Musicians and video games have crossed paths dozens of times over the past three decades, though most people only remember Guitar Hero and Rock Band. But there’s a stranger, more fascinating history of actual bands creating or starring in their own dedicated video games. Some became cult classics, others crashed and burned spectacularly, and a few are genuinely weird artifacts of their era. From Aerosmith shooting CDs at enemies to KISS fighting nightmare clowns, here’s what happens when rock stars decide they want to be in games.
Aerosmith and Revolution X
Revolution X hit arcades in 1994, developed by Midway (the Mortal Kombat people), and it’s exactly as 90s as you’re imagining. The premise: an oppressive regime called the New Order Nation, led by a woman named Helga, has banned all forms of youth culture and kidnapped Aerosmith to prevent them from inspiring rebellion. You show up at Club X in Los Angeles just as NON troops storm the stage mid-concert and drag the band away. Your mission is to travel the world destroying NON installations in the Middle East, Amazon Jungle, and Pacific Rim before rescuing Aerosmith at Wembley Stadium.
The gameplay is a rail shooter where you use a mounted light gun to blast enemies, vehicles, and environmental objects. Your weapon of choice? CDs. You literally shoot music at the fascist regime. The five members of Aerosmith are hidden in secret locations throughout the game, and finding them all unlocks the best ending where you party backstage with the band. The arcade version was a commercial success, but every single home console port (Genesis, Saturn, PlayStation, Super Nintendo) got destroyed by critics for terrible controls and repetitive gameplay.
KISS Psycho Circus
KISS: Psycho Circus – The Nightmare Child launched in 2000 for PC as a first-person shooter built on the Lithtech engine. The story follows Wicked Jester, a fictional band whose four members receive mysterious tickets to a circus performance. Once inside, they discover they’re actually the mortal avatars of the four members of KISS and must battle through five gothic horror realms to stop the Nightmare Child from corrupting reality.
The game featured three weapon classes per character: melee weapons like beast claws and thornblades, common firearms including zero cannons and magma cannons, and ultimate weapons like the stargaze and spirit lance. Each of the four KISS members (Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss reimagined as The Demon, Starbearer, Celestial, and Beastking) had unique abilities and weapon sets. The environments ranged from twisted circus grounds to spooky town squares, abandoned warehouses, and caverns.
| Game | Year | Genre | Reception |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revolution X (Aerosmith) | 1994 | Rail Shooter | Arcade hit, console ports panned |
| KISS Psycho Circus | 2000 | First-Person Shooter | Mixed reviews, cult following |
| Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast | 2016 | Mobile RPG | Successful until 2024 shutdown |
| The Beatles: Rock Band | 2009 | Rhythm Game | Critical and commercial success |
| Guitar Hero: Aerosmith | 2008 | Rhythm Game | Best-selling band-specific music game |
Iron Maiden Goes Mobile
Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast launched in 2016 as a mobile RPG starring Eddie, the band’s iconic mascot. The game featured turn-based combat where players controlled Eddie and other creatures through different worlds inspired by Iron Maiden’s album artwork and mythology. The first mission had you killing the Wickerman, while subsequent levels explored fantasy Egypt and other settings pulled directly from the band’s visual history spanning 40+ years.
Unlike most band-themed games, Legacy of the Beast was actually successful, running for eight years before developer Neverender Games announced its shutdown on December 31, 2024. The game tied into Iron Maiden’s massive Legacy of the Beast world tour that ran from 2018 to 2022, creating synergy between the digital and live experiences. During its final month, the developers hosted in-game giveaways thanking players for their loyalty before pulling the game from app stores permanently.
The Rhythm Game Era
The late 2000s brought a different model where bands partnered with established franchises rather than creating standalone games. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (2008) became the best-selling band-centric music game ever, moving over 3 million copies. The Beatles: Rock Band (2009) was a critical darling that let players experience the band’s entire career from The Cavern Club to their final rooftop concert. Guitar Hero: Metallica (2009), Guitar Hero: Van Halen (2009), and others followed the formula.
These worked because they leaned on proven gameplay mechanics and extensive music catalogs rather than trying to build entirely new games around band IP. Players wanted to play the actual songs, not shoot enemies or fight bosses while vaguely themed music played in the background. The rhythm game approach let bands showcase their discography in an interactive format that actually made sense.
The Weird Ones
Beyond the major releases, there are dozens of obscure band games lost to history. The Blues Brothers got multiple games across different eras, including a 1991 platformer and Blues Brothers 2000 tie-in. Journey had Journey Escape (1982) on Atari 2600. Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker (1990) became a cult classic arcade beat-em-up. Wu-Tang Clan tried their hand with Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style (1999), a PlayStation fighting game that actually wasn’t terrible.
More recently, BTS World (2019) let fans manage the K-pop supergroup’s career through a mobile simulation game. Gorillaz released several experimental games tied to their virtual band concept. The pattern shows that band games work best when they either lean into established game genres or embrace the weirdness of the band’s aesthetic rather than trying to force a connection that doesn’t exist.
FAQs
Why did most band games fail?
Band games often failed because developers prioritized the band’s branding over solid gameplay mechanics. Revolution X’s home ports were broken regardless of Aerosmith’s involvement. Most band games were cash grabs riding on musical fame rather than genuine efforts to create good games. The successful ones either had proven gameplay (Guitar Hero) or fully committed to the band’s aesthetic (KISS Psycho Circus).
What was the first band video game?
Journey Escape for Atari 2600 in 1982 is one of the earliest band-specific games. Players guided the band members through various obstacles to reach the Scarab Escape Vehicle after concerts. It was primitive even by 1982 standards but represented an early attempt to translate band identity into interactive entertainment.
Are any band games still playable today?
Most band games are either abandonware or require emulation to play. KISS Psycho Circus can be found on abandonware sites. Revolution X is playable through MAME arcade emulation. The rhythm games like Beatles: Rock Band still work on original hardware but require increasingly rare instruments. Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast shut down completely on December 31, 2024.
Did any bands actually develop their games?
No bands actively developed their games in the traditional sense. They typically licensed their likeness, music, and brand to established game studios while providing creative input on aesthetics and story elements. The development work was handled by professional game studios, with band involvement limited to motion capture, voice acting, and approval processes.
What about DJ Hero and similar music games?
DJ Hero (2009) featured specific DJ sets and mixes rather than focusing on individual bands. It included collaborations with DJ Shadow, Daft Punk, and others, but wasn’t a single-artist game. The distinction matters because multi-artist rhythm games succeeded where single-band games often failed, suggesting the problem was limited music catalogs rather than the music game concept itself.
Why did Guitar Hero: Aerosmith succeed where Revolution X failed?
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith succeeded because it was fundamentally a Guitar Hero game with Aerosmith branding rather than an Aerosmith game trying to be a good video game. Players knew exactly what they were getting, and the gameplay was proven through previous Guitar Hero releases. Revolution X tried to be a rail shooter first and an Aerosmith experience second, and the home ports couldn’t deliver on either front.
Will we see more band games in the future?
Unlikely in the traditional sense. The rhythm game market collapsed after oversaturation in 2010-2011. Mobile games offer lower risk for band-themed content, but after Iron Maiden shutting down Legacy of the Beast despite eight years of success, even that market seems uncertain. Modern bands are more likely to license music to existing games than create standalone titles.
What about bands in games like Fortnite?
Virtual concerts in games like Fortnite, Roblox, and others represent a new model where bands perform in established game worlds rather than creating dedicated games. Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, Marshmello, and others have done successful Fortnite concerts. This approach leverages existing massive player bases rather than asking fans to buy separate band-specific games.
The Lesson
Looking back at band video game history, the clear lesson is that gimmicks wear off fast. Revolution X’s novelty of shooting CDs at enemies couldn’t overcome poor home console implementations. KISS Psycho Circus had interesting ideas but launched into a crowded FPS market where it couldn’t compete with Half-Life or Quake III. Even successful band games like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith only worked because the core Guitar Hero gameplay was already excellent.
The exceptions prove the rule. The Beatles: Rock Band succeeded partly because Harmonix treated the project with genuine reverence, recreating iconic venues and moments with care. Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast lasted eight years because it was a competent mobile RPG that happened to star Eddie rather than a cynical cash grab. The lesson for any band considering a video game: either partner with developers who will build something genuinely good, or don’t bother at all. Your fans deserve better than another Revolution X.