No Guitar Hero game has been built for the PS5. The last entry in the franchise, Guitar Hero Live, launched in 2015 for PS4, and Activision has not released a successor for any platform since. On PS5, the situation is workable but limited: Guitar Hero Live runs through PS4 backward compatibility, though its online music streaming service was permanently shut down years ago. Everything that made it a live-service game is gone. What remains is the local single-player disc experience.
That said, 2025 and 2026 have brought genuine reasons for rhythm game fans to pay attention. The original creators of Guitar Hero are back, a new guitar controller category has emerged for PS5, and the question of “what should I actually play if I want Guitar Hero on PS5” now has real, substantive answers beyond “you can’t.”
Is Guitar Hero Available on PS5? (2026 Status)
There is no native Guitar Hero game designed or released for the PS5 as of April 2026. The franchise produced its last title over a decade ago, and no publisher has announced a PS5-specific Guitar Hero release. Guitar Hero Live (2015) remains the most recent entry in the series, available as a PS4 disc that runs on PS5 via backward compatibility.
Backward compatibility means the disc will load and the base game is playable. But Guitar Hero Live was built around a live-streaming music service called GHTV, which broadcast music videos in real time as the game’s central feature. That service shut down in 2018. Without it, the game’s GHTV library (hundreds of songs) is completely inaccessible. Only the “GH Live” campaign mode remains, which covers around 42 tracks spread across two setlists.
PS3 and PS2 Guitar Hero games do not work on PS5 at all. Sony’s backward compatibility on PS5 covers PS4 titles only. The PlayStation 3 library, where the bulk of the classic Guitar Hero catalog lives, is not supported.
“The only Guitar Hero compatible with PS5 is the PS4 version of Guitar Hero Live, a now-defunct live service game which used its own 6-button controller.”
— r/GuitarHero, community thread “Is there a guitar hero for ps5?” (1 year ago, 60+ comments)
That quote from r/GuitarHero, a community known for tracking every hardware compatibility nuance in the franchise, captures the state of things with appropriate precision. Guitar Hero Live runs. GHTV does not. The classic games do not run at all.
How to Play Guitar Hero Live on PS5
Playing Guitar Hero Live on PS5 requires the PS4 disc version of the game and the Guitar Hero Live wireless guitar controller with its USB dongle. The controller does not connect via Bluetooth directly to the PS5. The USB receiver must be plugged into one of the PS5’s USB ports.
Setup steps:
- Insert the Guitar Hero Live PS4 disc into the PS5.
- Plug the Guitar Hero Live USB wireless dongle into a USB port on the PS5 (front or rear).
- Press the sync button on the guitar controller. Both the dongle and the controller should flash and then hold solid when paired.
- Launch the game. The PS5 will recognize it as a PS4 backward compatibility title and load normally.
If the guitar flashes but does not sync, try the rear USB ports on the PS5 rather than the front ports. Some users on r/GuitarHero have reported more consistent pairing behavior from the rear ports. The dongle-based connection does not use Bluetooth, so there is no need to configure anything in the PS5’s Bluetooth settings.
One important limitation: the Guitar Hero Live controller is a 6-button guitar (two rows of three frets) rather than the traditional 5-button layout used in Guitar Hero 3, Guitar Hero World Tour, and most other entries. This controller is not interchangeable with older Guitar Hero guitars. It only works with Guitar Hero Live.
| Guitar Hero Title | Runs on PS5? | Full Content Access? | Controller Type Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guitar Hero Live (PS4) | Yes (via backward compat) | Partial (GHTV offline, ~42 tracks remain) | GH Live 6-button guitar + dongle |
| Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock (PS3) | No | N/A | N/A |
| Guitar Hero World Tour (PS3) | No | N/A | N/A |
| Guitar Hero 5 (PS3) | No | N/A | N/A |
| Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (PS3) | No | N/A | N/A |
The Best Guitar Hero Alternatives on PS5
Rock Band 4 is the strongest option for players who want a proper guitar-based rhythm game on PS5 right now. It runs natively on PS5 via backward compatibility, receives regular weekly DLC song additions, and supports the traditional 5-button guitar neck that most Guitar Hero fans grew up with. The song library has grown to over 3,000 tracks through paid DLC. The PDP Riffmaster guitar controller (detailed below) was specifically designed to work with Rock Band 4 on PS5.
Fortnite Festival, which launched as part of Fortnite in late 2023, added a guitar-based rhythm mode to a game already installed on tens of millions of PS5 consoles. The song selection updates regularly with current charting tracks. It uses the PDP Riffmaster controller and CRKD guitars for hardware mode, or a DualSense controller for players without a guitar peripheral.
Clone Hero is the community’s other major answer, but it runs on PC only. It does not have a PS5 version. Players who want Clone Hero need a Windows, Mac, or Linux machine. The game is free and supports the full library of 5-button Guitar Hero controllers, with a massive catalog of user-created song charts covering virtually every artist imaginable. If you are willing to play on a PC hooked to a TV, Clone Hero with a budget guitar controller is arguably the best Guitar Hero-style experience available today.
| Game | PS5 Compatible | Song Library | Guitar Controller Required | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Band 4 | Yes (PS4 backward compat) | 3,000+ (base + DLC) | Yes (Riffmaster, legacy guitars) | ~$20 used + DLC |
| Fortnite Festival | Yes (native) | Rotating weekly catalog | Optional (Riffmaster, CRKD) | Free (base) |
| Guitar Hero Live (PS4) | Yes (backward compat) | ~42 tracks (GHTV offline) | Yes (GH Live 6-button only) | ~$15-30 used disc |
| Clone Hero | No (PC only) | Unlimited (user charts) | Yes (5-button guitars) | Free |
For the guitar hero ps5 player who wants something that feels closest to the original experience, Rock Band 4 with a Riffmaster or legacy guitar is the practical choice. The note highway, strum mechanics, and track structure are nearly identical to Guitar Hero’s core gameplay, built by Harmonix, the same studio that created Guitar Hero before Activision took over the franchise.
Guitar Controllers That Work on PS5
Three distinct guitar controller categories work with PS5 in 2026: the dedicated PDP Riffmaster, the newer CRKD Gibson-style guitars, and legacy 5-button Guitar Hero controllers with compatibility adapters. Each option serves a different budget and use case.
The PDP Riffmaster is the dedicated PS5 guitar controller, released in 2023 at a launch price of $130. It features a 30-foot wireless connection, a built-in rechargeable battery rated for up to 36 hours of play per charge, and a 5-button fret layout compatible with Rock Band 4, Fortnite Festival, and Clone Hero (on PC). Some users in r/CloneHero have reported occasional game recognition issues when using it with Clone Hero via adapters, but Rock Band 4 and Fortnite Festival work reliably.
The CRKD Gibson Les Paul guitars are a newer category, developed in partnership with RedOctane Games. These controllers are designed to be compatible with PS4 and PS5 games. The CRKD lineup includes multiple finish options. Multiple players on r/CloneHero have discussed the CRKD guitars as their primary recommendation for people buying new controllers in 2025 and 2026.
Legacy Guitar Hero guitars (the ones from Guitar Hero 3, Guitar Hero 5, etc.) require a compatibility adapter to work on PS5. The most commonly discussed solution in the r/GuitarHero community is a USB adapter that translates the old wireless protocol. Without an adapter, older Activision-era guitars will not pair with the PS5.
| Controller | PS5 Native | Price | Battery | Works With |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDP Riffmaster | Yes | ~$130 | 36 hours rechargeable | Rock Band 4, Fortnite Festival, Clone Hero (PC) |
| CRKD Gibson Les Paul | Yes | Varies by model | Varies | PS4/PS5 rhythm games, Clone Hero (PC) |
| Legacy GH Guitar (5-button) | Adapter required | $20-50 used | AA batteries | Rock Band 4, Clone Hero (with adapter) |
| GH Live Guitar (6-button) | Yes (with dongle) | $15-40 used | AA batteries | Guitar Hero Live only |
The community’s cost-effective recommendation from r/GuitarHero threads: buy a used Guitar Hero 3 or Guitar Hero World Tour guitar plus a USB adapter for around $40-60 total. For players investing in something new and long-term, the Riffmaster is the most supported option.
Why There Is No Guitar Hero PS5 Game
The absence of a guitar hero ps5 title is not an oversight. Guitar Hero’s disappearance had multiple causes, none of them sudden. Between 2005 and 2010, Activision released roughly 15 Guitar Hero titles across every major platform. The market hit saturation fast. By 2011, retail interest collapsed, Activision shuttered the Guitar Hero brand entirely, and the peripheral controllers stacked up unsold in store clearance bins.
The 2015 comeback attempt with Guitar Hero Live tried a fundamentally different model: a live-service game monetized through a streaming music subscription. That model failed when GHTV’s revenue could not justify the ongoing licensing costs for the streaming library. When Activision shut GHTV down in 2018, it took the game’s primary feature with it.
Music licensing remains the core financial obstacle for any revival. Each track in a Guitar Hero game requires individual licensing from the artist, label, and sometimes multiple publishing rights holders. The catalog approach that made Guitar Hero 3 and Guitar Hero World Tour so compelling costs substantially more to replicate now than it did in 2007. For a PS5 game to compete with the nostalgia it would need to satisfy, it would need hundreds of licensed tracks. That is an expensive starting position for a franchise that last failed commercially in 2018.
Stage Tour and RedOctane Games: What Is Actually Coming
In August 2025, the company that created Guitar Hero announced its return. RedOctane Games launched as a new studio under Embracer Freemode, headed by Simon Ebejer, who served as Production Director on multiple Guitar Hero games and later VP of Operations at Blizzard Entertainment. Charles and Kai Huang, the original founders of Guitar Hero, came aboard as advisors.
The studio’s announcement was careful about one thing: this is not Guitar Hero. The official RedOctane Games blog post stated: “This game won’t be Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, Guitar Freaks or Rockband. This is something new. A rhythm game built with love, by people who care, with the community at its core in this fast-changing modern world we live in.”
That game is called Stage Tour. It was formally unveiled in February 2026 and is scheduled for release in Fall 2026 on PC and consoles. No specific PS5 listing has been confirmed, but “consoles” is widely understood to include PS5 given the studio’s PlayStation background and the fact that RedOctane Games collaborated with CRKD on a new Gibson Les Paul guitar controller compatible with PS4 and PS5.
Stage Tour is being positioned as a spiritual successor, not a direct continuation. The original Guitar Hero vets who built it have spent years watching the fan community keep rhythm gaming alive through Clone Hero, Fortnite Festival, and Rock Band. They are building for that audience, people who already know what a fret button feels like and want something new to play.
“Rhythm games are about more than just gameplay — they’re about feel, flow, and connection to the music and to each other.”
— Simon Ebejer, Studio Head, RedOctane Games (August 2025)
For a franchise that spent almost a decade completely dormant, the founders of Guitar Hero returning and building something new is a more meaningful development than it might first appear. The people who created the original experience are making something designed for 2026 players, not a nostalgia cash-in.
Frequently Asked Questions About Guitar Hero on PS5
Is there a Guitar Hero game on PS5?
No Guitar Hero game has been released natively for the PS5. The only Guitar Hero title that runs on PS5 is Guitar Hero Live (PS4), which works via backward compatibility but has limited content since its online service was shut down in 2018.
Can you play Guitar Hero Live on PS5?
Yes. Guitar Hero Live (PS4 disc) runs on PS5 via backward compatibility. You will need the physical PS4 disc and the Guitar Hero Live wireless guitar controller with its USB dongle. The game’s GHTV online streaming mode is permanently offline, leaving only the GH Live campaign mode with approximately 42 tracks.
Do PS3 Guitar Hero games work on PS5?
No. The PS5 supports backward compatibility for PS4 games only. PS3 games, including Guitar Hero 3, Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero 5, and other classic entries in the series, are not compatible with PS5.
What guitar games can you play on PS5?
Rock Band 4 (PS4 backward compatibility), Fortnite Festival (native PS5), and Guitar Hero Live (PS4 backward compatibility with limited content) are the main options. Rock Band 4 is the most complete guitar rhythm game currently available on PS5.
Does the PDP Riffmaster work on PS5?
Yes. The PDP Riffmaster is a dedicated PS5 guitar controller priced at approximately $130. It features a 30-foot wireless range, a rechargeable battery lasting up to 36 hours, and compatibility with Rock Band 4 and Fortnite Festival on PS5. Some users report adapter-related issues when trying to use it with Clone Hero on PC.
Will there be a new Guitar Hero game for PS5?
Not directly. The original Guitar Hero creators at RedOctane Games are developing Stage Tour, a spiritual successor launching Fall 2026 for PC and consoles. RedOctane has stated this is not Guitar Hero, but a new rhythm game built by the same team. A PS5 version is expected based on the studio’s PlayStation background and their controller partnership with CRKD.
What is Stage Tour?
Stage Tour is a new rhythm game developed by RedOctane Games, the studio founded by the original Guitar Hero creators. Announced in February 2026 and slated for Fall 2026 release on PC and consoles, it is described as a “spiritual successor” to Guitar Hero. It is not an official Guitar Hero sequel and carries no Activision branding.
Can I use my old Guitar Hero guitars on PS5?
Legacy 5-button Guitar Hero guitars (from Guitar Hero 3, World Tour, etc.) require a USB compatibility adapter to function on PS5. Without an adapter, they will not pair. With an adapter, they can be used with Rock Band 4 and Clone Hero on PC. The Guitar Hero Live 6-button controller works on PS5 via its included USB dongle, no adapter needed.
Is Rock Band 4 better than Guitar Hero Live on PS5?
For most players, yes. Rock Band 4 has an active song library growing through weekly DLC, uses the familiar 5-button guitar layout, and has developer support. Guitar Hero Live is limited to around 42 campaign tracks since its online service shut down. Rock Band 4 offers a substantially more complete experience on PS5 in 2026.
Where can I buy Guitar Hero Live for PS4 to play on PS5?
Guitar Hero Live PS4 disc copies are available through eBay, Amazon’s used marketplace, and local used game stores. Pricing typically runs between $15 and $40 for the game disc and guitar bundle. Purchasing the bundle with the guitar is important, since the 6-button GH Live controller is not compatible with any other game and can be hard to find separately.
Guitar Hero built a generation of music fans who genuinely learned to hear songs differently after playing through them on a controller. The PS5 does not have that experience in any native form. But the genre it helped create is not gone. Rock Band 4 is alive. Fortnite Festival exists. And the team that started everything in 2005 is back at work on something built for right now.
