Themes you still hum decades later: music is an integral part of video games. This Top 100 gathers the retro games with the most memorable soundtracks, from 8-bit sound chips to CD orchestrations, based on RomWize's reassessed scores. For each title: its current score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"Jack Wall's soundtrack matches the game's near-future setting with cold electronic and industrial textures. The coup: Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) wrote the main theme, lending it a taut darkness and a sound unlike anything else in the series. That collaboration sets the score apart, balancing martial rigor with a modern, throbbing pulse."
"Eclectic and warm, the soundtrack blends jazz, world, electro and licensed tracks in a joyful patchwork of irresistible whimsy. Each world has its own sonic colour, underlining the handmade, good-natured spirit of the game. This musical generosity, creative and sunny, instantly lifts the mood."
"Signed by Jeremy Soule, the music wraps the open world in a broad, contemplative orchestra, from the peaceful exploration theme to the epic "Dragonborn" choir. Each horizon breathes freedom and wonder, carrying the adventure without ever tiring. This symphonic breadth, timeless, remains a benchmark of the genre."
"Carried by orchestral flights and the vocal theme "Id (Purpose)", the entry raises every battle to the scale of an epic. The music underlines the tactical tension and magnifies the sacrifices, galvanising the player's choices. This symphonic grandeur, which relaunched the whole series, leaves a lasting mark."
"Between chilling laboratory electro and ingenious sonic tinkering, Aperture Science's music accompanies the puzzles with a deadpan intelligence. Jonathan Coulton's brilliant "Want You Gone" crowns the adventure with a touch of cult humour. This sonic identity, minimal and brilliant, makes the whole singularity of the game."
"The pairing of Marcin Przybyłowicz and the band Percival draws on Slavic folk: rough fiddles, hurdy-gurdy, guttural voices that smell of tavern and moor. The music hardens the instant you draw your sword, then falls silent to let the Continent breathe. That ethnic colour roots the world in believable soil and stays inseparable from Geralt's rides."
"Alongside the bubbly themes comes a mischievous touch: the talking flowers that pepper the adventure with little melodies and chirps, as if the scenery were singing with you. Bouncing tunes, playful percussion, sonic transformations with each power-up: everything sparkles with whimsy. That inventive lightness rekindles the pure joy of the Mario platformer and leaves you humming afterward."
"With Hans Zimmer at the helm, the soundtrack raises the military shooter to Hollywood blockbuster status: crushing orchestral scope, menacing brass and end-of-the-world tension carry every mission. The Modern Warfare 2 theme, dark and memorable, distills this cinematic excess pushed even further than before. A peak of film scoring applied to the FPS."
"Signed by Garry Schyman, the music blends dissonant, anxiety-inducing strings with the nostalgic hits of the 1940s and 50s echoing through Rapture. This chilling contrast between retro sweetness and muffled terror elevates the decadent atmosphere of the underwater city. This unique sonic identity remains a peak of sound design."
"Signed by Bill Elm and Woody Jackson, the music revives the Wild West with distant guitars, harmonica and dusty strings in a vibrant homage to the western. The overwhelming "Far Away" accompanies the ride with a twilit melancholy. This sonic identity, visceral and authentic, remains a peak of the genre."
"Toby Fox wrote everything solo, in leitmotif-driven chiptune: a single motif disguises itself, mutates, returns transformed depending on whom you meet. "Megalovania" became a phenomenon in its own right. That cunning writing rewards attention and forges an unexpected bond with every encounter, proof that a handful of bleeps can move you as much as an orchestra."
"A few notes of the ocarina are enough to summon a whole world: Zelda's Lullaby or the Song of Time are etched into collective memory. Koji Kondo's compositions, woven into the gameplay, turn music into a genuine tool of adventure. This melodic magic, intact on 3DS, remains an absolute benchmark."
"Ever more colossal, the music combines unleashed choirs and a titanic orchestra to magnify Kratos's revenge. Each titan confrontation rises into a sonic deluge of unheard-of power. This epic breadth, overwhelming and grandiose, remains one of the peaks of action music on the machine."
"Signed by Jeremy Soule, the music culminates in the thunderous, Nordic-choir "Dragonborn", an anthem that became instantly legendary. From the snowy plains to the dragon battles, the orchestra embraces the epic grandeur of Skyrim. This symphonic breadth, sumptuous and iconic, remains one of the most beloved in video games."
"Blending an adventurous orchestra and ethnic accents, the music raises Nathan Drake's journeys to the scale of a great action film. The unforgettable "Nate's Theme" and epic flights accompany every stunt with flair. This cinematic breadth, generous and exhilarating, is the whole sweep of the saga."
"Signed by Bill Elm and Woody Jackson, the music revives the Wild West with distant guitars, harmonica and dusty strings in a vibrant homage to the western. The overwhelming "Far Away" accompanies the ride with a twilit melancholy. This sonic identity, visceral and authentic, remains a peak of the genre."
"The switch to live recording transfigured the series: funk guitars on Mute City, a driving big band, drums that push the throttle down. Every track has its instrumental colour, tuned to speed and drifting. That organic energy galvanises both solo races and nights with friends, turning every restart into a sonic party you never tire of chaining."
"Tense and cinematic, the music blends orchestra, electro and spy themes to embrace the intensity of the infiltration. The famous Metal Gear theme, heroic and melancholy, hovers over the whole adventure. This sonic breadth, worthy of a Hollywood thriller, elevates every moment of tension in the game."
"Still signed by Garry Schyman, the music surprises with its anachronistic covers of modern hits arranged in 1912 style, from gospel to barbershop. This temporal vertigo, disturbing and brilliant, bathes Columbia in a fascinating strangeness. This sonic daring, unique of its kind, remains one of the most memorable of the medium."
"Tense and cinematic, the music blends orchestra, electro and spy themes to embrace the intensity of the infiltration. The famous Metal Gear theme, heroic and melancholy, hovers over the whole adventure. This sonic breadth, worthy of a Hollywood thriller, elevates every moment of tension in the game."
