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September 11, 2026Short & citedBlog
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How It Works • Games & Tech

Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero is a music video game franchise built around playing rock songs with a guitar-shaped controller.

Updated September 11, 20261 min readCited sources

Guitar Hero is a rhythm video game franchise that simulates playing rock songs with a guitar-shaped controller. It launched in 2005 and became a major part of the 2000s music-game boom.

What it is

Guitar Hero is a series of music video games developed initially by Harmonix and published by RedOctane and later Activision. The first game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, and the franchise expanded to multiple consoles, handhelds, and PC. It is known for its licensed rock soundtracks and plastic guitar controllers.

How it works

Players use a guitar-shaped controller with fret buttons and a strum bar to hit notes that scroll on screen in time with the music. The original games use a five-button layout, while the 2015 reboot Guitar Hero Live introduced a six-button controller. Points are earned by matching the timing and sequence of notes.

Key details

The original Guitar Hero has 47 songs (30 career, 17 bonus). Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock expanded to 73 on-disc songs. The series includes main entries, spin-offs like the Nintendo DS On Tour series (with a separate Guitar Grip accessory), and the reboot Guitar Hero Live (2015). No new mainline game has been released since, and the brand is considered dormant.

In short

  • First released in 2005 for PlayStation 2
  • Uses a five-button guitar controller (six-button in Guitar Hero Live)
  • Over 3,000 songs across all games and spin-offs
  • No new mainline release since Guitar Hero Live (2015)
Canadian angle

The franchise was widely sold in Canada on major console platforms and became part of the North American rhythm-game boom, though no Canada-specific release or Canada-only edition is identified in the provided sources.

Quick questions

What songs are on Guitar Hero?
The original Guitar Hero has 47 songs total: 30 career songs and 17 bonus songs. Across the broader series, there are roughly 3,000 songs in all games and spin-offs.
How do you play Guitar Hero?
You press the coloured fret buttons on a guitar-shaped controller and strum in time with the notes that scroll on screen. Points are earned by matching the timing and sequence of the notes.
Is Guitar Hero coming back?
There is no confirmed new mainline Guitar Hero release in the provided sources. The latest major entry was Guitar Hero Live in 2015, which was marketed as a reboot.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_in_Guitar_Hero
    Supports: Original game release year, gameplay with guitar controller, and original song count.
  2. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_in_Guitar_Hero_III:_Legends_of_Rock
    Supports: Guitar Hero III release platforms and on-disc song count.
  3. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_in_Guitar_Hero:_On_Tour_series
    Supports: DS On Tour series titles and Guitar Grip accessory.
  4. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_in_Guitar_Hero_Live
    Supports: Guitar Hero Live reboot status, six-button controller, and release information.
  5. Fandom WikiHero — https://guitarhero.fandom.com/wiki/Songs_in_the_Guitar_Hero_series
    Supports: Approximate total song count across the series.
  6. Mixdown — https://mixdownmag.com.au/features/15-of-the-most-iconic-tracks-from-the-guitar-hero-franchise/
    Supports: General franchise popularity and iconic-song context.