Similar to movies and television, music plays a crucial role in making stories in video games more immersive and engaging for gamers. As recent as 2023, a major music awarding body, The Recording Academy, began recognizing video game scores and soundtracks as part of its annual awarding ceremony.
Most recently, the nominees for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games were announced. This would be the third year that The Grammy Awards have rewarded game developers for the music in their games. Among the five nominated, titles developed by PlayStation Studios secured two — Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla from studios Insomniac and Sony Santa Monica, respectively.
Meanwhile, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Outlaws won the award last year. Ragnarok’s composer, Bear McCreary, has been nominated every year thus far: first for Call of Duty: Vanguard, then for God of War Ragnarok and now for its add-on mode, Valhalla.
While the new Grammy category celebrates outstanding video game awards from the latest popular titles, it’s essential to acknowledge that video game music and soundtracks have long been integral to the gaming experience. Below, we’ll look at five of the most iconic video game music pieces over the years:
Super Mario Bros. – Theme Song
One of the most instantly recognizable video game music in history is Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros.’ theme song. Officially known as the “Ground Theme”, the track was originally heard in the first stage of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game Super Mario Bros. Since then, the iconic theme song has been a fixture throughout most of the Mario series’ titles. The song has also been reused and remixed for other Nintendo-published titles. The 1:22-long track was included in the American National Recording Registry in 2023 for its cultural significance, becoming the first piece of music from a video game to do so.
Most recently, Nintendo fans who enjoy the memorable game music can now access the Nintendo Music app — the publisher’s dedicated smartphone app available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Similar to typical music streaming apps, the app provides recommendations based on your Nintendo Switch play history and includes iconic music from Nintendo favorites from Super Mario Bros. to Donkey Kong, Splatoon 2, and Wii Sports.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Main theme
As mentioned in our introduction, video games don’t have to be decades-old to earn legendary status. One of the longest-running video game franchises, Call of Duty (CoD), has been releasing a new title annually since 2004. Aside from the game’s competitive and adrenaline-pumping lobbies, CoD fans also enjoy a thriving esports scene. Avid fans who watch official Call of Duty League (CDL) events also participate in Call of Duty betting to test their in-game knowledge and team and player know-how on the leading crypto betting platform Thunderpick. Over the years, fans have bet on popular CoD teams like Atlanta FaZe, OpTic Texas, and Toronto Ultra to wager on who they think will emerge victorious at the annual CDL Championship.
Aside from its competitive scene, CoD fans also enjoy the franchise’s use of scoring and music over the years. One of the most iconic is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s main theme, which was composed by renowned film composer Hans Zimmer. Meanwhile, the rest of the Modern Warfare 2 soundtrack was composed by Scottish composer and record producer Lorne Balfe, known for his work on films like the newer Mission: Impossibles and Gran Turismo.
Undertale – Megalovania
Developed by American indie developer Toby Fox, Undertale stands out in the list for its more lowkey presence. Released in 2015, the game’s unique artwork and pacifist-friendly gameplay mechanic quickly led to general acclaim. It sold at least five million copies and was nominated for multiple accolades and awards, winning awards from the Independent Games Festival Awards, Japan Game Awards, and SXSW Gaming Awards.
One of the standout tracks in Undertale’s soundtrack is the music that players hear when fighting the in-game character Sans. Megalovania was originally composed for a ROM hack of Japanese RPG EarthBound, but has since become widely popular for its use in Undertale. The track has also appeared in other games and media, including in Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and interpreted by other musicians like Japanese composer and pianist Yoko Shimomura, known for her work in the Kingdom Hearts games.
Tetris – Korobeiniki/Type A
One of the oldest titles in this list, Tetris, recently celebrated its 40th birthday. At a party in Los Angeles, the Tetris gaming family celebrated the legendary game’s history in the lead-up to the Summer Game Fest 2024 event. Alexey Pajitnov, who created Tetris while in the Soviet Union, attended and talked about the game’s legacy, having sold more than 520 million copies globally. Aside from the game’s rich history, fans and gamers everywhere regard the original theme song as almost as iconic. Initially created as a poem by Nikolay Nekrasov in 1861, Japanese composer Hirokazu Tanaka remade the song for the Nintendo Game Boy version of Tetris in 1989.
Soon after, the “Type A” theme quickly became one of the most recognizable tracks in gaming history. Different composers have also made new variations and versions of the theme song over the years, including the 1994 Super Nintendo Game, Tetris & Dr. Mario, as well as 2006’s Tetris DS. Beyond video games, other musicians have also reimagined the Tetris theme, including a layered acapella style and a Ragtime cover.
LA Noire – Main Theme
Finally, while publisher Rockstar Games is widely known and loved by many as the studio behind iconic gaming titles like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, LA Noire is one of the studio’s underrated gems with a rich soundtrack and orchestral score that helped complete the game’s late 1940s Los Angeles setting. As is a common theme in many other Rockstar games, LA Noire is a story of crime and death set in the equivalent of a 1940s black-and-white film noir movie. As such, the use of subtle dark jazz and other forms of the genre is prominent throughout the game, even from the game’s menu.
Each jazz piece in the game’s official soundtrack is perfectly chosen to complement the game’s story, beat, and gameplay. LA Noire uses slower jazz during slower interrogation scenes, while big and dramatic chase scenes rely on big-band jazz to fuel players’ adrenaline while keeping them immersed.
Overall, while these games may have slightly missed the right timing for a score or soundtrack Grammy nod, they will certainly stay in many gamers’ and casual fans’ minds through the years, thanks to their perfect utilization and ability to complement a game’s energy, story, and gameplay.
If you like the pieces we highlighted today, you may want to check out our previous post on how you can learn guitar using Rocksmith, where guitar beginners and seasoned musicians can gamify the guitar-playing and -learning experience.
Peter Williams is a graduate of B.A Arts and Culture from the University of Technology Sydney. Peter is very much interested in cultural practices around the world including music, history, languages, literature, religion and social structures.