Honestly, if you were there in 2009, you remember the vibe. The rhythm game wars were at their absolute peak. Activision was pumping out titles like a factory, and Guitar Hero 5 arrived with a massive chip on its shoulder. It wasn't just another sequel; it was a total overhaul of how we played plastic instruments with friends. But the real talking point—the thing that still sparks heated debates on Reddit threads today—is that sprawling, eclectic, and sometimes baffling guitar hero 5 tracklist.
It was a weird time for the franchise. We went from the metal-heavy roots of Guitar Hero III to a game that put Stevie Wonder and Rammstein on the same disc. 85 songs. 83 different artists. It was the "everything but the kitchen sink" approach to game design.
The Most Diverse (and Polarizing) Setlist in History
When you look at the guitar hero 5 tracklist, the first thing you notice is the lack of a cohesive "identity." Some fans loved this. Others? Not so much. You’d be shredding through "2 Minutes to Midnight" by Iron Maiden one minute, and then suddenly you're playing the piano part on a guitar for "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones.
It was a huge shift toward the mainstream. Activision wanted everyone to play, not just the kids who could 100% "Through the Fire and Flames" on Expert. This meant a heavy influx of indie rock and "alt" hits that felt fresh back then but feel like a time capsule now.
Think about it. Where else are you going to find Vampire Weekend's "A-Punk" sitting right next to "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson? It was a wild mix. You had the absolute legends like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, but you also had the "of the moment" bands like Kings of Leon and Silversun Pickups.
The Heavy Hitters and the Hidden Gems
There’s no denying the star power on this disc. Getting Nirvana on the tracklist was a massive coup for Activision, even if the "Kurt Cobain avatar" situation turned into a legal and PR nightmare later on. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Lithium" are cornerstone tracks here.
But the real magic of the guitar hero 5 tracklist often lived in the stuff you didn't expect. "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits is a masterclass in fingerstyle translation to a plastic controller. Then you have "Done With Everything, Die For Nothing" by Children of Bodom, which provided that "holy crap, my fingers are falling off" difficulty that the hardcore fans craved.
- Classic Rock Royalty: Deep Purple, Elton John, and Tom Petty.
- Modern Shredders: Muse ("Plug In Baby") and Muse's Matt Bellamy as a playable character.
- The "Wait, This is GH?" Tracks: "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder and "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry.
Breaking Down the Genre Chaos
The game didn't just have different songs; it had different vibes. Unlike Warriors of Rock, which eventually pivoted back to a heavy metal "quest," GH5 felt like a summer festival.
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You had the grunge era represented by Bush and Screaming Trees. You had the indie explosion with TV on the Radio and Arctic Monkeys. Then, just to keep you on your toes, the game throws in "Du Hast" by Rammstein. It was jarring, sure, but it also meant that in a room full of four people, everyone usually found at least five songs they actually liked.
One thing that often gets overlooked is how many live versions are on this list. Jeff Beck’s "Scatterbrain" or Rush’s "The Spirit of Radio" (Live) added a layer of difficulty and "rawness" that the studio tracks sometimes lacked. It made the "Hero" part of the title feel a bit more earned when you nailed a tricky live solo.
The Export Crisis and the DLC Legacy
Back in the day, one of the biggest selling points was the ability to import songs from Guitar Hero World Tour and Smash Hits. It sounded great on paper. In practice? It was a mess of licensing fees and "unique owner codes."
If you're looking to play the guitar hero 5 tracklist today on original hardware, you're basically stuck with what's on the disc. The digital storefronts are long gone. The export servers are dust. For the modern player, this makes the 85 songs on the physical media more precious. It’s the only part of the GH5 experience that is "permanent."
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The DLC was actually pretty stellar, though. We got packs from The Rolling Stones and even more Nirvana. But because of the way licensing worked, a lot of that content is now "lost media" unless you're willing to dive into the world of console modding or fan-made PC versions like Clone Hero.
Why the Tracklist Still Matters
Critics at the time, like the folks over at IGN and GameSpot, praised the game for its "accessibility." They weren't wrong. The Party Play mode—where you could jump in and out of songs without stopping the music—was revolutionary. And it only worked because the guitar hero 5 tracklist was so broad.
It wasn't just for the metalheads anymore. It was for the person who liked "Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz and the person who wanted to scream along to "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi.
However, looking back from 2026, some fans feel the "identity crisis" of GH5 was the beginning of the end for the rhythm game craze. By trying to please everyone, the game lost that "underground rock club" feel of the original Harmonix-led titles. But honestly? When "Steady, As She Goes" by The Raconteurs starts playing, it’s hard to care about "brand identity." You just want to hit the orange fret.
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Ready to Revisit the Setlist?
If you've still got your old 360 or PS3 gathering dust in the attic, here is how you should actually approach this tracklist today:
- Don't skip the "B-sides": Songs like "Mirror People" by Love and Rockets or "Sneak Out" by Rose Hill Drive are surprisingly fun on expert guitar.
- Try the Multi-Instrumental stuff: GH5 allowed for any combination of instruments. Playing "Bring the Noise 20XX" with two drummers is a chaotic core memory you need to experience.
- Appreciate the Charting: Whatever you think of the song selection, the note charts in GH5 were some of the most polished in the series. They felt "fair" compared to the sometimes-clunky charts of the earlier Neversoft era.
The guitar hero 5 tracklist might be a "jack of all trades, master of none" situation, but it remains a fascinating snapshot of what the industry thought "cool" sounded like in 2009. It’s a mix of legends, one-hit wonders, and indie darlings that shouldn't work together—but somehow, when the lights go down and the note highway starts moving, it still does.