Global InformationList of downloadable songs for the Rock Band series information
| List of downloadable songs for the Rock Band series | |
|---|---|
| Songs released | 2,784 |
| Packs released | 288 |
| Albums released | 25 |
| |
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Harmonix typically provides three to six new tracks per week available to all consoles as listed below. From March 2010 until September 2014, authoring groups could submit their own tracks for peer review through the Rock Band Network.
Players can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album, usually at a discounted rate. Tracks released for Rock Band 2 on the Wii platform are only available as singles while Rock Band 3 offers multi-song packs as well as singles. Since on-disc songs are not available for download, some albums are incomplete. For example, the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik is available for download; it contains the song "Give it Away" on Rock Band 2 and Blitz, so the downloadable album does not include "Give it Away".
Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released prior to October 26, 2010, are cross-compatible among Rock Band, Rock Band 2, Rock Band 3, Rock Band Blitz, and Rock Band 4,[1] while content released between October 26, 2010, and October 5, 2015, is compatible with the latter three titles only, and all content released on or after October 6, 2015, is only compatible with Rock Band 4. Also, certain pre-Rock Band 3 songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.[2]
The Wii version of Rock Band did not support downloadable content; however, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3 do, with DLC first made available in January 2009.[3] Harmonix has said it will continue to release songs from the back catalog of downloadable content each week for Wii until all songs are available,[4] and starting in March 2009, is making new DLC available for Wii at the same time as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.[5] All songs are available for download on Wii unless otherwise noted.
After more than 5 years of uninterrupted DLC releases, Harmonix ended its regular releases of DLC on April 2, 2013, as it transitioned to other games, with the final song being Don McLean's "American Pie".[6] Although no new DLC was scheduled for release after that date, Harmonix did not rule out the possibility of releasing DLC in the future should the right opportunity arise. On January 12, 2015, Harmonix announced the first of one-off releases of new DLC.[7] The sudden release, along with a survey posted by Harmonix a few days later, hinted at the possibility of a new Rock Band game for eighth generation consoles.[8] Harmonix later confirmed Rock Band 4 on March 5, 2015, and the game was released on October 6, 2015, on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
After the initial announcement, Harmonix intended to support the Rock Band Network for Xbox 360 so long as the backend tools were still supported; however, due to technical issues and the company allocating its resources to other projects, Harmonix terminated support for the RBN in September 2014.[9] Additionally, RBN ports to the PlayStation 3 have ended on April 2, 2013, along with regular DLC.[10][11] Rock Band Network content is not forward-compatible with Rock Band 4. Harmonix stated that they would explore the logistics of bringing RBN songs over to Rock Band 4 once core DLC and previous game exports are all addressed; however, all RBN content was delisted on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms in February 2018. Harmonix initially reported in March 2018 that Xbox 360 users would not be able to recover their RBN content via the Xbox 360's download history due to technical issues, with Harmonix recommending that users back up their RBN song libraries to an external storage device; however, Harmonix subsequently reported in June 2018 that Xbox 360 users are now able to re-download their RBN content as needed.[12][13] In May 2018, Harmonix announced that they have secured licensing for a portion of the Rock Band Network library to be released as regular DLC; however, entitlements for re-released RBN content would not be supported due to technical and licensing restrictions.[14]
Following the acquisition of Harmonix by Epic Games in 2021, Harmonix began winding down DLC for Rock Band as they developed Fortnite Festival for Epic. Regular DLC releases for Rock Band 4 ended on January 25, 2024, with over 3000 songs available for the game across soundtracks and DLC.[15]
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (2010-06-10). "Rock Band 3 Makes A Killer First Impression". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
- ^ "Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and MTV Games Announce LEGO Rock Band Full Track List". BusinessWire.com. 2009-10-12. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- ^ "WII DLC Store Now Up!". Harmonix. 2009-01-13. Archived from the original on 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
- ^ "Rock Band Wii Owners Get Seven Tracks from Nirvana". Harmonix. February 17, 2009. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
- ^ Faylor, Chris (2009-03-02). "Rock Band 2 DLC Now Hitting Wii at Same Time". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
- ^ "Rock Band's final song will be Don McLean's 'American Pie'". Polygon. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- ^ "Harmonix Blog: Rock Band DLC Announcement: Arctic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, and Foo Fighters". Harmonix. 2015-01-12. Archived from the original on 2015-01-12. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
- ^ "A new Rock Band? Harmonix wants to know what you want in a current-gen sequel". Polygon. Vox Media. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ^ Handrahan, Matthew (2014-09-19). "Harmonix pulls support for Rock Band Network". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 2014-09-20. Retrieved 2014-09-19.
- ^ "Rock Band 4 | Harmonix Music Systems, Inc". Rockband.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-23. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ^ "Thread: Rock Band Announcement: New DLC Releases Ending In April". Harmonix Music Systems. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ^ "Everything You Need To Know About Previous Game Soundtracks in Rock Band 4". Harmonix Music Systems. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "Rock Band DLC Relicensing Info - Updated As Needed". Harmonix Music. Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Harmonix Blog: Season 6 is Nearly Here!". Harmonix Music. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Lyles, Taylor (January 17, 2024). "Rock Band 4 Is Getting One Final DLC Nearly Ten Years After Release". IGN. Retrieved January 17, 2024.