Best Gaming Music to Listen to While You Play

Updated:

22 Aug 2024

Listening to Music While Gaming

There are a great number of games that, when not running through cutscenes, can get pretty dull and make it hard to keep focus. One of the best ways to combat this is finding a great soundtrack to listen to while gaming. While not every game benefits from this, there are a good number of games that this can only be beneficial to. So, for that, here are the top 21 tracks to listen to while gaming.

21) See You Again

"See You Again" from Furious 7

This is a bit different than the others on the list. Coming from the final scene in Furious 7, Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth offer a touching tone. There is not any one genre that would seem to fit for this one, but there are definitely scenes. Any emotional scene could use this added emotional impact, whether it's a party parting ways or watching a trusted comrade fall.

Overall, for songs to game to, it would need to have a 6/10. It's a great song, but only a handful of scenes will carry the emotional impact this entry would need.

20) Honor Him

"Honor Him" from Gladiator

This one has a sadder tone to it, offering emotional impact. As it goes on, the tune begins to have more energy, but the sad undertone is still there. Like previous ones on the list, there isn't a specific genre that can offer a good place to this song, but it does match particular scenes well. The emotional charge this song has lends itself well to the emotionally impactful scenes of several genres.

Overall, for songs to game to, it would also get a 6/10. For the same reason as the previous entry, it is a great track, but only a handful of scenes can carry the emotional impact to do this entry justice.

19) Waltz With Vampires

"Waltz With Vampires"

The eerie tone that this sets is a fabulous start. It isn't as high energy or upbeat as other entries on the list, but the creepy vibe that comes from the track is still fantastic. In fact, only one genre really seems fitting here. This would be a great track for any survival horror game, lending the already unnatural vibe an all too creepy setting to play over.

This one would get a 7/10. While it is one of the best tracks to listen to for survival horror, there is little else I would play with this as the background music.

18) Scorponok

"Scorponok" from Transformers

This one is Scorponok from The Transformers soundtrack. It is a hard one to place, there are easily multiple genres to place it. The tone is a little dark, making it seem fit for horror games. However, it isn't quite ominous or creepy enough to be placed there. The other spot that seems to have a good feeling to it would be a stealth game. It has an ominous feel at the start, but still keeps an intense overtone to it.

This would also get a 7/10. While it is a good track, it is hard to place where it would go by genre. That being said, still a great soundtrack to listen to while gaming.

17) The Dark Knight Rises (Main Theme)

The main theme from The Dark Knight Rises

This theme is makes for a great setting. As another song from Hans Zimmer, the main theme to The Dark Knight Rises is very intense and easily sets the mood for an exciting adventure or battle. This would be a good one for intense RPGs, such as Lords of the Fallen. The theme has the same powerful feel that most of Hans Zimmer tunes have, setting the stage for a thrilling battle.

This gets a 7.5/10. It is a great track with some intense beats, but there are still few games that would properly do it justice.

16) The Gael

"The Gael" from Last of the Mohicans

This empowering tune comes from the main theme of The Last of the Mohicans and is composed by Dougie Maclean. It starts out slow, almost too much to really seem like it would be a great soundtrack to play games to. However, once the other instrumentals kick in, the track takes an upbeat turn. It is great music to listen to when setting out into an open world RPG, facing many new and overwhelming challenges.

This one gets a 7.5/10 as well. It is a great sound, but the calmer theme makes it less enticing as a soundtrack to a large majority of games.

15) Autobots

"Autobots" from Transformers

Also from The Transformers soundtrack, the tone here starts out much slower, building up as it goes. The build up would make for a good final confrontation. Once again, it cannot be placed into a specific genre, but it would be a great listen, leading the player up to the final confrontation of some grand enemy. For that reason, it would most closely lie to the RPG or shooter (first or third person) genre.

This one gets an 7.5/10. It is a great song to play a large array of games to. The build up makes it especially good, leading to a great finish overall.

14) Clubbed to Death

"Clubbed to Death" from The Matrix

From the soundtrack of The Matrix, this offers another slow start into an intense beat. The fast pace tune, once past the slow start, offers a great setting for sneaking around the enemy camp, where one wrong move could lead to a game over. For that reason, it would be well suited for the stealth action genre.

This one gets an 8/10. The soundtrack to The Matrix offers an intense beat that can really get the listener into a good game.

13) Knights March

"Knights March" from King Arthur

Another theme great for the march into a final battle. The tune almost paints a visual for the listener, picturing great scenes of heroes traversing the wilderness to reach their goal. For that reason, the easiest theme to place this into would be an open world RPG, traveling the wilderness on the way to your goal.

This one also gets an 8/10. The tune is very good at getting a rising level of excitement as the track goes on. It is an awesome one for a good number of games.

12) Hell's March

"Hell's March" from Command and Conquer: Red Alert

This is a good one to start off a campaign. This is one of the tracks from Command and Conquer: Red Alert. The music starts out to the steady beating of footsteps as the soldiers march in, followed by a great metal track. It offers a great start to a gaming session, probably best used for the strategy genre of gaming. It's already practically made for that march into enemy territory, revving the player up to conquer their foes.

This one gets an 8.5/10. It is a fantastic track from a great game. This really benefits the genre it comes from, psyching the player up for a march into enemy territory.

11) Arrival to Earth

"Arrival to Earth" from The Transformers

Another from The Transformers, this one sets a nice tone. It starts out ominous, but slowly grows into a much more epic track. This could be easily placed in an RPG setting, traversing the lands, but due to its origin and the feeling it gives, it can be narrowed down further. It would be a great soundtrack to listen to for a space RPG, such as Mass Effect.

Another 8.5/10. This one offers a great beat to adventure out into the vast void of space, just like the source material would suggest.

10) Time

"Time" from Inception

Another by Hans Zimmer, Time comes from the film Inception and offers another slow start that begins to build up over time. The slow start offers an almost peaceful feeling, bringing to mind games such as Gone Home or Firewatch. This track would be a great, calming song while playing those types of games while still having enough energy to keep the listener interested.

This one is also an 8.5/10. It is not as intense as some of the other entries, but the calming tone really offers a great soundtrack for the more calming games in the industry.

9) Game of Thrones (Main Theme)

The main theme from Game of Thrones

Another great theme song to play to. This offers an exciting tone through the duration and is well known for the show itself. This would be a great song to have in an open world RPG, the grand tone offering itself well to the hero traveling across distant lands. It seems fitting, given the origin of the theme itself.

This one gets a 9/10. It is a well known theme that is renowned for adventure and intrigue. It makes for a great track when venturing into a new world.

8) Tuvan

"Tuvan"

This fast paced techno beat is another great one for games. This is the type of music you would hear on the radio during driving segments in games. That brings to mind a great track for any racer. Need for Speed or Forza could easily be benefited from having this track playing in the background as you race against the clock or other players at intense speeds.

This one also gets a 9/10. It is a more fast paced song that easily earns it one of the higher spots on the list.

7) Love Is Gonna Save Us

"Love is Gonna Save Us"

This track has an eerie tone to it for nearly the entire song. The techno beat, though, brings to mind the dancing in a club, the type of music one might hear there. The song lends itself well to fighters, offering that high beat yet eerie quality to it as one would fight these enemies one after another. Along with that, it could also be a good song for the FPS genre, the high energy beat offering itself well to the intense atmosphere of those shooters.

This is also a 9/10. The eerie tone topped with the techno beat easily makes it one of the better songs to listen to.

6) Why Do We Fall?

"Why Do We Fall" from The Dark Knight Rises

Another song from the famed composer, Hans Zimmer, this is a song used in The Dark Knight Rises. While it may not be the main theme, this one is hard to ignore for the impact it can leave as you listen to it. It contains an intense beat, setting the mood for the march towards a final battle. The best use for this, once again, would be a punishing RPG with intense boss battles, such as Dark Souls. Hearing this music while moving towards the overwhelming bosses of these types of games truly sets the mood for what is about to happen.

This one goes up to a 9.5/10. It is a fantastically intense song that really sets the mood for any huge battle you may be walking into.

5) Say Goodbye

"Say Goodbye"

Say Goodbye has a quicker pace to it, building up slowly over time. The intensity of that build up is great, though, offering itself well to a fast paced, high stakes type of gameplay. The best suited genre for this would be either a stealth action game or an FPS, for that reason.

This will also get a 9.5/10. The quicker pace offers a higher variety of games that this would be good for, easily putting it into the top five.

4) For an Angel

"For an Angel"

Another high beat song, this tune offers a lot of energy and stays consistent with that. It lends itself well to intense games, such as the racing genre or the fighter genre. It almost sounds like a track you would hear naturally in either of those two genres. It makes these songs seem to lend themselves well to either type of game.

This gets a 9.5/10 as well. The large amounts of energy and the consistent upkeep of that energy really lends itself well to an intense gaming session.

3) Pirates of the Caribbean (Main Theme)

The main theme of Pirates of the Caribbean

As the theme song to Pirates of the Caribbean, only a few games truly come to mind when listening. The constant upbeat track keeps the excitement high, but it easily gives a feeling of being out on the Seven Seas. For that reason, the theme would be best used when playing games that involve the seas, such as Assassin's Creed: Black Flag or Port Royale 3. Not in the same genre, no, but theme offers a great soundtrack to sail to.

This gets a 10/10. It may seem cliché to have a theme song in the top three, but the exciting upbeat track can easily keep the energy up as the player goes through his or her adventure.

2) Never Alone (Onova Remix)

"Never Alone (Onova Remix)"

An intense techno remix that offers a constant high paced tune, this would be great for a multitude of games. However, the one that comes to mind is from the racing genre again, racing at high speeds towards the finish line. It would have to be either that or the fighting genre, offering a great beat to beat down your foes to.

This gets a 10/10 as well. With the constant, high paced tune, a good number of games are benefited from this remix. It can really get one into the game and keep the energy up.

1) See What I've Become

"See What I've Become"

Another intense soundtrack that offers the visuals of watching someone you once knew reveal themselves as something else entirely. The track flips some of the previous seen trends where it begins very high energy and slowly dissolves into a more mellow tune at the end. This is another good one for the RPG setting where those kinds of twists are common.

Of course, for the number one spot, it also has a 10/10. The song is a great way to get into any game, painting a picture with its high energy tune. It is really one of the best songs to listen to while gaming.