as the annual European gaming show kicked off, taking the wraps off of a launch that’ll take place before the end of the year. The debut will be December 10th, 2026, and its reveal came complete with a fresh look at the game in action.

That trailer was headlined by the Mötley Crüe classic “Kickstart My Heart,” and came packing a monster list of bands. What we’ve seen thus far, while impressive, was just half the story. When it comes to the final game, fans can look forward to over 90s songs to play.

And the list of talent is impressive as well, with artists like “The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Radiohead, The Cure, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mötley Crüe, Paramore and Olivia Rodrigo”. Those songs will play into multiple modes, like Quickplay, Practice, Judgements, and Karaoke.

The first two there should be pretty self-explanatory, though Judgements and Karaoke are altogether new. They’re also night and day different. The former is a mode where players will shoot for accuracy above all, while Karaoke is all about jamming, with an eye towards get-togethers.

Maximum tunage

As we mentioned above, Gamescom has seen way more info made official as goes Stage Tour. Like, way more. And yes, those tidbits include more of the songs that’ll be on the setlist, as the game makes its way to a total of over 90. Yes, “makes its way”. Even though there was a ton more revealed about this one, we still don’t have the full collection of songs.

Those reveals will continue, via the Stage Tour Setlist Reveals that we’ve been reporting on. Still, as of now, we do have a mighty 20 more tunes to tell you about. Those include work from some of the all-time greats, as well as modern stars.

The in-game options wont’t stop there either. Stage Tour will serve up a pretty meaty list of licensed in-game guitars. Those will include 180 altogether, hailing from brands like Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer. The idea is that players will be able to unlock new guitars as they go, with their characters wielding them on the game’s virtual stages.

Speaking of going on stage too, fans can also look for a total of 50 bandmates to pick from. According to RedOctane, each of those will have their “own style and skins”. And the total number of options will add up to 150 “unlockable combinations at launch.” Does that mean there might be more coming via post-launch downloadable content? Kind of sounds like it.

Of instruments and editions

“Today we’re pulling back the curtain and giving fans a glimpse at what’s behind,” said Simon Ebejer, Studio Head at RedOctane Games.  “We’ve shared our progress with fans publicly and with members of the community in closed alpha builds earlier than is typical in the games industry, allowing their feedback to shape the development of Stage Tour.  Familiar but fresh has been our mantra from day one, and whether you’re picking up a guitar controller, drum controller, a microphone, or a gamepad to play Arcade Mode, there’s a way to play that feels made for you, because it was.”

RedOctane press release

As you can see there, RedOctane aims to make most genre fans feel comfortable with Stage Tour. With that, it sounds like if you’ve played music games to death in the past, you should be able to jam with little effort in this new title. To that end, there’ll be a number of controller options.

Said options will include the ability to play with a controller or even a mouse and keyboard. Players who choose those means will find that the UI will adjust to them as well. So hopefully that means there shouldn’t be too much stumbling about. While that’s pretty neat though, there are also some special controllers inbound.

Stage Tour will offer up bundles with guitars included, as well as a drum kit, and multiple mics. Peripheral maker CRKD will even be getting in on the action, with a special lineup hitting retail just for the game. Pricing on all of that will run the gamut, starting at $39.99 USD for the game itself. From there, guitar bundles will be priced at $129.99 USD, and an all-encompassing Stage Tour Band Kit + Game Bundle will be tagged at $299.99 USD.

Here’s the full rundown of hardware and bundles, complete with pricing, straight from RedOctane:

Fans can secure the complete Stage Tour experience today with the Stage Tour Kramer Guitar & Game Bundle, pairing the official Kramer Guitar Controller with the full Stage Tour game, starting at $129.99 USD / €139.99 / £119.99 at stagetour.com and participating retailers.

Gamers who pre-order the Kramer Guitar & Game Bundle at stagetour.com will also receive an exclusive Stage Tour Comic Book made in collaboration with Dark Horse Comics, as a pre-order bonus.

For those ready to build their full band, the more you pre-order, the more you save at stagetour.com. Bundle multiple pieces of Stage Tour hardware together, including the Stage Tour Band Kit + Game Bundle for $299.99 USD / €314.99 / £269.99, giving players everything they need to turn the living room into a world-class stage. 

Official Stage Tour hardware will also be available to purchase individually, including:

• Stage Tour Kramer Guitar Controller – $109.99 USD / €114.99 / £99.99
• Stage Tour Drum Kit – $199.99 USD / €209.99 / £179.99
• Stage Tour Wireless Microphone – $29.99 USD / €29.99 / £27.99
• Stage Tour Wired USB Microphone – $19.99 USD / €19.99 / £17.99

CRKD x Stage Tour Collection

The CRKD x Stage Tour Collection expands the lineup with a new rangle of officially licensed Gibson guitar controllers, including:

• CRKD Stage Tour 8K Gibson Explorer 20th Anniversary Edition – PC/Multi-Platform: $129.99 USD / €134.99 / £119.99
• CRKD Stage Tour Gibson Les Paul Oxblood Edition – PC/Multi-Platform: $119.99 USD / €124.99 / £109.99
• CRKD Stage Tour Gibson Les Paul Oxblood Edition – XBOX Series X|S/PC: $129.99 USD / €134.99 / £119.99

Pre-order Stage Tour game bundles and official hardware now at stagetour.com.

Wishlist Stage Tour on Steam, PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S and Epic Games Store, andfollow @stagetourgame on all socials for the latest updates, news and official announcements: stgame.io/socials

RedOctane press release