Gaming music used to be little more than background wallpaper. Even though we are more aware of it nowadays, the fact of the matter is very few of us actually paid any attention to video game soundtracks back in the 8-bit days, and most of us only started paying attention to them after the 3D era that came with Nintendo64, the original PlayStation and further platforms.
However, it is a well-known fact that a single song can be the emotional spine of an entire title — a lyric, a motif, a voice that turns 1s and 0s into memory. So much so we at PRG have our own ideas of what to look for specifically when it comes to sound works in video games.
Considering all of that, I’ve listed a few of my most unforgettable video game soundtracks that, even though this is a personal taste, I’m sure you’ll find something to resonate with, fellow listener. So read on for more!
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11 of the most memorable video game soundtracks
Snake Eater
- Composer and singer: Norihiko Hibino / Cynthia Harrell
- Game: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
Hideo Kojima wanted a Bond-style spy epic, and “Snake Eater” delivers it like a chrome-plated dagger: sweeping brass, lush strings, and a vocal performance by Cynthia Harrell that sits somewhere between cinematic theme and personal elegy. The song announces genre and mood before a single line of plot, priming players for espionage, sacrifice, and betrayal.
Lyrically speaking, the track is deliciously ambiguous—“I give my life, not for honor, but for you” can be read from multiple viewpoints (Naked Snake, The Boss, even EVA), which mirrors the game’s moral fog. Musically and narratively, “Snake Eater” proved a vocal theme could carry a game’s identity the way a film title track does, helping push video game soundtracks into more cinematic territory.
And with the remake coming around later this month and Konami not touching this part, it speaks wonders about the longevity of the song.
Sins of the Father
- Composer and singer: Music by Akihiro Honda / Donna Burke
- Game: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)
Still in Metal Gear territory, Hideo Kojima’s last foray with the franchise he created was a rather turbulent one—but as video game soundtracks go, The Phantom Pain definitely delivers: tark, biblical, and laden with inherited guilt, “Sins of the Father” reads like the internal monologue of a man haunted by someone else’s legend. The title’s allusion to generational guilt fits the Phantom Pain’s fractured identity themes: who is the man behind the mask, and which sins does he carry?
Donna Burke’s performance—written around music that already “felt” like a story—amplifies the game’s non-linear despair. The song’s fragmented imagery and repeated motifs allow it to be claimed by multiple characters emotionally, making the track itself an echo chamber for the game’s central questions about legacy and revenge.
Liberi Fatali
- Composer and singer: Nobuo Uematsu / Arnie Roth, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and DWFF Tokyo Choir
- Game: Final Fantasy VIII (1999)
I just know you were expecting Sephiroth’s “One-winged Angel” theme, weren’t you? Well, you wouldn’t be completely wrong, as the main antagonist’s own theme is one of my favorites.
However, when it comes to video game soundtracks, there’s not too many examples that manage to set the tone of a story right at its beginning: if you want a dramatic opening that says “epic myth,” then look no further than “Liberi Fatali”.
In this piece, Nobuo Uematsu’s work shines the most, with a full choir and orchestra and Latin lyrics that give the game a mythic, timeless feel. A clever move that frames the youth of the protagonists as pawns in an older fate.
The melody recurs throughout the score, which is a masterclass in leitmotif (in very short terms: a sound that is immediately associated with a character) usage: hearing pieces of “Liberi Fatali” later binds small moments back to that mythic promise. Its crossover into arenas like synchronized swimming at the Olympics is proof that powerful video game music can leave the console and thrive in the wider culture.
Herald of Darkness
- Composer and singer: Performed by Old Gods of Asgard (Poets of the Fall), Alan Wake, Mr. Door
- Game: Alan Wake 2 (2023)
“Herald of Darkness” is my most recent example of “video game soundtracks I saved to my personal Spotify playlist”, and it shows. While Nobuo Uematsu’s penchant for orchestra-like epic tales and Metal Gear’s bet on high, powerful, singular vocals do have a large place on my listening experiences, Alan Wake’s most famous song escape from all of that to deliver some good old, fast-paced rock and roll that just…fits.
The song lands like a live set dropped into a nightmare — snarling guitars, a roomy drum punch and a vocal that sounds dangerously close to being sung from the stage rather than from an orchestra pit. Because Old Gods of Asgard are Remedy’s in-game rock act (the alter-ego of Finnish band Poets of the Fall), the track reads as authentic diegetic music: it exists inside the world, it gets played on speakers, and it shapes scenes by presence rather than by sweeping strings.
That rock-and-roll stance is its biggest win. While many modern scores lean cinematic and orchestral, “Herald of Darkness” deliberately sidesteps that palette, giving Alan Wake II a rawer, grittier sonic identity. The song’s riff-and-chorus construction cuts through dialogue and ambience, turning a moment of atmosphere into a proper rock moment — which, in turn, reinforces the game’s pulpy, retro-horror tone and roots the supernatural in something tactile and human.
(And it’s my main choice of music to start a particularly heavy workout routine: my leg days were never this good!)
Weight of the World
- Composer and singer: Keiichi Okabe / J’Nique Nicole & Marina Kawano
- Game: NieR: Automata (2017)
“Weight of the World” is not just a song — it’s a moral fulcrum. Multiple language and vocal versions appear across playthroughs, each time layering new meaning onto the lyrics. In Ending E, when the game asks players to sacrifice save data to help others, the song’s plea for hope becomes a literal, in-world call to action.
Okabe’s arrangement and the choir-like rendering of voices give the track a communal feel, mirroring the game’s themes of shared suffering and collective resilience. It’s a rare example where a song’s emotional thrust directly aligns with interactive mechanics, cementing its place among the best gaming soundtracks.
Build That Wall (Zia’s Song)
- Composer and singer: Darren Korb / Ashley Barrett
- Game: Bastion (2011)
Born in an apartment and recorded on shoestring resources, “Build That Wall” proves that intimacy can outmuscle budget. Its sparse, folk-tinged arrangement and Barrett’s haunted voice tell the story of two societies — surface-dwellers and tunnel folk — and make political conflict feel like personal sorrow.
Lyrically it doubles as a metaphor for depression and emotional isolation: “I dig my hole, you build a wall” reads as both literal world-building and the mechanics of shutting people out. That ambiguity, combined with the game’s narrator-driven storytelling, turns the song into a core narrative device rather than mere background music.
I Was Born for This
- Composer and singer: Austin Wintory / Lisbeth Scott
- Game: Journey (2012)
Ethereal, polyglot, and almost ritualistic: “I Was Born for This” stitches Latin, Old English, Greek, French, and Japanese into a sonic tapestry that universalizes the player’s solo pilgrimage. Wintory borrowed lines from Virgil and Homer to lift a minimalist game into epic territory; the result is a credits piece that feels like the residue of myth.
The track’s Grammy nomination was a landmark — a signal that video game soundtracks were being judged by the same artistic criteria as film. Its emotional arc mirrors the player’s physical arc across the dunes: quiet beginning, communal ascent, and a bittersweet close.
Bury the Light
- Composer and singer: Casey Edwards / Victor Borba
- Game: Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition (2019/2020)
Full-throttle symphonic rock with a tragic core. “Bury the Light” is the sonic portrait of Vergil’s choice to bury his empathy for power. Aggressive guitars, operatic strings, and Borba’s raw vocals communicate not just battle fury but a character’s tragic narrowing of soul.
It functions as a fight theme and a psychological study — a rare case where combat music doubles as interior monologue. The track’s popularity outside of gameplay circles underscores how modern video game music can thrive as standalone anthems.
Honorable Mentions
Yes, Final Fantasy VIII and Metal Gear Solid V again. I know I’m making myself look like a fanboy—which is not far from the truth, I suppose—but there are indeed great tunes to listen to. Eyes On Me was one of the first video game soundtracks to hit the mainstream market, while Quiet’s Theme had the character’s own actress, Stefanie Joosten (a pro singer in her own right), perform it during said character’s final moments—a creative and ironic approach when you consider Quiet had little to no dialog in the game’s backstory.
But don’t take my words alone: instead, have a listen for yourself on the players below.
Quiet’s Theme — Metal Gear Solid V (Stefanie Joosten)
Eyes On Me — Final Fantasy VIII (Nobuo Uematsu / Faye Wong)
Final Thoughts: Video game sountracks are about connection
I know there is a debate about games being art or not, but to me, that’s a no-brainer: as a multimedia platform, gaming brings every aspect of art together in a single product—visuals, computational science and…well, video game soundtracks.
When we play in such an interactive media format, immersion is key, and for that goal, the game music must not be a mere composition, but have proper, contextual application. This brings connection and, dare I say, humanity to a computer-based product.
It’s easy to lose yourself on vocal tracks and instrumental arranging to understand a character’s emotions within a story: name a character’s sorrow, give voice to what the camera can’t, and sometimes reach across the player’s living room to tug at memory. Whether it’s GLaDOS smiling through a breakup, Vergil swallowing his light, or a choir calling you to destiny, these songs translate play into feeling.
That’s why it just sticks. And that is what makes these moments truly unforgettable.
