An integral, if often overlooked, element of the magic video games bring to their audiences lies in the music accompanying the player’s journey through virtual worlds. My all-time favorite tracks are from the many video games that have entertained, puzzled, and challenged me throughout my 30+ years of gaming. With my favorite game soundtrack getting a port to a new system recently, I thought it was a good time to look at my all-time top 10 video game soundtracks.
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10. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
To be fair, this first entry is a bit of a cheat. While Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s original music is great, what earns this game a spot on my top list is that it features tons of tracks from many of the greatest games of all time. Everything from classic Nintendo beats to Final Fantasy VII‘s iconic “One-Winged Angel” can be enjoyed while players smash each other off floating platforms in the granddaddy of platform brawlers.
9. Final Fantasy XV
While there is a fair amount of contention about many of the qualities of this entry in my Top 10 Video Game Soundtracks of All-Time list, I feel one thing we can all agree on is the phenomenal quality of the game’s soundtrack. Noctis’s struggles to ascend to his throne and save his world are accompanied by gorgeous melodies and orchestral arrangements that accentuate the story’s emotions.
But while all of its music is excellent, no piece stands out as clearly to me as “Apocalypsis Aquarius.” Played during some of the game’s most powerful moments, this piece is the perfect accompaniment for when Prince Noctis shows off his true powers. Listening to this track to this day transports me back to the moment the young prince flashed through the air as he slew the titanic Leviathan.
8. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
When Nintendo brought the long-running hand-held series to its popular hybrid system back in 2019, it brought with it the biggest entry in the series to date. With everything from the battles to the story, and the wonderfully developed cast, Nintendo set out to make a fantasy masterpiece that would be able to introduce a whole new audience to the series.
To accompany all of these fantastic elements came a gorgeous, sweeping soundtrack that elevates every plot twist and dramatic confrontation. Even the quiet moments, such as Byleth’s frequent meetings with the Goddess Sothis, are augmented with memorable music that reinforces the Goddess’s place in the story.
7. Tetris Effect
When Tetris Effect was originally released as a PlayStation exclusive, I heard all kinds of people talking about what an elevation it was for the Tetris franchise. Like many people, I couldn’t comprehend how anything could reinvent or elevate the game I had been enjoying since the 80s. But, boy, I was wrong.
When Tetris Effect Connected came to Xbox Game Pass, I jumped in to see what all the buzz was about. And the chief reason for this newest interaction in the legendary Tetris series climbing to new heights is not only fantastic music but how the game seamlessly integrates the music into the larger visual experience.
This integration of its gorgeous selection of musical pieces with the surrounding visuals makes this entry unique in this Top 10 Video Game Soundtracks list. It takes a game that I have been playing for decades and makes it something new and better than ever.
6. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
As one of Nintendo’s most legendary franchises, there are several entries you can find people arguing as the best. For me, it will always be A Link to the Past. At the time, it was the biggest fantasy adventure video gaming had ever taken me on, and every dungeon, boss fight, and trip to the dark version of Hyrule the game took me on was highlighted by the rousing soundtrack. It was a new experience in so many ways, and those amazing tunes have always stuck with me ever since.
5. Mass Effect Legendary Edition
This entry in this Top 10 Video Game Soundtracks list is special to me, as it is my favorite gaming experience of all time. Amongst the massive battles and shifting loyalties of the series’ tale of impending galactic armageddon, what makes the game truly special to me is how well the story holds onto the humanity of its world. And this humanity is captured in some truly gorgeous pieces of music.
While other science fiction stories are recognized for their roaring anthems, Mass Effect is best encapsulated by quieter pieces like its main theme and the emotional “I was Lost Without You.” These pieces helped to keep the story’s spotlight squarely on one of the best casts gaming has ever assembled.
4. Super Mario Bros.
Many of the iconic themes of gaming’s heydays have been reworked and reimagined with all the advancements that the industry’s technological improvements have to offer. While the many iconic pieces of Super Mario Bros. are no exceptions to this, what makes the original iconic Nintendo game so unique is that this original iteration lands just as well as any modern take does. How well the tunes craft so much of the charm and energy made it an integral part of the fame the game would come to garner.
3. Final Fantasy X
Like many gamers in the late 90s and early 2000s, my understanding of video game music was forever changed by the Final Fantasy series. While arguments could be made for several of the series’ entries placed on this Top 10 Video Game Soundtracks list, Final Fantasy X always stands out to me among the rest. From the opening moments when the player first hears “To Zanarkand” to the final playing of “Hymn of the Fayth,” the emotional journey of Yuna and her guardians is infinitely augmented by the wonderous score that accompanies it.
2. Nier: Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
Few games so fully embrace sorrow and despair as the worlds of the Nier series. And while this sadness is captured perfectly in this entry with such iconic pieces as “Ashes of Dreams” and “Emil/Sacrifice,” the game also celebrates its characters’ highest moments with pieces that uplift and celebrate, like “Kaine/Escape.” Home of a couple of my favorite pieces of music of all time, this game’s beautifully crafted pieces just barely fail to make it to the top spot on this list, falling short only by the slimmest of margins.
1. Nier: Automata
Anyone who has read my review of this game’s recent port to the Nintendo Switch will not be surprised at its presence in the top spot. From quiet personal pieces that bring out the game’s most painful moments to some of the most exhilarating boss music ever composed, Nier: Automata‘s score elevates every aspect of the game’s gorgeous story, amazing characters, and unforgettable moments in ways no other soundtrack can match.
These are my Top 10 Video Game Soundtracks of all time. While these are the ones I was able to talk about here, there are so many more that I wish could’ve added. With so many unique games and equally unique soundtracks accompanying them, gaming music has so many fantastic treats yet to bring to gamers everywhere.
