Rock Band 4, All DLC, And Many Controllers Work On PS5 And Xbox Series X

Rock Band 4 the game, all of its DLC, and the previously released plastic instruments you might have already will work on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

Developer Harmonix confirmed this in a blog post, stating that all of this will work on day one when the consoles release in November. Harmonix couched its statement with phrases and words like "we believe" and "should" because it cannot guarantee compatibility in all cases for all instruments.

Electronic drum kits and their various adapters should work as well, Harmonix said. In terms of DLC songs, all of them will work on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Additionally, save data carries forward, but only on the same console family.

You can see a rundown of supported controllers below, but note that it is not a comprehensive list.

Rock Band 4 on PS5 and Xbox Series X will be a better experience, too, Harmonix said. There will be a "sizable performance increase" on the next-gen consoles, with the developer calling out load times in particular as an example of how Rock Band 4 will perform better.

"Both the new Xbox and PlayStation consoles are on par with each other when it comes to load times. Impressive across the board," Harmonix said.

Harmonix also clarified that there will be cross-gen multiplayer support, but only between the same console family.

On PS5, the situation is slightly more complicated when it comes to compatibility for some devices. The PS5's new DualSense controller has a built-in microphone, and the system will default to this. So singers who want to use a USB microphone will need to change that in the system settings.

Rock Band 4 Compatible Controllers For PS5 and Xbox Series X

• Mad Catz RB4 Fender Stratocaster Guitar (Xbox)
• Mad Catz RB4 Drums (Xbox)
• PDP RB4 Fender Jaguar Guitar (Xbox)
• PDP RB4 Drums (Xbox)
• Mad Catz RB4 Fender Stratocaster Guitar (PS4)
• Mad Catz RB4 Drums (PS4)
• PDP RB4 Fender Jaguar Guitar (PS4)
• PDP RB4 Drums (PS4)
• Mad Catz RB3 Fender Stratocaster Guitar (Xbox, Mad Catz Wireless Legacy Adapter required)
• Mad Catz The Beatles: Rock Band Gretsch Duo-Jet Guitar (Xbox, Mad Catz Wireless Legacy Adapter required)
• Mad Catz RB3 Drums (Xbox, Mad Catz Wireless Legacy Adapter required)
• Mad Catz RB2 Fender Stratocaster Guitar (Xbox, Mad Catz Wireless Legacy Adapter required)
• ION Drum Rocker (Xbox, PDP Wired Legacy Adapter required)
• Mad Catz RB3 Fender Stratocaster Guitar (PS3, Dongle required)
• Mad Catz RB3 Drums (PS3, Dongle required)
• Mad Catz RB2 Drums (PS3, Dongle required)
• Mad Catz RB2 Fender Stratocaster Guitar (PS3, Dongle required)
• ION Drum Rocker (PS3)

**We were not able to test peripherals from other games, but we believe previously supported instruments should work as expected.