Rock Band 4 is the fourth main installment in the rhythm game series, Rock Band, developed by Harmonix. The game was released in October 2015, following a five-year hiatus from the release of Rock Band 3. Following the over-saturation of the rhythm game market in 2009, weak sales of Rock Band 3 led Harmonix to put the series on hiatus, though the company continued to provide downloadable content through 2013. The release of Rock Band 4 was prompted by several factors, including the market penetration of the eighth generation consoles PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, a stronger internal vision for what Rock Band 4 should be within Harmonix, and continued support from fans of the series.
Rock Band 4 ships with 65 songs on the disc, spanning rock music and other genres from the 1960s to the 2010s. Though the game includes new features such as freestyle guitar solos and improved drum fills, Harmonix has worked to assure that at least 1,700 of the songs in its downloadable content library from past Rock Band games are compatible with Rock Band 4 and that players who have already bought songs on the previous iterations do not have to repurchase the songs in the newer game as long as they stay within the same console library. As of January 25, 2024, the final DLC content for the game has been released, with Harmonix focusing on the development of Fortnite Festival.
Rock Band 4 is shipped with 65 songs on disc. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Song Title | Artist | Year | Genre | |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Ain’t Messin ‘Round" | Gary Clark, Jr. | 2012 | Rock | |
"Albert" | Eddie Japan | 2015 | Indie Rock | |
"All Over You" | Live | 1994 | Alternative | |
"Arabella" | Arctic Monkeys | 2013 | Rock | |
"At Night in Dreams" | White Denim | 2013 | Indie Rock | |
"Birth in Reverse" | St. Vincent | 2014 | Indie Rock | |
"Brown Eyed Girl" | Van Morrison | 1967 | R&B/Soul/Funk | |
"Caught Up in You" | .38 Special | 1982 | Southern Rock | |
"Cedarwood Road" | 2014 | Rock | ||
"Centuries" | 2015 | Pop-Rock | ||
"Cold Clear Light" | Johnny Blazes and the Pretty Boys | 2015 | R&B/Soul/Funk | |
"Dead Black (Heart of Ice)" | Soul Remnants | 2013 | Metal | |
"Dream Genie" | Lightning Bolt | 2015 | Rock | |
Foo Fighters | 2014 | Alternative | ||
"Fever" | 2014 | Rock | ||
"Follow You Down" | Gin Blossoms | 1996 | Alternative | |
"Free Falling" | 2015 | Rock | ||
"Friday I'm In Love" | 1992 | New Wave | ||
"Hail to the King" | Avenged Sevenfold | 2013 | Metal | |
"Halls of Valhalla" | Judas Priest | 2014 | Metal | |
"I Am Electric" | Heaven's Basement | 2013 | Rock | |
"I Bet My Life" | Imagine Dragons | 2015 | Alternative | |
"I Miss the Misery" | Halestorm | 2012 | Rock | |
"I Will Follow" | U2 | 1980 | Rock | |
1997 | Reggae/Ska | |||
"Kick It Out" | Heart | 1977 | Classic Rock | |
"Knock Em Down" | Duck & Cover | 2014 | Punk | |
"Lazaretto" | Jack White | 2014 | Rock | |
"Light the Fuse" | Slydigs | 2015 | Rock | |
"Light Up the Night" | 2009 | Rock | ||
"Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" | Spin Doctors | 1991 | Alternative | |
"Little White Church" | Little Big Town | 2010 | Country | |
"Mainstream Kid" | Brandi Carlile | 2015 | Blues | |
"" | Dream Theater | 1992 | Prog | |
"Milwaukee" | 2014 | Pop-Rock | ||
"Miracle Man" | Ozzy Osbourne | 1988 | Metal | |
"My God Is the Sun" | Queens of the Stone Age | 2013 | Alternative | |
"No One Like You (2011 Re-record)" | Scorpions | 1982 | Metal | |
R.E.M. | 1987 | Alternative | ||
"Panama" | Van Halen | 1984 | Rock | |
Rush | 1976 | Prog | ||
"Pistol Whipped" | Tijuana Sweetheart | 2012 | Punk | |
"Prayer" | Disturbed | 2002 | Nu-Metal | |
"Recession" | Jeff Allen ft. Noelle LeBlanc and Naoko Takamoto | 2015 | Pop/Dance/Electronic | |
"Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" | Rick Derringer | 1973 | Classic Rock | |
1970 | Classic Rock | |||
"Short Skirt/Long Jacket" | Cake | 2001 | Alternative | |
"Somebody Told Me" | 2004 | Alternative | ||
"Spiders" | System of a Down | 1998 | Nu-Metal | |
"Start a Band" | Brad Paisley ft. Keith Urban | 2008 | Country | |
"Still Into You" | Paramore | 2013 | Pop-Rock | |
"Superunknown" | Soundgarden | 1994 | Grunge | |
"Suspicious Minds" | Elvis Presley | 1969 | Rock | |
"That Smell" | Lynyrd Skynyrd | 1977 | Southern Rock | |
"Tongue Tied" | Grouplove | 2011 | Indie Rock | |
"Toys in the Attic" | Aerosmith | 1975 | Rock | |
"Turn it Around" | Lucius | 2013 | Indie Rock | |
"Uptown Funk" | Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars | 2015 | R&B/Soul/Funk | |
"V-Bomb" | Dark Wheels | 2015 | Rock | |
"Violent Shiver" | Benjamin Booker | 2014 | Rock | |
Scandal | 1984 | Rock | ||
"What's Up?" | 1992 | Alternative | ||
Mumford & Sons | 2015 | Rock | ||
"You Make Loving Fun" | Fleetwood Mac | 1977 | Classic Rock | |
"Your Love" | 1985 | Pop-Rock |
See main article: article and List of downloadable songs for the Rock Band series. In addition to developing new songs for purchase following the release of Rock Band 4, Harmonix was also working to ensure that as much of its existing library of downloadable songs would be compatible with the game upon its release as possible; 1,500 songs were available at launch.[9] Nearly all existing Rock Band DLC, including disc exports from previous games (excluding ), Track Packs, and Rock Band Blitz, will be transitioned to Rock Band 4 within the same console family at no cost to the player (i.e. PlayStation 4 can only import songs purchased on PlayStation 3, and Xbox One can only import songs purchased on Xbox 360). "If you bought a Rock Band song, it should be yours in Rock Band 4," said Sussman. "Everything that you have already exported will come over."[12] At release, only individual songs were available for redownloading within Rock Band 4, with Harmonix working with Sony and Microsoft to offer support for existing song bundles and the various disc exports following the game's release. The Rock Band 3 disc export was available starting in early December 2015 for a small fee.[13] [14] [15] Rock Band 1 songs were available in January 2016, and Rock Band 2 and Lego Rock Band songs followed in February 2016. In May 2018, Harmonix announced it would be bringing the most popular entries as well as fan-requested songs from the Rock Band Network into Rock Band 4; however, unlike regular Rock Band DLC, users are unable to carry over any previously purchased RBN songs due to technical and licensing constraints.[16]
Most of the existing songs are updated with features new to Rock Band 4, specifically the use of Freestyle Guitar Solos for songs with guitar solos, and Freestyle Vocals. For songs previously released that would have vocal harmonies but did not have these harmonies presented in the Rock Band games, typically those prior to Rock Band 3s release, Harmonix has worked with fans to include such harmonies created by the fans in the Rock Band 4 version of these tracks. Other new features of Rock Band 4, such as new drum fills to trigger Overdrive, are automatically supported in any song by the game.
Depending on the nature of the sale, a number of songs were available as free bonuses to those that pre-ordered the game through various vendors; these songs were otherwise available at cost to other players.
A pre-order from Amazon included 4 exclusive songs for the Band-in-a-Box Bundle and Guitar Bundle pre-orders, on top of the original 30 free songs for those bundles.[17] They included:
Song Title | Artist | Year |
---|---|---|
"Don't Wanna Fight" | Alabama Shakes | 2015 |
"Failure" | Breaking Benjamin | 2015 |
"Trainwreck 1979" | Death from Above 1979 | 2014 |
"Follow Me Down" | 2014 | |
PlayStation Network Plus members who pre-ordered via the PlayStation Store included:[18]
Song Title | Artist | Year | Genre |
---|---|---|---|
"Divide" | All That Remains | 2015 | Metal |
"Run for Cover" | Blitz Kids | 2014 | Pop-Rock |
"Throne" | Bring Me the Horizon | 2015 | Nu-Metal |
"Mona Lisa" | Dead Sara | 2015 | Alternative |
Duran Duran | 1983 | Pop-Rock | |
"Move Over" | Janis Joplin | 1971 | Classic Rock |
"Would You Still Be There" | Of Mice & Men | 2014 | Nu-Metal |
"Sugar, You" | Oh Honey | 2015 | Indie Rock |
"Cowboys from Hell" (Live from Monsters in Moscow Festival) | Pantera | 1991 | Metal |
"Summertime Boy" | Seasick Steve | 2015 | Blues |
Pre-ordering a digital copy on Xbox One via Xbox Live included:[19]
Song Title | Artist | Year | Genre |
---|---|---|---|
"What If I Was Nothing" | All That Remains | 2012 | Metal |
"High Road" | Mastodon | 2014 | Metal |
"September" | Earth, Wind & Fire | 1978 | R&B/Soul/Funk |
"Backwoods Company" | 2013 | Southern Rock | |
"One Big Holiday" | My Morning Jacket | 2003 | Southern Rock |
"Jane" | Jefferson Starship | 1979 | Classic Rock |
"Gimme Chocolate!!" | Babymetal | 2014 | Metal |
"King for a Day" | Pierce the Veil | 2012 | Alternative |
"Rebellion" | Linkin Park | 2014 | Nu-Metal |
"All the Rage Back Home" | Interpol | 2014 | Indie Rock |
Marilyn Manson | 2015 | Alternative | |
"My Own Eyes" | "Weird Al" Yankovic | 2014 | Novelty |
Pre-orders for the Band-in-a-Box and Guitar Bundles of the game shipped with 30 downloadable songs for free download; many of these include tracks by Harmonix employee-affiliated musical groups that had previously appeared in the first two Rock Band games.[20]
Pre-orders for the October 2016 Rivals expansion received these songs free upon the expansion's release, while the songs were later offered on the storefront for individual purchase.[21]
Song Title | Artist | Year | Genre | |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Happy Song" | Bring Me the Horizon | 2015 | Nu-Metal | |
"Safe and Sound" | Capital Cities | 2011 | Pop/Dance/Electronic | |
"Save Tonight" | Eagle-Eye Cherry | 1997 | Alternative | |
"Sweater Weather" | The Neighbourhood | 2011 | Indie Rock | |
"Little Talks" | Of Monsters and Men | 2011 | Indie Rock | |
"Happy" | Pharrell Williams | 2013 | R&B/Soul/Funk | |
"Closing Time" | Semisonic | 1998 | Alternative | |
"Chandelier" | Sia | 2014 | Pop/Dance/Electronic | |
"Feel Invincible" | Skillet | 2016 | Rock | |
"King of the World" | Weezer | 2016 | Alternative |
Two additional songs to the above ten are available for those that pre-order the expansion through Amazon.com.[22]
Song Title | Artist | Year | Genre | |
---|---|---|---|---|
"One More Night" | Maroon 5 | 2012 | Pop-Rock | |
"3AM" | Matchbox Twenty | 1997 | Alternative |
For users that have purchased the "Rivals" expansion, various updates brought more free songs; a December 2016 update brought twelve free songs from local Boston bands who had also been part of the Rockumentary footage; with the January 2017 Online Quickplay update, one additional free song was added to the "Rivals" expansion.[23]
Song Title | Artist | Year | Genre | |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Bethany" | Goddamn Draculas | 2015 | Rock | |
"Black Corridor" | Worshipper | 2016 | Metal | |
"Black Streak" | Nemes | 2014 | Indie Rock | |
"Closer, Closer" | The Warning Shots | 2016 | Punk | |
"Constant Disaster" | When Particles Collide | 2014 | Alternative | |
"Hour of Rats" | The Red Chord | 2009 | Metal | |
"I Recognize" | Newfane | 2016 | Alternative | |
"Mean Girls" | Petty Morals | 2016 | Pop-Rock | |
"Never Let 'Em Hold Ya Back!" | Parlour Bells | 2016 | Glam | |
"Pain Killer" | Ruby Rose Fox | 2016 | Indie Rock | |
"Shadow" | Bearstronaut | 2016 | Pop-Rock | |
"True Confessional" | Party Bois | 2016 | Pop/Dance/Electronic | |
"S.O.M.P" | Skratch'N Snyf | 1990 | Glam | |
"Sink" | Animal Flag | 2016 | Indie Rock | |
"These Hands" | Bent Knee | 2016 | Indie Rock | |
"No Place for Me" | Black Beach | 2016 | Rock | |
"History Repeats" | Creaturos | 2016 | Rock | |
"RudeBoys" | Dutch ReBelle | 2016 | Hip-Hop/Rap | |
"Hurry Up (& Wait for You)" | Julie Rhodes | 2016 | Indie Rock | |
"Casablanca" | Littlefoot | 2016 | Pop-Rock | |
"Cross That Line" | Michael Christmas | 2016 | Hip-Hop/Rap | |
"Skydiver" | Ruby Rose Fox | 2016 | Indie Rock | |
"Good" | STL GLD | 2016 | Hip-Hop/Rap | |
"Alone Time" | Tigerman WOAH | 2016 | Rock | |
"Sweater Weather" | Parks | 2012 | Pop-Rock | |
"To My Romeo" | Spirit Kid | 2016 | Pop-Rock | |
"Black Seas" | Arctic Horror | 2016 | Metal | |
"(You're) Breakin' Up" | The Black Cheers | 2015 | Punk | |
"Open Water" | Assuming We Survive | 2016 | Rock | |
"Shy" | Hunny | 2017 | Indie Rock | |
"Bloodhands (Oh My Fever)" | In the Valley Below | 2017 | Indie Rock | |
"Who's Your Lover" | Nightmare Air | 2017 | Indie Rock | |
"Radio" | No Small Children | 2017 | Rock | |
"Forget About Tomorrow" | The Bergamot | 2016 | Alternative | |
"I Hear the Dead" | Dolly Spartans | 2017 | Alternative | |
"Body Like That" | The Eiffels | 2018 | Alternative | |
"Vinyl" | Fly by Midnight | 2018 | Pop/Dance/Electronic | |
"Shame" | Jocelyn and Chris Arndt | 2016 | Rock | |
"Survive" | 2017 | Rock | ||
"This Will Be the Day" | Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams | 2013 | Rock | |
"Thinking Emoji" | Barely March | 2018 | Punk | |
"Love That Hurts" | PREACHERVAN | 2018 | Alternative | |
"Let's Just Dance" | Ships Have Sailed | 2018 | Alternative | |
"Save Yourself" | tiLLie | 2017 | Alternative |
The game's on-disc soundtrack was generally considered weaker than previous installments, describing it as primarily featuring "B-list" musicians, "lesser-known" songs by notable acts (such as Rush's "A Passage to Bangkok") that had already been featured in Rock Band, and lacking a number of major acts that had historically made appearances in the franchise.[24] Many reviewers were underwhelmed by the soundtrack but did acknowledge several "seriously inspired choices", such as The Protomen.[25]