Video game music: the 40 best tracks in gaming history
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Video game soundtracks are full of incredible music that everyone can appreciate, we've picked out the very best.
Music is a universal form of media. Even if you don’t go out of your way to regularly listen to music, it will still be a big part of your life. Every TV show, film, game, or even advert will use music to try and make you feel something. If you were to rewatch moments like the speech from Braveheart or the portal scene in Avengers: Endgame without the music in the background, those moments lose part of their emotive power.
Video games are no different, and need to cover their hours of content with lots of different themes for everything. Characters and locations need their own motifs that make them stand out; battles need something catchy that won’t be grinding after the 100th time you’ve heard it; and every cutscene needs just the right kick to give it all the emotion you want.
Gaming is full of masterful composers that defined series and helped shape entire genres over the years, and we want to honor such brilliant work.
We’ve put together 40 tracks that cover all different kinds of awesome video game music. Whether it’s a battle theme, an overworld theme, or a character theme, all that matters is that it’s a banger. Our only restriction is one track per series – otherwise, this entire list would just be the Persona 5 soundtrack.
If you're looking for something to play on a budget this year, check out our list of the best laptop games.
Life Will Change – Persona 5
Atlus
Since we’ve already name-dropped it, we’ll start with Persona, which is stuffed to the brim with brilliant tracks. P3 and P4 both have their own selection of great tracks, but perhaps no OST in gaming history is filled with as many bangers as P5. Last Surprise, Keeper of Lust, Beneath the Mask, and Whims of Fate – just to name a few. Then Persona 5 Royal came out and piled even more on, like the party atmosphere of Take Over, the power of I Believe, or the emotion of Throw Away Your Mask.
Life Will Change was our pick to represent the series though. It's quite a simple track but you won’t be able to stop bopping your head to it. With a steady 4/4 time signature, groovy bass, and an energetic lead melody it’s the perfect heist music, working both with and without lyrics.
Venice Rooftops – Assassin’s Creed 2
Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed has never really been known for its music. It has some good chase tracks, but nothing in the series comes close to touching this masterpiece. Using the same leitmotif as the series’ main theme, Venice Rooftops is an absorbing piece that takes one simple and repetitive melody and builds a whole orchestra around it. The way it slowly builds from a single synth track, before the guitar kicks in is a transition that gives anyone listening goosebumps.
One Winged Angel – Final Fantasy 7
Music designed for a single character is always tricky to get right. It needs to convey every aspect of this character through the track. Everything is important: the pace, the key, the choice of instrument(s) – all of them need to be a musical distillation of a larger-than-life personality.
If you want to see an example of that done perfectly, we present One Winged Angel, which serves as Sephiroth’s theme. This guy is the badass villain of all badass villains, and you understand that less than a second into this track. Violins and trumpets played in a minor key make you feel just a bit uncomfortable and the big low drumbeats are intimidating to make for an instantly recognizable few seconds of music.
Somehow the track still then goes on for another six minutes, turning into an all-out rock opera by the end. To break down each section would rob them of their magic, so just listen to it all the way through and be taken on a journey.
Honor For All – Dishonored
Bethesda
Dishonored features a world steeped in death and despair, where you have no choice but to stand up and act against the powers that be. This song manages to capture both of those core ideas, harmonizing them into a track that is simultaneously oppressive and hopeful. The melody is dirty, played with a thundering drum and a low bass guitar that refuses to let up, but layered on top are lyrics that stand in defiance, making a stand and bringing that powerful sense of hope to Dunwall.
Revived Power – Shadow of the Colossus
GenDesign, Bluepoint, Sony
Facing down your foe in Shadow of the Colossus is a unique experience compared to any other game. Finding out how to kill your foe is as big a part of the challenge as executing it, and in many cases, even getting onto the thing in the first place is extremely difficult.
This is what makes Revived Power such a brilliant track. When you finally struggled onto its back and hold on for dear life as it rears up and tries to shake you off, this triumphant track revels in your achievement before you even start to attack the thing. It imbues you with that energy of a hero doing something truly incredible, only to bring it all crashing back down when you land the killing blow.
Main Theme – Halo
343 Industries
If you were gaming in the 2000s, then you almost certainly had this theme lodged in your brain at some point. For such an action-packed game this is a relatively calm theme, but it makes you feel the weight of the mission you’re about to/have just undertaken. That eerie choir echoes out in the vacuum of space, making you feel truly alone as you set out against the enemy.
The Amaranth – Towerfall Ascension
Not every great video game track needs to be iconic or genre-defining, sometimes they can just be a heck of a lot of fun. That’s exactly what The Amaranth is. Towerfall is a wonderfully chaotic game and this stage’s theme captures the joy of that perfectly, using some classic pirate undertones to make this ghost-ship come alive with action as you frantically hunt down your opponents.
The Light In Us All – Planet Coaster
A management sim simply has no right to have such an amazing soundtrack, but Planet Coaster and its sister game, Planet Zoo, are well worth listening to. What’s so amazing about The Light In Us All is how it manages to capture this weird sense of nostalgia. It fulfills those vibes of a fun day out as a kid. Starting out with just a few instruments as the excitement builds, bursting into a joyous melody that fills you with that childlike sense of wonder, before simmering down again, leaving you calm and fulfilled.
God Shattering Star – Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Nintendo
The name alone should be enough to tell you why this is a great track.
By this point in the Golden Deer route of Three Houses, you’re ready for the fight of your life. Nemesis is this legendary figure that has been built up the whole game that you’re finally face-to-face with. This isn’t like other JRPGs where you’re killing a god, instead, you’re killing the god-killer. It’s such a steep departure from all of Three Houses’ other battle themes, with that first cry of the opera singer making you sit up and take note of the powerful force you’re about to collide with.
Mine – Sayonara Wild Hearts
If you’re looking for a cracking musical game then Sayonara Wild Hearts is where you should be looking. This journey will see you interact with music in a unique way, with an instantly memorable pop soundtrack. While all of the boss tracks are excellent, Mine is the standout because of its incredible sense of rhythm and pacing. This isn’t technically a rhythm game, but Mine lines up so perfectly with every beat of the action that it overtakes your whole body when you’re playing it.
Megalovania – Undertale
While Undertale’s place in internet culture may have turned this song into a meme, it’s important to take the time to listen to it every now and then to remember what a fantastic track it is. Sans is a pretty unassuming and cheeky personality, so for this to be his battle theme is such a stark contrast in the best way possible. It makes the most of that all-out fight feeling that you’ll have at the end of a genocide run, making the whole battle far more epic.
To The Heart – Paradise Killer
Paradise Killer is the place to go if want an 80s disco vibe with a bit more of a chill twist than that genre typically goes for. The peak of this is To The Heart, which uses a lot of modern lyrical techniques over a retro-feeling melody. It’s the kind of track you can imagine flicking on just before cruising down a highway into the sunset.
KK Cruisin’ – Animal Crossing
Nintendo
There’s no way we could leave KK Slider out of this list. His soothing voice and chill guitar is the perfect accompaniment to an evening spent in an Animal Crossing game. We went with KK Cruisin’ as the top pick because of its chill energy. It has a steady pace and simple “vocals” that let you just lay back and enjoy the vibe.
Vampire Killer – Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
Vampire Killer is one of Castlevania’s most memorable tracks, having existed since the very first game. It’s a heroic track that sets you off on your quest to slay Dracula in the best way possible, filling you with hope. The Harmony of Despair version is the best because it's the liveliest. With a couple of guitars added to the melody, it adds an extra sense of oppressive threat as well as bumping up the energy.
Infinite Azure – Tekken 7
A happy and bouncy track might not be one you’d immediately associate with the Tekken series, but this track is an absolute joy to listen to. It’s got such a fast pace that it wouldn’t feel out of place in a Sonic the Hedgehog game, but it doesn’t feel too intense. The keyboard melody paired with the light drumbeat and backing synth makes it light and easy to listen to.
City Streets 2 – Double Dragon Neon
When it comes to games that are worth remembering for their soundtrack alone, Double Dragon Neon is one of the standouts. It has exactly the kind of soundtrack you’d expect from a game with the word “neon” in the title – disco vibes all day every day. The melody is bright and memorable, with a chorus that will stick in your head for days whether you like it or not. Despite being made in 2012, you can stick it in any 80s mix without it feeling out of place.
Spurred Into Flight, Drenched and Fallen - The Night Rises – Bravely Default 2
You could certainly trim the title down a little, but this is easily the standout from Bravely Default 2’s soundtrack. This game has a lot of wildly different and unique battle themes that all stand out in their own way, but this one nails the vibe of the game perfectly.
As the theme for this game’s first “final boss” fight, this track brings an unbelievable intensity from instruments that you wouldn’t think can pull it off. With some very light strings, violins, flutes, and even some windchimes in there, this track manages to capture the magical feeling of the fairy you’re battling before bringing the heat with brass instruments, frantic drums, and several electric guitars.
The Moonlighter – Moonlighter
This indie game about dungeon diving and shop running has a varied soundtrack that stands out despite a limited scope. The boss battles are intense and unique to each dungeon, while the town themes are calm and peaceful in just the right way. However, the one that you’ll want to listen to the most after the game is over is the theme for your shop.
This light and calm theme packs in that sense of hustle and bustle, with customers coming in and judging your prices, but keeps the happy village atmosphere. It gives you a sense of your hard work paying off, as you turn a profit from all the things you risked your life to gather. Plus, it does a wonderful little trick, having a subdued version of the theme for when the shop is closed that smoothly layers extra stuff on when you open it.
Petalouda – The House of Fata Morgana
The House of Fata Morgana is not a game for everyone’s tastes. As a horror visual novel, you don’t require the most incredible gameplay skills in order to get to the end. However, the chilling story is matched perfectly with its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Sung all in a gibberish language based on Portuguese, you feel as lost in the words as you do in the world. Petalouda accompanies rare moments of joy in the story. Moments to savor and enjoy.
Rashid’s Theme – Street Fighter 5
There were a handful of classic tracks we could’ve picked to represent Street Fighter, but in the end, we went with Rashid’s Theme for one very simple reason – it goes HARD. It pulls in the Arabian themes nicely, putting an intense beat under it. It seemingly peaks early, and you think maybe that’s all it has to offer, but then about a minute in the beat drops again and it goes absolutely wild.
Still Alive – Mirror’s Edge
There are a few different ways that a parkour game can go for its soundtrack. What you’d expect would be something more along the lines of skateboard games – it fits into the same style of counter-culture punk. However, Mirror’s Edge decided to focus more on the characters and their story, making for a beautiful track with a memorable melody. The lyrics still manage to capture a sense of rebellion though, not through anger, but through a melancholic vibe that draws together the beauty and emotion of the world.
Still Alive – Portal
The song you probably thought of when you saw “Still Alive” as the title, we had to include one of GLaDOS’ songs here. While Want You Gone is a more musically lucrative track, Still Alive is the song everyone remembers from the credits of the first Portal game. It’s a calm track to follow the chaotic ending of the game that weaves plenty of the game’s signature humor into the lyrics. Then it pulls a wonderful trick, revealing the twist as GLaDOS declares “I am still alive”.
Terran Theme 1 – Starcraft
Strategy games aren’t typically known for their musical prowess, but we’d be remiss not to mention this track from Starcraft. It starts out slow and quiet before ramping up into something that will really get you ready for battle. It helps you zone in on the intensity of establishing your base and growing your army in a game, ready to unleash an attack.
Far Away – Red Dead Redemption
The wild west can be loud and chaotic, but it can also be a bit of a sad time in history, especially in Red Dead Redemption where the classic “wild west” is starting to fade in favor of the incoming industrial revolution. Far Away is a track that captures the melancholy of it, as well as hitting on the emotional core of John Marston’s story. It gives that feeling of being a lone wanderer just trying to regain some sense of belonging and stability in life that most people can relate to on some scale.
Space Cruise – FTL: Faster Than Light
The title theme for FTL is a pretty simple track that mimics the gradual progression of an FTL journey. It typically starts out very calm as you slowly grow your systems before you’re suddenly thrown into an expansive universe that will throw any and all challenges at you to hinder your mission. “Space music” can be a hard idea to define, but FTL nails it throughout the soundtrack.
Gerudo Valley – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Zelda is another series where there could’ve been a lot of nominees, but this is the one that stood out to us the most. The underlying beat is straight out of a classic western, and on top of that is a great melody that switches between string and brass that match the tone brilliantly. I would be riding through there for hours listening to this track if I could.
Tetris theme – Tetris 99
Nintendo
The Tetris theme is a simply iconic melody that any gamer should love. There have been countless remixes of it over the years, but the one we love the most is the version from Tetris 99. This battle royale game is far more intense than others due to how quickly people can gang up on you and put you in a tricky position. This theme captures that frantic energy, especially going into the latter half of games where one mistake could cost you everything.
Aquatic Ambience – Donkey Kong Country
This is everything underwater themes should be. They need to play on the eerie silence and mystery that lies on the bottom of the ocean while injecting a small sense of rising tension because there’s no telling what you might face. At the same time, there’s also a beauty to it. The silence can be just as peaceful as it is eerie, and the echoing notes can sound very pretty too. This track walks that line better than any other.
Baba Yetu - Civilization 4
The Civilization games turn all of human history into a massive 4X strategy game, so it’s only fitting that they have epic title music. Civilization 6’s Sogno di Volare is a beautiful piece of music, but nothing will stick in your head more than Baba Yetu. The lyrics are the Lord’s Prayer translated into Swahili and it makes for an extremely catchy chorus sung by a choir and backed by a simple but powerful orchestral melody.
Dialga’s Fight to the Finish – Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky
Here’s where we’re cheating slightly, as we’re counting Pokémon Mystery Dungeon as separate from the main Pokémon games. We promise it’s worth it though, because this track couldn’t go unmentioned.
The Mystery Dungeons games rely a lot more on story than the main series, and it’s pulled off some really moving stories over the years. Dialga’s Fight to the Finish is one of the perfect emotional final boss battles. You’re fighting an extremely powerful version of Dialga who has simply been driven mad by the crisis the world faces, he’s not evil, but he still has to be stopped.
It brings intensity with the underlying beat that keeps a fast pace while the main melody ebbs and flows with powerful synths meant to emulate flutes. It’s the perfect climax to the epic journey you will have faced up until this point, pulling everything together in one final fight to the finish.
Battle At Journey’s End – Octopath Traveler
Octopath Traveler’s many battle themes pull from lots of different vibes, but none feel as powerful as the theme for each traveler’s final boss.
It starts out as a fairly standard battle theme, but the smooth violin melody hints at the greatness to come. Then it starts to hit its peak, and never has a song in a minor key felt so uplifting. It repeats the same melody three times. First with a mighty trumpet, then with a moving violin, and finally with a powerful flute that brings every emotional moment from your journey flooding to the forefront.
That one moment of the track is enough to make it one of the greatest pieces of video game music, but it follows that up with another flute section that goes just as hard before slowly coming back down again to allow it to loop. When you’re at the end of a long adventure and facing off against a powerful foe, this is exactly the kind of song you need to motivate you for that final push.
Pursuit ~ Cornered – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
The Phoenix Wright games are visual novels like no other. Despite working on a very limited budget and system at the time, the team behind the original trilogy used so many refinements and techniques that turn them into gaming icons. The art style, the limited animation, the courtroom gameplay are all great, but the soundtrack is what will still be running around your head years later.
This particular theme is the best because of how overwhelmingly intense it is. It’s simultaneously a celebration theme and a battle theme. It kicks in when you hit on the crucial piece of evidence or contradiction that turns the case on its head. This is when the two lawyers lock in at their tightest and every single word you say is important. It backs up the best moments of every case, turning them into unbelievable dramas.
Dragonborn – The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Bethesda
Maybe it’s just because we’ve spent over ten years hearing it in trailers for the various versions of Skyrim, but few songs are as firmly lodged in the gaming consciousness as this one. It’s no surprise that Bethesda kept going back to the well with this track though, the main melody is the kind of epic adventure theme Lord of the Rings wishes it could have. Then you realize it’s written entirely in the fictional language of dragons and you realize just how deep the Elder Scrolls lore hole goes.
Confronting Myself – Celeste
Maddy Makes Games
Celeste’s story about anxiety and accepting yourself is one that stuck with everyone who played it, and the battle against Madeline’s other self is where it all comes to a head. This stage sees you desperately battling against the obstacles coming at you thick and fast in an attempt to reach your other self, to try and connect the two of you to become whole again. It’s an intense but emotional level in the game and this song hits on both sides.
The track has this weird distortion under it to represent the warped mind of someone confused as to who they really are. Layer over that is the main melody which – in a genius move – uses the same synth sound as Madeline’s voice, making it sound like she’s literally crying out to her other self as they do battle.
Jump Up, Super Star! – Super Mario Odyssey
There are a bunch of great level themes you could pick out from the Mario games. Heck, Mario Odyssey even has two or three other fantastic vocal themes, but Jump Up Super Star is our favorite because it’s an unapologetic party from start to finish. Bringing in elements of classic jazz and swing, it’s the perfect encapsulation of not only Mario Odyssey, but the entire Mario series as a whole.
We can make fun of Bowser’s endless kidnapping of Peach and all the weird stuff in the games, but ultimately Mario is about the thrill of adventure and overcoming platforming challenges, as Nintendo makes them like no one else.
Flying Battery Zone – Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic the Hedgehog is another series where we could sit here all day listing amazing tracks. Chemical Plant, Sky Sanctuary, Lava Reef, Live & Learn, Escape from the City, and Egg Reveries are just a few we can name off the top of our heads.
Flying Battery takes the top spot though for its high energy, fast pace, and overall intensity. This level takes place miles in the sky on a massive airship built by Robotnik, there’s no time to warm up and this track makes that clear, immediately kicking into gear with a high note that quickly gives way to an unrelenting beat and frantic melody. It’s fun but it’s also a threat – like all good things in life.
Counterattack – Xenoblade Chronicles 2
When you look at a game with as incredible a story as the Xenoblade franchise, you’ve got to make some utterly perfect music to highlight all of the best scenes. Be they action-packed, joyous, or sad, it has to bring the best out of that scene. Counterattack is a track that manages to hit all the bases.
As the name suggests, this is the track for the crucial moments when the tide is turning in battle, usually taking our hero from the lowest low to the highest high, and you can follow that exact journey through this piece. It comes in strong with a big moment to highlight the big reveal before slowing down to let our heroes take stock and to keep the audience on the hook as to if it’ll work, then it lets loose for the heart of the song.
If you go back and watch the best scenes in Xenoblade 2, they probably have this music playing underneath them, and that’s not a coincidence.
Weight of the World – Nier: Automata
Nier: Automata has a severely affecting story. It interrogates not just the meaning of life or being human, but what it actually means to feel an emotion, and how something can potentially learn such a trait.
By the time you’ve seen this rollercoaster of a game through to the end, your head is likely to be in a weird space where you feel quite vulnerable, even in a powerful moment. This is what makes Weight of the World such an impactful track. It comes in right when you need it most, as the hopelessness of the game’s regular endings washes over you, it’s the ray of light that gives you and the characters the power and energy they need.
On top of that, from a purely musical perspective, it is damn near untouchable. The beauty of the track is unmatched and the power of the lyrics is overwhelming, so much so that even the singer is overcome and starts crying in the Japanese version.
Cynthia Battle Theme - Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
Enough of these emotions for a moment, let’s have some fun.
Pokémon is full of amazing battle themes. Cyrus, Team Galactic, Dialga & Palkia, the Lake Trio…and that’s just the Sinnoh games. Cynthia’s theme is the one to beat though, with an unrelenting theme for the series’ toughest champion. It’s not particularly emotive or anything, it just goes all out from start to finish, letting off the gas only for a second here and there before pressing on to the next section.
Wii Shop Channel
Iconic.
