Imagine a game with no music, gross. That would be like leaving your AirPods at home when you need them at the gym. Nobody really wants that. We love the soundtracks in our games, and it seems like the rest of the world is noticing.
Just the other month, the Dawn of Ragnarok Expansion for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla took the grammy award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media. This is the first time a whole category has been designated just for the industry, and to celebrate our friendly, local PC Hardware store, Titan Ice, decided to see what the rest of the world thought about soundtracks in games by doing a little experiment:
How they did it:
“We used a database of the most popular video games throughout the last few decades, in combination with rankings of the best video game soundtracks, to compile a list of more than 100 video games. We then searched for each artist on Spotify and noted the total number of streams for the most popular song from each game. We also recorded monthly streaming totals for each artist.”
What they found:
The top 20 songs most popular songs and instrumentals from video games
| Song Title | Game | Composer | Number of Streams |
| Megalovania | Undertale | Toby Fox | 134 402 089 |
| Sweden | Minecraft | C418 | 119 572 258 |
| Rip and Tear | Doom | Robert Prince | 78 784 637 |
| The Last of Us | The Last of Us | Gustavo Santaolalla | 50 621 479 |
| Ezio’s Family | Assassins Creed | Jesper Kyd | 41 945 776 |
| Dragonborn | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Jeremy Soule | 37 292 734 |
| God of War | God of War | Bear McCreary | 36 118 819 |
| Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix | Halo | Martin O’Donnell | 32 049 467 |
| Geralt of Rivia | The Witcher 3 | Marcin Przybylowicz | 26 467 197 |
| Vigil | Mass Effect 2 | Jack Wall, Jimmy Hinson, Sam Hulick, David Kates | 18 775 056 |
| Baba Yetu | Civilisation IV | Christopher Tin | 17 933 201 |
| Nascence | Journey | Austin Wintory | 16 990 958 |
| Fallout 4 Main Theme | Fallout | Inon Zur | 15 207 060 |
| Crypteque | Crypt of the Necromancer | Danny Baranowsky | 11 232 657 |
| Floral Floral | Cuphead | Kristofer Maddigan | 9 032 195 |
| American Venom | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Woody Jackson | 8 839 276 |
| Far Cry 3 | Far Cry 3 | Brian Tyler | 8 799 911 |
| Dark Souls III | Dark Souls 3 | Yuka Kitamura | 8 091 385 |
| Main theme | Assassins Creed Valhalla | Jesper Kyd | 7 892 429 |
| V | Cyberpunk | Marcin Przybylowicz | 7 886 997 |
Owner of Titan Ice, and gaming expert, Johan De Klerk, had this to say about the top two:
Sweden
“C418’s Sweden, meanwhile, composed for Minecraft, currently has over 119 million plays on Spotify. C418 hails from Germany and has also contributed to soundtracks for Ivy Road, Clicker, and Life Changing Moments Seem Minor in Pictures.
“Sweden is low key, beginning with a somber piano chord progression. Strings, a glockenspiel, and a piano also feature in the track. Both thoughtful and grandiose, Sweden evokes sentiments of loneliness and tranquillity. Minecraft was released in 2011, so its soundtrack, for many gamers, is nostalgic, allowing them to reminisce about their childhood. Sweden appears on many Spotify playlists dedicated to lazy Sunday afternoons and study days.”
Rip and Tear
“Doom’s Rip and Tear ranked third on our list, with over 78 million plays. The 2016 Doom soundtrack, composed by Mick Gorden, is frantic and punchy – the perfect accompaniment to a first-person shooter about slaying hellish demons.
“Synthesisers and electric guitars dominate the metal-infused score. Critically acclaimed on its release, the 2016 Doom soundtrack is adored by both gamers and non-gamers alike.”
Check out their full dataset here.
There are some pretty prominent names in the list, but I, for one, was definitely not expecting the top 3. What do you guys think? Is your favourite game song on the list? Let us know in the comments.