In one of the promotions that only can be described as somewhat strange, if you pre-order Guitar Hero 5 from select retailers you can get Guitar Hero Van Halen for free. Based on what we have been able to find out from our sources, there does not seem to actually be a catch to the offer.

From our understanding there isn’t a lot actually to this Activision promotion, other than if you pre-order Guitar Hero 5 during the month of September from select retailers, you simply ask for your free copy of Guitar Hero Van Halen when you place your pre-order.  For those who order via the Internet, if you get the specially marked version of Guitar Hero 5, you can submit the unique code from the manual along with the offer sticker and, of course, your sales receipt; and your copy of Guitar Hero Van Halen will show up in about six weeks.

The offer is good while supplies last, but submissions by mail must be made before October 31st, 2009. From what we can tell, most retailers will be cutting off pre-orders for the free copy of Guitar Hero Van Halen on October 1st.

While the promotion appears to be mail-in, it still is quite a good deal if you happen to be either a fan of the Guitar Hero series or Van Halen. The reason Activision is going this direction in giving away Guitar Hero Van Halen is a bit of a mystery, but it could be that they want to attract attention away from the Rock Band series, and it could be as simple as they don’t feel that Guitar Hero Van Halen is going to sell that well. Still, it is a good deal; and if you are planning on buying Guitar Hero 5, this is a great way to double your value.