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The best Harmonix Music Systems games

The 6 best games from Harmonix Music Systems, ranked from 624 critic and player ratings.

The best Harmonix Music Systems game is Rock Band 2, with a critic score of 93/100. Updated November 2026.

  • Ranked releases span 2005 to 2010.
  • Average critic score across the 6 ranked games: 88/100.
  • 624 critic and player ratings behind this ranking.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
  • 6 games are listed on this page, carrying 624 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 13 November 2026.

Top 6

Played them? Give your tier with the + next to each game. No account needed to try — create one to keep your tiers.

01 Rock Band 2 Rock Band 2 2008 · 113 ratings Rock Band 2 is the sequel to the 2007 musical simulation game Rock Band and offers similar gameplay. Directly competing with Guitar Hero: World Tour, the game allows different people to play together as in a band, with the same peripherals as the first game: lead guitar, bass guitar, microphone and a drum set. The new drum and guitar controllers for this version, bundled or sold separately, have been revised and older controllers are also supported. The guitar controller, modelled after the Fender Stratocaster, has five additional fret buttons near the neck, for fast fingertapping sessions. There is also an effect switch to toggle between five different effects. Players use the instruments to match notes on the screen, divided in different portions for different instruments, along with the lyrics for the singer who need to match the pitch. 93 /100
02 Guitar Hero II Guitar Hero II 2006 · 176 ratings Unleash your inner rock star! Unlock new songs and venues to become the ultimate rock star in Career mode, jump right in and play any song you've unlocked in Quickplay, or play with or against friends in Multiplayer, all right from your living room! 92 /100
03 Guitar Hero Guitar Hero 2005 · 121 ratings Guitar Hero is a 2005 music rhythm video game developed by Harmonix and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released in November 2005 in North America, April 2006 in Europe and June 2006 in Australia. The game's development was a result of collaboration between RedOctane and Harmonix to bring a Guitar Freaks-like game to United States. The game features a guitar-shaped controller (resembling a miniature Gibson SG) that the player uses to simulate playing rock music. The gameplay is similar to GuitarFreaks, in that the player presses buttons on the guitar controller in time with musical notes that scroll on the game screen. The game features covers of 30 popular rock songs spanning five decades of rock, from the 1960s up through 2005, in addition to bonus tracks. Guitar Hero became a surprise hit, earning critical acclaim and winning many awards from major video game publications, and was considered one of the most influential games of the first decade of the 21st century. The game's success launched the Guitar Hero franchise, which has earned more than $2 billion in sales, spawning several sequels, expansions, and other game-related products. 91 /100
04 Rock Band 3 Rock Band 3 2010 · 43 ratings Rock Band 3 adds 83 new songs to the Rock Band library and for the first time supports a keyboard/keytar peripheral. 92 /100
05 The Beatles: Rock Band The Beatles: Rock Band 2009 · 56 ratings The Beatles: Rock Band is a 2009 music video game. It is the third major console release in the Rock Band music video game series, in which players can simulate the playing of rock music by using controllers shaped like musical instruments. The Beatles: Rock Band is the first band-centric game in the series, and it is centered on the popular English rock group the Beatles. The game features virtual portrayals of the four band members performing the songs throughout the band's history, including depictions of some of their famous live performances, as well as a number of "dreamscape" sequences for songs from the Abbey Road Studios recording sessions during the group's studio years. 88 /100
06 Rock Band Rock Band 2007 · 115 ratings Rock Band is a music video game that allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular rock music songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments. 82 /100
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Frequently asked questions

What is the best Harmonix Music Systems game?

Rock Band 2 currently tops the ranking with a score of 93/100 across 113 ratings. Ranking updated November 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.