Music serves a vital role in gaming, but often goes underappreciated. Imagine wandering Skyrim with nothing but footsteps as ambiance, or DOOM with only the noise of blood and gunfire keeping you company. Even simple, minimal games like Minecraft come equipped with beautiful music. They aren't always just for ambiance — songs that are good enough will stick with players forever.
To celebrate original, impactful video game music, as well as highlight this underappreciated aspect of games, we've compiled this list. These are the greatest examples of original music in various video game series, from ambient electronic tunes to intense orchestral scores.
10/10 Minecraft
Countless people have appreciated Minecraft's gorgeous ambient soundtrack. Created by the talented electronic composer, C418, the game's relaxing melodies make an awesome background for exploring and building. There are few experiences more satisfying than gazing out over a completed build while C418's gentle melodies caress your ears. Minecraft only ranks low because its ambient melodies work best as background noise, with only one song standing out as particularly great.
In particular, the song Sweden is awesome and iconic. This lilting piano melody climbs, lazily, up and down. It sounds not unlike a classical composition. Sweden is slow, contemplative, and simple, almost dreamlike. It's also relatively easy on piano and makes a great song for beginners to learn.
9/10 Red Dead Redemption
The Red Dead Redemption games always strive to be cinematic, and music is a potent tool in their arsenal. Some of the most memorable moments in these games are just horseback rides down empty roads. They're memorable because of the music they use.
In Red Dead 1, the song "Far Away" welcomes John Marston to Mexico. This downbeat acoustic tune excellently captures the mood of the tired, reluctant hero. In Red Dead 2, the beautiful song "May I? Stand Unshaken" plays as Arthur Morgan returns to America from abroad. Also in Red Dead 2, the "House Building Theme" warms the heart. However, despite these notable standouts, the background music in Red Dead Redemption can occasionally be underwhelming.
8/10 Danganronpa
Danganronpa is a weird game that gleefully parodies anime tropes. Some dislike the game for its over-the-top plots and characters. However, likely no one will disagree that its soundtrack is amazing.
Those who have never played Danganronpa should do themselves a favor and listen to the song BOX 15. This song combines detective music tropes (muted trumpet, snare lines, and a walking bassline) with the fast-paced, energetic style of composer Masafumi Takada. It sounds like the cool Japanese Shibuya-Kei music style, as does the entire Danganronpa soundtrack. Not only is it incredibly unique, but it's also just downright fun to listen to. In fact, it's so fun to listen to it almost distracts from Danganronpa's story, which is wild in its own right.
7/10 Metal Gear Solid
In addition to its all-around solid background music for most levels in-game, several entries in the Metal Gear Solid series feature intense, memorable theme songs. Take, for example, the song Snake Eater, which wouldn't sound out of place in a James Bond movie. The song is jazzy and cool, and the singing is pitch perfect. There's also Sins of the Father from Metal Gear Solid V, an orchestral song that grips listeners with intense emotion. In addition to these standouts, the music in the series is generally great, with songs like the Theme of Tara and just the iconic Main Theme. Although there is some lackluster background music, MGSV rectifies this by giving Snake a radio with tons of licensed 80s music to listen to in the background.
6/10 Banjo-Kazooie
Back in the heyday of the game developer Rare, composer Grant Kirkhope was pumping out classic game soundtracks back-to-back. There was Donkey Kong Country, there was Conker's Bad Fur Day, and of course, there was Banjo-Kazooie. Given its protagonists are named after musical instruments, it's fitting that this game's soundtrack is a one-of-a-kind gem.
Kirkhope made great use of a particular musical interval in Banjo-Kazooie; the devil's interval, which makes music sound spooky. It pops up often in Halloween songs. It's also used in nearly every tune in Banjo-Kazooie. Sort of like circus music, it's undeniably very weird, but also very fun to listen to. The melodies, which bounce back and forth, represent the difference in personality between the bear and the bird.
5/10 PaRappa the Rapper
PaRappa the Rapper is an underappreciated series, putting music front and center in two main games as well as a spin-off (Um Jammer Lammy). The games are short and sweet, lasting only an hour or so, but that just means they don't overstay their welcome.
In PaRappa 1, Fleaswallow's Rap is a straight-up good reggae song. Cheap Cheap's Rap feels like a corny track from the '90s, but it's a serious earworm. In PaRappa 2, Toasty Buns is stunningly funky, and Big is a soulful treat. With multiple difficulties and a co-op mode to keep things fresh, PaRappa's songs are catchy, replayable, and classic across the board.
4/10 Bastion
Bastion is an older game from Supergiant Games, the developers of Hades. The gameplay is similar to that of Hades, and the art is gorgeous, but where Bastion really shines is in its music.
The soundtrack not only has great standout songs, but it also stays impressive throughout the entire game. Composed by Darren Korb, it features a mix of adventurous western guitars and gritty, almost industrial electronica. Build That Wall, a song about collapse and inevitability is hauntingly beautiful. It's the same with Mother, I'm Here, another great song. Then, the two songs combine to form the beautiful song Setting Sail, Coming Home, a perfect capstone for a great game.
3/10 Undertale
Despite everything, Undertale still has one of the best original soundtracks of all time. Nearly every song in the game is great, and Undertale's heavy use of recurring melodies gives them all a charming cohesion.
There's the jaunty Bonetrousle, which gets in your bones and makes you want to dance. There's Spider Dance, which gives goosebumps with its intensity. Fallen Down disarms with its weird, gentle beauty and ASGORE injects energy with its pounding war drums and driving melodies. There's also the iconic Megalovania, and the inspirational Hopes and Dreams. The list goes on, and on, and on. Toby Fox's ear for amazing melodies cements Undertale's soundtrack as an all-time great.
2/10 Persona
Persona is a series that prides itself on stellar presentation. One element of that is music, something Atlus composer Shoji Meguro has worked tirelessly to perfect over his 30-year career with the company. Every Persona game has a unique soundtrack, and all of them are excellent.
Players often come away from Persona 3 humming its catchy songs, like Mass Destruction, When The Moon's Reaching Out Stars, and Memories of You. Persona 4 features dance-worthy songs like Heartbeat, Heartbreak and Specialist. Persona 5 has soulful songs inspired by R&B, like the jazzy Beneath the Mask and the super energetic Last Surprise. Considering the length of these games, the songs all need to stand up to multiple listens, and they do. In fact, most Persona fans end up re-listening to the soundtracks long after they're finished playing the games.
1/10 The Elder Scrolls
The composer for Bethesda, a man named Jeremy Soule, is renowned for his amazing music. Soule enjoys a sweeping orchestral style that fits very well with the epic fantasy world of The Elder Scrolls. Every Elder Scrolls game since Morrowind has had excellent music, but one soundtrack stands out in particular: Oblivion.
In a now archived interview, Soule shared the inspiration behind Oblivion's soundtrack. It was his own near-death experience. "I remember that I felt no fear," he said, " ... I simply just acknowledged to myself that I've had a good life". Obviously, he wasn't seriously harmed, but having a brush with death shaped his art. For many fans, learning this explains why Oblivion's music is so mysteriously touching. Soule's music captures the beauty of the human experience, where every step you take is another opportunity to appreciate the fact that you're alive.