List of video game soundtracks considered the best

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Throughout video game history, there have been numerous instances of video game soundtracks gaining mass popularity, sometimes separately from the game itself. As a result of this, numerous gaming and music publications and awards ceremonies have covered video game music, and have published results on what they believe to be the greatest video game music of all time. This is a list of video game soundtracks that have been considered among the greatest by their staff teams and/or jury.

Criteria

The general criteria for this article is to be featured on at least three different lists from gaming publications (ex. IGN) or music publications (ex. Rolling Stone) on what they believe the "best video game music" is regardless of genre. Some lists from publications may list an entry for an entire series of games, though due to being multi-entries, these do not apply here. Some lists may be on specific tracks and not entire soundtracks as well, such as those that list what they believe to be the greatest boss fight themes.

In addition to lists from gaming and music publications, yearly events such as The Game Awards or the D.I.C.E. Awards typically have an award for games with the greatest soundtrack, with a result that is determined by a jury. Games that have received these awards will have their awards be considered as part of their three-list requirement. In recent years, yearly events that cover the music industry as a whole have begun to introduce separate award categories for video game soundtracks, such as the Grammy Awards starting in 2022. These awards are also taken into account. What is not taken into account for this list is music charts (such as those from Billboard) and soundtrack analysis' articles.

List

Video game soundtracks considered the best
Year	Game	Composer(s)	Notes
1985	Super Mario Bros.	Koji Kondo	Listed by four different publications.
1988	Mega Man 2	Takashi Tateishi	Listed by four different publications.
1989	Tetris	Hirokazu Tanaka	Listed by three different publications.
1991	Street Fighter II	Yoko Shimomura, Isao Abe	Listed by three different publications.
1992	Streets of Rage 2	Yuzo Koshiro, Motohiro Kawashima	Listed by four different publications.
1994	EarthBound	Keiichi Suzuki, Hirokazu Tanaka	Listed by three different publications.
1995	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	David Wise	Listed by four different publications.
1996	PaRappa the Rapper	Masaya Matsuura, Yoshihisa Suzuki	Listed by three different publications.
1997	Final Fantasy VII (Soundtrack)	Nobuo Uematsu	Listed by five different publications. "Aerith’s Theme" was noted as a stand-out track.
1998	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time	Koji Kondo	Listed by four different publications.
2004	Katamari Damacy	Various	Listed by four different publications. "Katamari Nah-Nah", "Katamari on the rocks", and "Walking on a Star" were noted as stand-out tracks.
2007	Portal	Kelly Bailey, Mike Morasky	Listed by three different publications.
2010	Red Dead Redemption	Bill Elm, Woody Jackson	Listed by three different publications.
2011	Bastion	Darren Korb	Listed by five different publications.
2011	Minecraft (Volume Alpha, Volume Beta)	C418	Listed by three different publications. Was nominated for "Top Dance/Electronic Album" during the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, eleven years after release. "Minecraft", "Subwoofer Lullaby", "Wet Hands", and "Moog City" were noted as stand-out tracks.
2012	Fez	Disasterpeace	Listed by three different publications.
	Hotline Miami	Various	Listed by three different publications. "Miami" was noted as a stand-out track.
	Journey	Austin Wintory	Listed by eight different publications. Was nominated for a Grammy Award.
2013	BioShock Infinite	Garry Schyman	Listed by X different publications.
	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Soundtrack)	Jeremy Soule	Listed by three different publications.
	The Last of Us	Gustavo Santaolalla	Listed by three different publications.
2015	Crypt of the NecroDancer	Danny Baranowsky	Listed by four different publications.
	Everybody's Gone to the Rapture	Jessica Curry	Listed by three different publications.
	Undertale (Soundtrack)	Toby Fox	Listed by six different publications. Nominated for numerous awards. "Megalovania" and "Fallen Down" were noted as stand-out tracks, with the former being incredibly popular amongst fans.
	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	Marcin Przybyłowicz, Mikołaj Stroiński	Listed by three different publications.
2016	Doom	Mick Gordon	Listed by two different publications. Won "Best Music" at the Game Awards and D.I.C.E. Awards in 2016. "Rip and Tear" and "At Doom's Gate" were stand out tracks, with the latter being a remake of a song from Doom (1993).
2016	Persona 5	Shoji Meguro	Listed by four different publications.
2017	Celeste	Lena Raine	Listed by three different publications.
	Cuphead	Kristofer Maddigan	Listed by three different publications.
	Nier: Automata	Various	Listed by four different publications.

References

"Nominees named for first ever video game Grammy Award". Eurogamer.net. 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
^ "Best video game soundtracks". Engadget. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ Deane, Donald (2013-10-04). "Nine Legitimately Awesome Video Game Soundtracks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ "The Best Video Game Soundtracks of All Time". Digital Trends. 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ "The 100 best video game soundtracks of all time". Fact Magazine. 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ "The 25 Best Video Game Soundtracks Ever". PCMAG. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
^ published, James Bentley (2022-06-25). "The 25 best video game soundtracks of all time". gamesradar. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ Barker, Emily (2015-07-20). "23 Of The Coolest Ever Video Game Soundtracks". NME. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ Diver, Mike (2013-09-16). "7 Of The Best: Video Game Soundtracks". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ "Best Video Game Soundtracks: Where To Stream Them". GameSpot. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
^ "A soundtrack can make or break a game. Here's our favourites". Red Bull. 2018-07-18. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ "The Best Videogame Soundtracks of All Time". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
Atkinson, Katie (2022-05-15). "Here Are the 2022 Billboard Music Awards Winners: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ Castle, Katharine (2019-09-24). "The best game soundtracks you can listen to for free right now". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
"Journey soundtrack loses Grammy to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Engadget. Retrieved 2023-08-20.