Games

Obligatory Nier series music mention.

Surprised to not see FTL mentioned yet.

I'm loving the track Balatro has too. I wish that game had more music like the one song it has.

Chrono Trigger was fantastic. Look specifically for the instrumentals/orchestral on YouTube. 🤙

Another vote for the Bastion soundtrack by Darren Korb.

Ori and the Blind Forest. Every song in the soundtrack is brilliant

Cuphead is a banger if you like that kinda music.

Nier Automata as well. Very different, but hauntingly brilliant.

Also, fallout radio if you're feeling that real classic sound.

The Dustforce OST maybe? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBB4108C5CB4E1DD6

Terraria.

Rimworld has an amazing soundtrack

Super Meat Boy - Ballad of the burning squirrel

Super Meat Boy - Forest Funk

Super Meat Boy - Betus Blues

The composer for Super Meat Boy has done lots of great tracks for Binding of Isaac and Crypt of the Necrodancer too (Danny Baranowsky)

Enter the Gungeon - Abbey or Die

Enter the Gungeon - Behold the Boss Eater

Enter the Gungeon - Boss Battle Beating

Metal Gear solid theme

Nine Sols - Collage

Hades soundtrack (all of it) + if you search for the composer (Darren Korb) then you'll find loads more great soundtracks he's done (notably for Bastion).

Hollow Knight soundtrack (all of it + the piano cover version)

Street Fighter 6 - Viator (theme for Ryu + there's a real cool metal cover that is on YouTube by an indie metal band)

Wipeout HD soundtrack (all of it)

Super Hexagon (all 3 tracks)

Hotline Miami soundtrack

Dead Cells

Lots of people have rightly mentioned FTL

Frank Kelpacki has done tons of great soundtracks across the whole Command and Conquer series and it's worth searching through.

If you're into chip tunes, then it is also worth checking out Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm really into video game instrumentals. If anyone else is interested, there's a great podcast called Sound of Gaming by BBC radio 3 that is worth going through the back catalogue of episodes.

Anything Final Fantasy?

Pokémon music. Especially the route themes and battle themes. If I had to list the bangers it would take hours

Maybe try soundtrack from Celeste, Transistor, Gris

Stellaris is great sci-fi future ambient music to focus to.

Transistor

Persona 5. I have p4 tracks also.

Gothic 2! Full soundtrack, or a compilation of just ambient tracks

Severed Steel (Chewing Glass Pt 1 and 2 by Floating Door)

BONEWORKS (BONETONES by Michael Wyckoff)

Hotline Miami (various EPs and singles by Various Artists)

Elite: Dangerous (Elite: Dangerous OST by Erasmus Talbot)

Dusk (Dusk OST by Andrew Hulshult)

Amid Evil (Amid Evil OST by Andrew Hulshult)

Hardspace: Shipbreaker has a beautiful ambient folk vibe:

https://youtu.be/6GE2qo5_3eA?si=qxt2bZYxhji6gvDX

The Return of the Obra Dinn! Fantastic OST (maritime/sea shanty inspired) and a truly unique game too. https://youtu.be/8qvdAWLcPyU

Donkey Kong Country, especially 2. From the original, I recommend Aquatic Ambience. But for DKC2, honestly let the OST play. There's so many greats.

Guild wars 2 has so much variety i would not know where to start. Would just search it on youtube and find the fitting mood i guess.

I can provide some examples if you are looking for something specific but to list some games that haven't been mentioned yet, there's:

The Touhou games along with the remixes/covers and fan games like the two "Touhouvania" games.

Most of the Castlevania games.

Most of the Sonic games and fan games like Sonic After the Sequel and SRB2.

And to go with something really obscure, Chaos Legion.

• NieR Series
• Outer Wilds
• Gris
• Death's Door
• A Plague Tale: Innocence
• Kingdom: Two Crowns

Shovel knight
https://open.spotify.com/album/0mDSPMGVdWORtoEuxhyMJx

FTL
https://open.spotify.com/album/7us4WRnwvqCE3cppHVNjIu

The Ys series OSTs, especially the PSP titles. Nice mix of metal and violin.

Hollow Night. The City of Tears track in particular.

Any covers made by Orchestral Fantasy on YouTube. He focuses mainly on classic 16-bit titles and pretty much nails each one.

I'm a sucker for a cello. When I'm testing new audio equipment I put on Austin Wintory's soundtrack to Journey. So, so beautiful.

• Octopath Travler
• Octopath Traveler II
• Winter's End (I Am Setsuna)
• Piano Collections NieR:Automata

oh man i have a spotify folder full of playlists, including

• talos principle

• sherlock holmes chapter one

• deadbolt

• murder by numbers

• baldurs gate 3

• witcher 3

but it's missing metroid prime (esp. chozo ruins and phendrana drifts) and professor layton (any of the puzzle themes).

I've been playing so many soundtracks for my background music at work. Of course, nostalgia makes some songs slap harder than they deserve to, so your results may vary, but some of my favorites have been:

Mega Man series

Warcraft (I'm especially fond of Warcraft 2 songs)

Donkey Kong Country series

Variety lists (one hit wonders from games you nearly forgot)

Spotify has a lot of video game playlists, and even some covers in different styles. Right now we're listening to metal versions of classic games.

Mass Effect 2 and 3 might have what you’re looking for.

Baldur’s Gate 3 as well.

Nothing hits harder then good old Zelda Music! Best of the best in my books ;)

Elite Dangerous, both original OST and Odyssey (for the planetside background music)

If you like prog metal and hard rock, I've yet to find a better soundtrack than Guilty Gear XX. The fan favorite is "Holy Orders (Be Just or Be Dead)", but for my money, the best songs on the soundtrack are "Existence" and "Awe of She".

Castlevania Symphony of the Night.

My brother had a string quartet play one of the songs at his wedding. It was so beautiful.

TUNIC. I also highly recommend the game, it's in my top 5.

VVVVVV

Any Fromsoft soulsborne game.

Star Control 2: The Ur-Quan Masters has some great tunes.

Edit: and The Talos Principle

The Nitronic Rush soundtrack is some really awesome techno. It feels very Tron-esque at times.

Any of Marty O'Donnell's Halo soundtracks

Everything by Jeremy Soule. Especially Guild Wars 2 and Skyrim.

Crysis 2

Overwatch

A Hat In Time

Doesn't look like anyone listed the Ori soundtracks by Gareth Coker yet, they're amazing. Also can't go wrong with WoW if you're looking for more classic fantasy style.

Persona 3/4/5 (not all tracks are instrumentals, but most of them are and they are straight bangers)

Katana Zero Danganronpa 1, 2, V3 Silent Hill 1, 2, 3 (all I can vouch for, but I hear the later games still have banging soundtracks) Crosscode Kingdom Hearts 1/2 Nier Automata Minecraft Donkey Kong Country 1/2 VA-11 HALL-A Catherine Full Body Deadbolt Risk of Rain 1/2

Some of these you'd have to sift through, like Silent Hill is one part industrial creepy noise, and one part absolutely incredible hip hop and rock

The Dead Cells soundtrack. Especially:

• Prisoner's Awakening (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzK3z8MLSpA&list=PLombWqRALIZDwEsPJuGvD6soVFA46I7f2&index=3)
• Clocktower (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ1Pk8HBYJU&list=PLombWqRALIZDwEsPJuGvD6soVFA46I7f2&index=21)
• Temple (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg0R4w7LvG4&list=PLombWqRALIZDwEsPJuGvD6soVFA46I7f2&index=20)
• Lighthouse (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fqHBOTFgcI&list=PLombWqRALIZDwEsPJuGvD6soVFA46I7f2&index=41)

Lots of Elder Scrolls and Elder Scrolls Online

Lots of Metal Gear stuff

Kingdoms of Amalur

Shadow of the Colossus

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (badass 80s music)

Assassins Creed 3

If you like metal... the tracks from 2004 Painkiller rocks.

That nobody mentioned Transport Tycoon Deluxe is criminal. I recommend the live-action version recorded for the mobile release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuJy9oCdUns