The 10 Best Video Game Soundtracks of All Time
You Won’t Be Able to Get These Soundtracks Out of Your Head
We all love music. Anyone that says that they don’t is just a bit weird really. We also love video games, so what could be better than great music in video games?
Although we feel it is a fact often overlooked, a good soundtrack can really be an asset to a video game. A catchy tune or an infectious song can stick around in your head long after you’ve grown tired of playing a title, keeping it in your mind for years to follow. It can also be great at setting the mood for a scene or simply getting you suitably pumped for combat.
We’ve searched the dark recesses of our minds to recover some of the best soundtracks to have ever embedded themselves into our unconscious. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a sample of what we believe are the best video game soundtracks of all time.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
https://youtu.be/KG3kHhSHF0U
All of the Zelda games have excellent soundtracks, but Ocarina of Time is the one the one we remember the fondest.
The N64 was able to bring many of the series’ popular themes to life like never before, making them stick in our minds like glue. More modern Zelda soundtracks may be more atmospheric and of higher audio quality, but we’ll always remember the tunes of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and the time we spent with spent with Link in our youth. Ah, simpler days.
DmC
Although it comes under heavy criticism from fans of the series, Ninja Theory’s entry in the Devil May Cry series is good in our book.
Ninja Theory collaborated with electronic music trio Noisia and industrial metal band Combichrist for the soundtrack, and we have to say, it does an impeccable job of getting you in the mood for killing demons with style. Even now, we can’t listen to the track Never Surrender by Combichrist without feeling the urge to boot DmC up for another playthrough. The soundtrack to this game just elevates it to the next level.
Assassins Creed 2
Assassins Creed 2 might just be the best and most influential Assassin’s Creed ever made, and it features a captivating soundtrack composed by none other than Jesper Kyd.
As if running around the streets of Italy wasn’t magical enough, listening to Jesper Kyd’s absorbing creations while doing so is a real delight. Then you enter into combat or another suitably blood-pumping situation and the soundtrack becomes more upbeat and rousing, truly grabbing your attention. All these years later, we still find ourselves going back for a listen to this masterpiece.
Streets of Rage 2
We know it’s hard to believe that a Sega Mega Drive / Genesis game could stand toe-to-toe with some of the other titles on this list, but Streets of Rage 2 truly has some of the greatest music created for a video game.
From the intro to the credits, every electronic dance-inspired track in the Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack will have you tapping your feet as you pummel countless thugs. Composer Yuzo Koshiro created a soundtrack that was years ahead of its time with this one. Mind you, the recent release of Streets of Rage 4 has given us pause for thought. With stage tracks composed by Olivier Deriviere and boss tracks put together by a string of guests including Yuzo Koshiro, it’s one of the best videogame soundtracks of recent years.
Final Fantasy VII
https://youtu.be/UMvHTlWyxH0
This title doesn’t really need an introduction, does it? Surely everyone knows that Final Fantasy VII has one of the best video game soundtracks of all time?
Final Fantasy 7’s sublime soundtrack, created by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu, has been firmly imprinted on our minds thanks to the many hours we’ve spent with the game. And not in a Stockholm Syndrome kind of way – each and every track is genuinely brilliant. While the original compositions are great, it’s the piano arrangements of the tracks that we find ourselves listening to time and time again, however. Recently remade for PS4 – well, at least a part of it – the modern day interpretations of many of Final Fantasy VII‘s classic tracks are also rather excellent.
Related: The 10 best pieces of music from the Final Fantasy series
Alan Wake
Remedy’s Alan Wake was a long time in the making, but when it was finally released it certainly didn’t disappoint with its tense atmosphere and interesting storyline.
The suitably haunting original soundtrack by Petri Alanko is bookended by some great tracks such as Roy Orbison’s In Dreams at the end of each of the games 6 episodes. The soundtrack also features the song Young Men Dead by The Black Angels, used in the credits of the first episode of HBO hit True Detective. We really hope Alan Wake gets a sequel someday with Petri brought back to do the soundtrack, because we simply want more; more brilliant music and more exceptional Remedy storytelling with Alan at the forefront. Thanks to the latest Control DLC, it looks like we might get it, too.
Silent Hill 2
https://youtu.be/JxvgxuD_lcs
One of the greatest horror games ever created, Silent Hill 2 just wouldn’t be what it is without Akira Yamaoka’s musical flair.
From hauntingly melodic piano tracks to disconcerting industrial noise, this soundtrack has it all. Other Silent Hill soundtracks are great too, but there’s just a certain something about the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack that makes it stick in our minds like none other. Needless to say, Akira Yamaoka’s work has become so synonymous with Silent Hill that it’s hard to imagine an entry in the series without his input. Will it ever happen? Who knows. He is creating music for the upcoming The Medium by Bloober Team, however, which is giving us more Silent Hill vibes every time we see it.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
https://youtu.be/r5U9toBDqOo
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, perhaps the most highly regarded Castlevania title ever made, just wouldn’t be what it is without its wondrously eclectic soundtrack.
Pretty much all Castlevania games have great soundtracks, but all those years ago this one really won us over. Mixing elements of rock, jazz, classical and dance music, Michiru Yamane created a captivating soundtrack that makes slaughtering the creatures of the night even more enjoyable. Remixes of iconic Castlevania tracks are featured, as well as new tracks that have stood the test of time. We just hope that one day the series can restore its former glory, though fans at least have Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to enjoy, which is a sequel in all but name.
Suikoden
Featuring one of the greatest video game soundtracks ever created, Suikoden is an essential RPG for fans of the genre.
Each of the game’s sumptuous tracks fits the location or situation it is used perfectly, creating just the right mood or emotion for the events unfolding. Most of the other Suikoden games also have great soundtracks, but they can’t quite top the melodies of the original. It’s just a shame the game is so hard to get hold of. It’ll cost you a fortune for a physical copy on eBay, and while you can buy it cheap digitally on PSN, you’ll need a PS Vita or PS3 to play it. Even legally acquiring the game’s soundtrack is a task in many areas of the world.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
We know what you’re thinking, “another Castlevania game soundtrack?”. The fact is though, that Oscar Araujo’s orchestral score for the best-selling Castlevania game, Lords of Shadow, is quite simply spectacular.
Every track on the Lords of Shadow soundtrack oozes atmosphere, drawing you into the game’s spectacular environments and story. At times contemplative and relaxing, others grandiose and bombastic, the music frames the game perfectly making it better than the sum of its parts. It’s a shame that Lords of Shadow 2 didn’t quite live up to its predecessor, as we would have loved to have more games within the Lords of Shadow universe. Maybe Konami will revive the series someday? We can but hope. And fingers crossed they’ll get Oscar to do its soundtrack.
