You’re standing in your living room, plastic Gibson Les Paul in hand, ready to melt some virtual faces. But there's a problem. You want to play "One" by Metallica or "Raining Blood," but the game is forcing you to slog through "Slow Ride" for the hundredth time. Look, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is arguably the peak of the franchise, but the career progression can be a massive gatekeeper when you just have friends over for a beer and some nostalgia. If you want to find the Guitar Hero 3 unlock all songs Wii method, you don't need a modded console or a degree in computer science. You just need a fast thumb and a specific rhythm.
Let's be real. The Wii version of GH3 has always been a bit of an outlier. While 360 and PS3 players were dealing with DLC and early online leaderboards, Wii users were struggling with mono sound issues (remember that launch day disaster?) and those tiny Wiimote slots in the guitar bodies. But the cheat codes? Those are universal.
The "Unlock All Songs" Cheat: No, It’s Not a Myth
To get everything open in Quickplay, you have to enter a sequence in the Options menu. This isn't like a Konami code where you just press buttons. You actually have to "strum" while holding down the fret buttons.
Go to the Options menu from the main screen. Select Cheats, then Enter Cheat.
Here is the sequence for the Wii. You need to hit these combinations perfectly. If you mess up, just exit the menu and come back in.
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The Code: (Yellow & Orange), (Red & Blue), (Red & Orange), (Green & Blue), (Red & Yellow), (Yellow & Orange), (Red & Yellow), (Red & Blue), (Green & Yellow) x2, (Yellow & Blue) x2, (Yellow & Orange) x2, (Red & Blue), (Red & Yellow), (Red & Orange), (Yellow & Blue), (Red & Yellow), (Red & Orange).
It sounds like a lot. It is.
If you do it right, the game won't give you a massive "YOU WIN" banner. Instead, a small notification will pop up saying a cheat has been enabled. Now, when you go to Quickplay, the entire setlist—from the opening tier to the Lou battle—is ready to go. You’ll see "Through the Fire and Flames" sitting there at the bottom, mocking you.
Why the Wii Version is Special (and Annoying)
Back in 2007, Activision and Vicarious Visions (who handled the Wii port) were trying to squeeze a massive game onto a tiny disc. Because the Wii didn't have a hard drive, "unlocking" things felt more permanent. If you use the Guitar Hero 3 unlock all songs Wii code, you aren't just getting the main setlist. You are bypassing the need to earn "cash" in Career Mode to buy the bonus tracks from the shop.
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Normally, you'd have to play through the story, earn virtual money, and then go to the "Vault" to buy songs like "She Bangs the Drums" or "Closer." The cheat code effectively sets your "bought" status to true for every track.
Common Mistakes When Entering Cheats
Most people fail because they don't hold the buttons long enough. On the Wii Les Paul controller, the click of the strum bar needs to happen exactly when the fret buttons are depressed.
- The Double Strum: For the parts of the code that say "x2," you must strum twice while holding those specific colors.
- The "Chord" Problem: Some of these involve three buttons at once. If your plastic guitar is old—and let's face it, most Wii guitars are nearly 20 years old now—the internal sensors might be "ghosting." If one button flickers, the code breaks.
- The Sound Trick: Turn your volume up. You should hear a guitar chord sound every time you enter a correct step of the sequence. If the sound stops or changes, you’ve whiffed a note.
What This Cheat Doesn't Do
I’ve seen people online claiming this code gives you 5 stars on every song. It doesn’t. It also won't unlock the characters like Slash or Tom Morello for use in Career Mode if you haven't beaten them yet—though they might appear in the shop.
This is strictly a "Setlist Unlock." It's for the person who just wants to play "The Number of the Beast" without having to beat the battle against Tom Morello. Speaking of battles, the Wii version’s lag can actually make the Morello battle harder than it is on other consoles. If you’re playing on a modern 4K TV, make sure your Wii is running through a decent HDMI converter or you’ve at least adjusted the "Calibrate Lag" settings in the menu. Otherwise, you’ll be failing songs before the first chorus.
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The Mystery of the "Store" Songs
There's a persistent rumor that a different code exists for "All Store Items." While there is a cheat for "Large Gems" and "No Fail," the song unlock is the big one. If you want the hidden characters like the Grim Ripper or the God of Rock, you usually still have to "buy" them in the store with the money you would have earned. However, many players find that after entering the unlock all songs code, their career earnings are essentially irrelevant for the music itself.
The Practical Reality of GH3 in 2026
We are long past the era of the Wii Shop Channel. You can't go buy "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" as DLC anymore. What is on the disc is what you get. That’s why the Guitar Hero 3 unlock all songs Wii cheat is more important now than it was at launch. Back then, you had the incentive to play through to see what was next. Today, GH3 is a party game. It’s a nostalgia trip.
If you are using a Wiimote, make sure the batteries are fresh. Low voltage in a Wiimote can cause input dropouts on the guitar neck, which makes entering long cheat codes a nightmare. Honestly, just plug it in, clear the room, and take thirty seconds to punch the code in.
Actionable Steps for a Perfect Setup
To get the most out of your newly unlocked setlist, follow these steps:
- Calibrate Your Lag: This is the #1 mistake. On the Wii, go to Options > Calibrate Lag. If you are on an HDTV, your MS (milliseconds) offset will likely be between 30ms and 80ms.
- Check Mono vs. Stereo: If you have an early copy of GH3 for Wii, check the back of the box. Early runs had a glitch where the game only played in Mono. Activision ran a replacement program years ago, but if you're stuck with a "Mono" disc, you'll want to set your Wii system settings to Mono to at least balance the sound.
- Use the Right Controller: The white Les Paul that came with the game is generally superior to the later World Tour "Touch Slide" guitars, which had notoriously mushy strum bars.
- Enter the Cheat Slowly: Don't rush the rhythm of the code. The game needs to register each "chord" distinctly. If you hear the "wrong note" sound (that muffled thud), stop and start over.
Once that notification pops up, you're golden. Every master track, every cover, and every bonus song is yours. No more grinding through the opening tiers. Just pure, unadulterated shredding. Go hit "Through the Fire and Flames" on Expert and remember why we all stopped playing this game in the first place—our wrists can't take it.