Chinese Democracy first official release of new Guns N' Roses material since 1999's "Oh My God". (The entire album was made available for the game on April 14, 2009 as downloadable content) It was followed by "If the World", which plays during the closing credits of the 2008 film "Body of Lies". "Billboard" announced a firm release date for "Chinese Democracy", November 23, 2008, on October 9. In the US, the retail release is sold exclusively through Best Buy. The first single, "Chinese Democracy", was released on October 22, 2008. It was debuted on the Opie and Anthony show broadcast by KROQ-FM.
Chinese Democracy fist holding a star covered by flailing human figures. Photographs of the Hong Kong skyline and the Chinese military also appear in the booklet. The booklet also includes pictures of Rose, Buckethead, Stinson, Pitman, Finck, Fortus, Bumblefoot, Reed, Brain, and Ferrer alongside lyrics to the songs. Rose stated in December 2008 that two alternate booklets were pending release, adding "the artwork has always been something I've been passionate about, and to release the album with unapproved and unseen final artwork with a 1st work only error filled draft when others more recent were readily available still has not been explained."