Which video game has the best soundtrack? There is no objective all-time winner, but these ten scores stand out for distinct musical identities, how well they serve their games, and the melodies and atmospheres that stay with players. The order is an editorial ranking, not a poll or settled consensus; it weighs composition, gameplay and emotional fit, cohesion, and lasting recognition.
“Soundtrack” can mean original game music, licensed songs, or later arrangements. This list focuses on scores written for games, rather than compilations built mainly from existing songs. That distinction also fits the Recording Academy’s category for albums predominantly comprising original scores created for games or other interactive media: Recording Academy category rules.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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Minecraft - Volume Alpha | $24.98 | Buy on Amazon |
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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Original Video Game Soundtrack Blue and Pink Translucent Blend Colored... | $31.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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Bloodborne Vol. II (Original Soundtrack) | $38.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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How this list judges the best game soundtracks
A great game score is more than a set of memorable tracks. It can establish a world, change the pressure of a fight, make exploration feel spacious, or give a recurring melody new meaning as the player encounters it again. The selections below balance those musical qualities with range, cohesion, and cultural staying power. Different players may reasonably rank them differently.
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10 of the best video game soundtracks ever made
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Koji Kondo’s score is built around motifs that feel inseparable from the places and actions they accompany. Its tunes are immediately recognizable, but their importance is also practical: music is part of how the game communicates puzzles, locations, and its own sense of adventure. The result is a score whose identity is clear without needing constant orchestral force.
#1 Best Overall
- Genre: Soundtrack
- Number of Discs: 1
- Number of Tracks: 12
- Album Title: Minecraft Volume Alpha
- Music Artist/Band: C418
2. Silent Hill 2
Akira Yamaoka’s music and sound design make unease feel like part of the landscape. Rather than relying only on a conventional melody to tell players how to feel, the score uses texture, dissonance, and restraint to sustain dread. GamesRadar’s 2022 list likewise highlights the game for its unsettling atmosphere, a useful reminder that a soundtrack’s effect can come from what it withholds as much as what it plays. GamesRadar’s 2022 soundtrack selections.
3. Undertale
Toby Fox’s score holds together a game full of sharp tonal changes. The music can be playful, tender, strange, or intense, yet its melodic language gives those contrasts a shared identity. GamesRadar praised that coherence across contrasting tracks; the lasting appeal is how often a small, simple motif can carry emotional weight without overwhelming the scene.
4. Persona 5
Persona 5 commits to a musical style as confidently as it commits to its visual one. Acid jazz, funk, and vocal-led tracks help give the game a polished, urban pulse, while recurring themes bind together its many activities and locations. GamesRadar singled out the score’s stylistic identity. Its trade-off is intentional: listeners who want a more orchestral or understated sound may find its assertive groove less versatile.
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5. DOOM (2016)
Mick Gordon’s score turns aggression into a musical system. Distorted guitar, electronic production, and tightly driven rhythms match the speed and violence of combat rather than sitting passively behind it. GamesRadar’s selection emphasizes this fit between genre and sound. The score is deliberately relentless, which makes it powerful in action and less suited to quiet, contemplative listening.
Rank #2
- Limited Edition of 1000
- Blue & Pink Translucent Blend Colored Vinyl
- Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart Exclusive Vinyl Colorway
6. Minecraft
Daniel Rosenfeld, known as C418, made ambient music that leaves space for the player’s own activity. Its piano and electronic textures lend scale and solitude to a world that can otherwise be noisy with construction and exploration. GamesRadar points to the music’s enduring ambient quality: it supports long stretches of play without insisting on a dramatic beat or a fixed emotional reading.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild uses silence and sparse piano as expressive choices, allowing the landscape and the player’s discoveries to come forward. Nintendo describes a palette that moves from gentle exploration piano to rhythmic battle tension and sounds associated with Sheikah technology. The score was composed by Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, Hajime Wakai, and Soshi Abe, according to Nintendo’s soundtrack announcement.
The music’s restraint is a strength, though it can feel less tune-forward than classic adventure scores. Nintendo announced a 34-track vinyl selection and says the soundtrack is also available in its Nintendo Music app for Nintendo Switch Online members; current edition details, stock, membership terms, and regional availability should be checked on Nintendo’s store listing and the service before relying on them.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches8. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth uses the musical legacy of the original game as a foundation for a much larger, varied score. Returning themes gain new scale in orchestral arrangements, while new material serves a sprawling cast of locations and moods. Square Enix’s announcement describes an official soundtrack of 175 tracks, issued as a seven-disc CD set or digital download. It names Mitsuto Suzuki and Masashi Hamauzu as composers and credits original music to Nobuo Uematsu. Those figures indicate the breadth of the release, not a measure of its quality. See Square Enix’s soundtrack announcement for release details.
9. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Jeremy Soule’s score gives Skyrim a broad, mythic character, from choral grandeur to quieter exploration themes. Its recurring musical ideas help make a huge open world feel like one coherent place, while the main theme’s vocal writing gives the game an unmistakable musical signature. The score’s scale is a virtue, although its most effective moments are often the ones that leave room for the landscape rather than filling every moment with spectacle.
10. Super Mario Galaxy
Koji Kondo and Mahito Yokota’s orchestral score gives Mario’s platforming a sense of wonder and momentum. Sweeping arrangements make the cosmic setting feel expansive, while lighter themes preserve the series’ playful character. It earns its place by treating a bright, accessible game with a musical range broad enough for both comedy and genuine grandeur.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which soundtrack should you start with?
Choose based on the experience you want, not a claim that one score is objectively best:
- For unsettling atmosphere: Silent Hill 2.
- For melodies tied closely to play: Ocarina of Time.
- For contrasting moods with a coherent voice: Undertale.
- For a strong modern style and vocals: Persona 5.
- For high-intensity action: DOOM (2016).
- For gentle background listening: Minecraft or Breath of the Wild.
- For orchestral scale: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth or Super Mario Galaxy.
Listening outside the game can reveal how well a score holds up as an album, but the game context matters: pacing, repetition, and the player’s control over when music appears are part of what makes these works distinctive.
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