10 Epic Video Game Soundtracks That Are Certified Bangers

Today I take a pause from lore articles to do a dreaded “top 10” list for which I actually can’t wait to share with all of you! In video games, whether we are slaying demons, fighting Nazis, or saving the world, there are songs that will make us groove or headbang like crazy. Below you are going to find my favorite ones, but reader beware! 

I followed four rules for choosing these songs: 

1. I can only choose one song from a video game series . 

2. The song must be originally composed for the video game (so no FIFA or Need for Speed kind of banger playlists). 

3. I can only choose from video games I have played. 

4. There can only be ten songs. 

If you are into soundtracks, I wrote an article about the importance of sound in Movies HERE

Are you ready?  
Enjoy! 

Doom (2016) – BFG Division 

Look, if you are reading this article and don’t know either Doom or the composer, Mick Gordon, I’ll get you quickly up to speed: They are both incredible. There is this meme in the entirety of Doom (2016) Soundtrack on YouTube that says: “this 60$ metal album comes with a free game” and I firmly agree.  

At first I was going to choose fan’s favorite “The Only Thing They Fear is You”, but considering the controversies that happened regarding the OST, I decided to respect Mick Gordon’s work and put my favorite track from the previous Doom entry.  

Undertale – Megalovania 

This soundtrack went from a song that you can only hear if you are a terrible person – considering that Sans’ Boss Fight is unlocked only by doing the infamous Genocide Run – to becoming a meme.  
That aside, Toby Fox (which is both the sole developer of Undertale AND the composer of the soundtrack) did an incredible job with this song, highlighting the intensity and Sans’ merciless moves.  

Fun fact: Undertale’s version of Megalovania is an actual remix from a song that Toby Fox composed for a ROM Hack of Earthbound that he did.  

Toby, you have my outmost respect.  

Wolfenstein – Herr Faust  

For sure one of the least famous video game soundtracks in this list, Herr Faust stuck with me since I played Wolfenstein: The New Order for the first time. And yes, it is again Mick Gordon, but in collaboration with Fredrik Thordendal who happens to be Meshuggah’s Lead Guitarist. You hear this song when B.J. Blazkowicz, who is considered to be related to the Doom Slayer, pilots a robot called Herr Faust and rips and tears through the Nazis of an internment camp in order to escape.  

My only problem with that scene is that the song was not loud enough!  

Tekken 3 – Jin Kazama 

Tekken is well known for having banger music throughout its games, but hey, have you heard the music from Tekken 3?  
Jin Kazama’s theme pretty much introduced me to electronic-rock music when I was a kid. Keiichi Okabe, this song’s composer made me discover what headbanging was, and I found myself playing against Jin only to listen to this song!  

The whole Tekken 3 soundtrack is incredible, with heavy Prodigy (if you don’t know the Prodigy, do yourself a favor and go listen to them) influences. Yes, it is currently on my phone, and I blast it on my headphones along with Doom (2016). 

Devil May Cry 3 – Devils Never Cry 

This is a credit song, so it barely fits in this list, but hey, I decide the rules!  
Devils Never Cry, composed by Tetsuya Shibata, is an electronic-rock song that shows the duality of Dante’s soul, featuring a distorted voice (Shawn McPherson) and a clean one (David Allen Baker). 

I can hear everybody screaming at me already by saying “Naaah, Bury the Light is the best one!”. I did not play Devil May Cry 5, so it goes against the rules of this article. 
Also, I listened to the song and nope: I still prefer Devils Never Cry. Sue me. 

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Silver for Monsters / Steel for Humans 

It was too difficult to choose only one song from The Witcher 3. The whole game soundtrack is a masterpiece. Marcin Przybyłowicz and the band Percival did an insane job capturing the atmosphere for this game.  

I could not choose only one. Silver for Monsters and Steel for Humans deserve to be both here. The first one is a battle theme that we can hear when fighting inhuman monsters. When fighting humans, we can hear the latter which happens to be a Bulgarian wedding song, by the way! 

Persona 3 – Mass Destruction 

Nobody is surprised here. Persona must make it to this list somehow. The Persona series has a strong and unique style in both aesthetic and music, and Mass Destruction, written by Shoji Meguro, perfectly encapsulates all of this.  

I once read somebody describing this song as “How western music is perceived in Japan” and honestly, made me chuckle. The lyrics are as bland as possible (I quote: “Ohhh yeah, para pa pa, pa para papa, baby baby”) but the song is simply great!  

Halo 2 – Blow Me Away 

I am biased as I can get, here, since I grew up listening to Breaking Benjamin and the whole post-grunge scene. The band did this song specifically for the game, and it plays during the “Gravemind” mission in a circular arena full of enemies. I did not actually know that it was done by Breaking Benjamin while playing the first time, because the song in the game is just the instrumental part, which is a shame considering Benjamin Burnley’s vocal performance! 

Bloodborne – Cleric Beast 

Cleric Beast plays during the first boss fight of the game, where you face a massive and grotesque creature that was once a human cleric. The song is composed by Tsukasa Saitoh, who used a live orchestra and choir to create a dramatic and terrifying sound.  

And wait, because during the fight with the Cleric Beast you will hear its screams of pain and rage which will mix with the music to create one of the most intense and uncomfortable audio experiences in video games. 

Final Fantasy VII – One Winged Angel 

This song needs no introduction. Nobuo Uematsu is one of the most influential video game composers of all time and created one masterpiece after the other.  
We hear this song while fighting Sephiroth, and we hear an orchestral-metal version of this song in the movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.  

Both versions are legendary.  

Again, talking about banger soundtrack, deciding one Final Fantasy song only was difficult. Just to let you know, my other choice would’ve been “Otherworld” from Final Fantasy X intro cutscene. 

Conclusion 

There you have it, 10 songs from video games that are certified bangers. There should be hundreds of honorable mentionts here, like Nier:Automata, Chrono Trigger, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Dicey Dungeons and many, many more. You know what? I’ll keep these in mind to maybe write a “Part 2” of this list!

I hope you enjoyed this list and found some new tunes to add to your playlist. 
Let me know what you think in the comments below, and I hope to see you, dear reader, in the next article!