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Which video game has the best soundtrack? There is no objective, universally accepted top ten, but these ten scores stand out for distinctive musical identities, how they serve their games, their range and cohesion, and the way players continue to remember them. The order is an editorial choice, not an industry ranking.
This list focuses on music composed for games rather than licensed-song compilations or later arrangements. That distinction matters: the Recording Academy’s game-music category is for albums made predominantly of original scores created specifically for games or other interactive media.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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Minecraft - Volume Alpha | $24.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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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 |
How this list weighs a soundtrack
A great game score does more than sound good outside the game. It can establish a world, shift with the action, make a place feel familiar, or give a pivotal moment its emotional force. The selections below balance musical character with how the music works in play, the score’s range and coherence, and its lasting recognition. Those are editorial criteria, not a claim that there is a single correct ranking.
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1. Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 uses music and sound to make unease feel ever-present. Its score is unsettling without relying on a constant stream of loud, dramatic cues; sparse passages and dissonant textures leave room for silence and environmental sound to do their work. GamesRadar’s 2022 list also singled it out for atmosphere. Its strength is not easy listening so much as the way the music becomes inseparable from the game’s oppressive mood.
#1 Best Overall
- Genre: Soundtrack
- Number of Discs: 1
- Number of Tracks: 12
- Album Title: Minecraft Volume Alpha
- Music Artist/Band: C418
2. Undertale
Undertale’s score moves between playful, tender, comic, and intense material while keeping a recognizable musical voice. Recurring ideas help make the soundtrack feel cohesive even as the game changes tone. GamesRadar’s 2022 list highlighted that consistency across contrasting tracks. The result is music that can work as a collection of memorable pieces and as part of the game’s emotional storytelling.
3. Persona 5
Persona 5 gives its soundtrack a strong stylistic identity, with a cool, jazz-inflected sound that reinforces the game’s urban setting and confident presentation. Its music helps everyday scenes, exploration, and confrontations feel like parts of the same world rather than unrelated modes. GamesRadar included it among its picks in 2022; the case for it here is the clarity and persistence of that musical identity.
4. DOOM (2016)
DOOM’s aggressive, heavy music fits the speed and force of its combat. Rather than treating action as a sequence of isolated cinematic moments, the score sustains a driving energy that suits continuous movement and fighting. GamesRadar’s 2022 selection praised its genre fit. That focused intensity is a particular strength, though it makes the soundtrack less about broad stylistic variety than about committing fully to one forceful sound.
5. Minecraft
Minecraft’s ambient music is memorable partly because it does not demand constant attention. Gentle, spacious pieces can sit beneath long stretches of building and exploration, giving the game a reflective mood without dictating what the player should do. GamesRadar’s 2022 list cited its enduring ambient music. The score’s restraint is central to its effect: it leaves the player’s own activity at the center.
Rank #2
- Limited Edition of 1000
- Blue & Pink Translucent Blend Colored Vinyl
- Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart Exclusive Vinyl Colorway
6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time is built around memorable musical motifs, including tunes the player actively learns and uses. Music is not only atmosphere here; it is tied to exploration, puzzles, and the game’s sense of place. GamesRadar’s 2022 list pointed to the score’s memorable motifs. Their clarity helps the music remain recognizable long after the original context has faded.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild takes a more spacious approach to an open-world adventure, using delicate piano in exploration and stronger rhythmic tension in battle. Nintendo describes the palette as moving from gentle exploration piano to enemy-battle tension and sounds associated with Sheikah technology. That contrast gives quiet travel room to breathe while allowing the score to make danger or discovery feel distinct.
Nintendo names Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, Hajime Wakai, and Soshi Abe as composers. Its announced vinyl collection selects 34 tracks, and Nintendo says the soundtrack is also available through the Nintendo Music app for Nintendo Switch Online members. Availability, catalog access, and editions can vary, so check Nintendo’s current listings.
8. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demonstrates how a modern role-playing game can accommodate a large, varied score while drawing on established musical material. Square Enix’s soundtrack announcement lists 175 tracks across a seven-disc CD set or digital download. It names Mitsuto Suzuki and Masashi Hamauzu as composers and credits original music to Nobuo Uematsu. The scale is notable, but track count alone does not make a score great; the achievement is sustaining musical breadth across a long adventure.
9. Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger’s score earns its place through strong melodic writing and a clear sense of adventure. Its musical ideas give different settings and dramatic turns their own character while keeping the journey coherent. The appeal is direct: themes are easy to remember, but they also help give the game’s changing worlds an emotional thread.
10. Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy’s orchestral sound gives its spacefaring adventure a sense of scale and wonder. Sweeping themes make the journey feel grand, while shifts in mood keep the music from becoming a single extended fanfare. Its score shows how a bold, cinematic palette can support playful movement as well as moments of spectacle.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Original scores, licensed songs, and soundtrack releases
“Soundtrack” can mean different things: an original score composed for a game, a collection of licensed songs used in it, or an album of later arrangements. The Recording Academy’s category for video game and other interactive media music is specifically scoped to albums comprised predominantly of original scores made for games or interactive media. That is a useful distinction when comparing scores such as the ones on this list with games whose musical identity depends chiefly on licensed tracks.
Physical editions can offer another way to listen or collect, but an announcement does not guarantee current stock. Nintendo announced a 34-track Breath of the Wild vinyl selection; Square Enix announced Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as a seven-disc CD set as well as a digital download. Check the publisher’s current store or official release information for availability and edition details.
Quick Recap
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