Sport music wouldn't be what it’s with out rock and metallic—listed below are the legendary tracks it’s best to add to your playlists instantly
Soundtrack Sunday
Welcome to Soundtrack Sunday, the place a member of the PC Gamer crew takes a take a look at a soundtrack from considered one of their favorite video games—or a broader take a look at videogame music as a complete—providing somewhat backstory and suggestions for tracks you have to be including to your playlist.
July 22, 2025 noticed metalheads all over the place go into mourning as Ozzy Osbourne—the Prince of Darkness and early pioneer of heavy metallic alongside his band Black Sabbath—died on the age of 76. Simply 17 days after returning to his hometown of Birmingham for one closing farewell present that raised $200 million for charity.
Whereas his direct involvement in videogames over time was pretty minimal, it is laborious to disclaim how a lot his affect has trickled down into our much-loved pastime. As a Sabbath lover and fellow Brummie, Osbourne’s dying has had me reflecting alone journey with metallic music, and the youth spent enjoying videogames with all method of heavy riffs that went on to form my bizarre little emo nerd self.
Whereas video games have been well-known to borrow all method of rockin’ licensed music, there’s additionally a plethora of extremely neat authentic scores that pull from the choice scene. Here is just a few of my private favourites, plus suggestions from the PC Gamer crew that I listened to and actually liked.
Otherworld – Last Fantasy 10
![[Video Soundtrack] Otherworld - original - [FINAL FANTASY X HD Remaster] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zhYW3dY1hgM/maxresdefault.jpg)
Last Fantasy 10 is a sport typically scored by unhappy piano twinkling and delicate strings. In spite of everything, it is a sport all about sending a younger lady to her dying whereas we, because the protagonist, slowly fall in love along with her. It is a fairly heart-wrenching story!
It additionally makes Otherworld stand out much more among the many remainder of its soundtrack. A heavy metallic piece that performs throughout the sport’s very first cutscene, opening issues with a bang. It is penned by legendary Sq. composer Nobuo Uematsu, with lyrics by localiser Alexander O Smith and carried out by xtillidiex frontman Invoice Muir.
After being lulled right into a false sense of safety by To Zanarkand enjoying on the title display screen, Last Fantasy 10 opens up in nearly lifeless silence. The digicam slowly pans down onto protagonist Tidus, zooming in on his eye. It opens, and with it the tough-as-nails riff to Otherworld comes crashing in. We get to see Tidus enjoying Blitzball whereas Auron will get to, you understand, look all cool and mysterious and stuff.
Not solely is it a ridiculously hype technique to kickstart a JRPG, the track rips in its personal proper. It has been a mainstay in my health club playlist for a sizzling sec, for good cause. Whereas the Last Fantasy sequence has experimented with metallic tracks in subsequent video games, nothing has ever fairly reached the highs of Otherworld for me.
The Intuition – Killer Intuition Gold
It is protected to say that Killer Intuition Gold on the Nintendo 64 might be the very first time my younger ears bore witness to rock and metallic music. The Intuition is an actual masterclass in constructing stress—seeing the N64 and Uncommon logos flash up on display screen because the theme track quietly bubbles away within the background, solely teasing with a few devices.
Then the title display screen blasts up on display screen, kicking the track into full gear as a melodic guitar wails away within the background. Composer Robin Beanland completely cooked on the unique Killer Intuition and Killer Intuition 2 soundtracks, even managing to wrangle the N64’s inferior audio card and restricted reminiscence to create one thing that was staggeringly near the latter’s arcade model.
Mick Gordon additionally did a unbelievable job of recreating the theme when Killer Intuition had its revival in 2013. He manages to take The Intuition’s core DNA and construct upon it, making it punchier whereas efficiently retaining that stress within the preliminary buildup by enjoying on the theme’s iconic riff, layering completely different devices collectively earlier than kicking into the principle meat of the monitor.
It is actual good, and Gordon speaking somewhat to Maintain Again to Block in regards to the technique of reimagining the track is tremendous attention-grabbing—you even get to listen to some earlier ideas he put collectively for the monitor, none of which maintain a candle to the ultimate product in case you ask me.
Have I ever performed Metallic Gear Rising: Revengeance. Positive have not! Do I feel that Guidelines of Nature is a sheer masterpiece? Positive do!
It is one other a type of songs that actually helps to set the tone for the sport, as I have been instructed by numerous of my Metallic Gear Rising enjoyer buddies. In case you could not already inform, I am a complete sucker for rock and metallic songs that slowly construct the strain with layering devices and vocals, and Guidelines of Nature isn’t any completely different.
Jason Charles Miller—a really iconic vocalist who’s not solely completed a bunch of stuff within the music business however has lent his voice to a handful of songs within the likes of Responsible Gear and Last Fantasy 14—kicks off with some tremendous melodic vocals earlier than shouting out the long-lasting track title, and the entire thing kicks into the refrain.
It is a type of songs that has since propelled itself to meme standing with the likes of ‘Guidelines of Nature Goes With The whole lot’ and hell, it certain does. Humorous sufficient, Miller wasn’t even conscious of the meme for a number of years. Doubtless a byproduct of his vocals not being credited on the monitor till a lot later down the road.
Herald of Darkness – Alan Wake 2
Okay, that is an extremely area of interest decide. I additionally need to admit I have never fairly gotten round to Alan Wake 2 but, with this suggestion coming from our senior editor Robin Valentine. After giving the 13-minute lengthy model a take heed to (there’s additionally a model that is half-hour and one which’s three), I can actually see the enchantment.
I am going to let Robin let you know what’s simply so darn good about this monitor. He does a a lot better job than me:
Robin Valentine
Heavy metallic occupies a particular place in Treatment’s shared universe of video games. Fictional band Outdated Gods of Asgard not solely contributes to the soundtrack in all three Alan Wake video games and Management, however its members additionally seem as pivotal characters—getting old rockers whose music has fairly actually modified the world. Their songs, carried out by actual Finnish band Poets of the Fall, underpin arguably probably the most memorable moments in all 4 video games. Alan Wake 2’s Herald of Darkness sequence specifically is unimaginable—a playable rock opera, utilizing music as a campy window into Alan’s thoughts and the surreal limbo he finds himself trapped in. You could not mistake it for something aside from a loving tribute to the studio’s relationship with heavy metallic and basic rock.
Rip and Tear – Doom 2016
It might’ve been remiss of me to speak about sick videogame tracks whereas completely ignoring one of the metallic videogames on the market. Now I am going to admit I’ve by no means performed Doom, however has that stopped me from rinsing its soundtrack top-to-bottom? In fact not.
Mick Gordon has already technically made an look on this record, but it surely’s for a very good cause. His work is stellar, a bona fide metallic composer within the videogame area. He additionally did a bunch of labor on considered one of my all-time favorite EPs, Carry me the Horizon’s Publish Human: Survival Horror.
His work on Doom 2016 is a few of my favorite, and Rip & Tear is a type of tracks I am going again to time and time once more. The guitars and drums are meaty as all hell, and it surprises me to be taught that id Software program did not really need Gordon utilizing guitars in any respect—apparently the studio did not desire a metallic soundtrack, worrying that it might be “corny” regardless of the unique sport going all-in on heavy metallic.
Fortunately it is okay to be improper, and Gordon was capable of wrangle some shredding into the combination to supply a ripping, tearing, uncorny metallic OST that, from my numerous watch-throughs of Doom Let’s Performs, feels prefer it oozes the sport’s DNA.
You Cannot Cease Us – Nikke: Goddess of Victory
![You CAN'T STOP US [GODDESS OF VICTORY : NIKKE OST] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/w-BhQxGk34o/maxresdefault.jpg)
Alright, alright, put your anti-gooner pitchforks down. Nikke: Goddess of Victory has loads of, properly, boobs and butts—it is the identical developer as Stellar Blade, in spite of everything—but it surely additionally packs a surprisingly gripping story and, extra crucially, a killer soundtrack.
That is as a result of an enormous chunk of Nikke’s songs are concocted by some actual legends within the rhythm sport scene—Korean composer Cosmograph is with Shift Up full time today, with a handful of contributions from NieN who options proper beneath this entry.
Cosmograph performs with a complete bunch of genres throughout Nikke’s rating—a few of my favorite non-metal tracks are The Harvester, Splinter Heated, and Khamsin Higher Combine—however You Cannot Cease Us is among the heavier tracks to make an look.
As most rock and metallic scores are, You Cannot Cease Us is the theme for a fairly outstanding boss who options closely in direction of the start of the sport: Chatterbox, a devastating Rapture (suppose corrupted machines) who causes fairly the kerfuffle at first of the story and continues to be a menace for fairly a while afterwards.
The track begins heavy and maintains that high-octane power all through, which feels greater than becoming for such a fearsome foe. Simply ignore the entire jiggly butts capturing away at him whilst you’re making an attempt to rock out.
Keep Alive – DJ MAX Respect V
As a rhythm sport sicko I could not full this record with out a minimum of one entry from my favorite style.
One thing I completely adore about rhythm video games is simply how eclectic anyone’s library of songs may be. You have acquired eurodance, drum and bass, home, pop, R&B, and naturally, somewhat little bit of rock and metallic.
DJ MAX Respect V is among the rhythm video games that actually does all of it, and you may nearly chart Korea’s fondness for various music genres throughout the years with every sport within the sequence over time. It admittedly took DJ MAX some time to begin embracing the heavier aspect of issues, but it surely now sports activities some absolute bangers, very like NieN’s Keep Alive.
It is one of many songs featured in V Extension 4, and nearly seems like one thing I might have anticipated to listen to on Kerrang! Radio again within the 2010s. It kicks in laborious with heavy drums and a shrieky guitar riff, earlier than firming down into one thing extra ominous after which ramping proper again up once more for the refrain, switching forwards and backwards between deep growling vocals and extra melodic lyricism.
It is considered one of my must-picks every time I play an internet foyer with associates, and yet one more mainstay on my ever-growing videogame health club playlist. Simply, er, ignore the unusual AI-generated music video. It is higher on your well being to fake it is not there.
Marionette – Responsible Gear
Responsible Gear is the king of rockin’ preventing sport music, and it was laborious to select only one track from nearly three many years of musical excellence. However I acquired there finally, and if I needed to decide one it might be Elphelt Valentine’s theme: Marionette.
She was launched in Xrd, and her theme track is actually a rippin’ six-minute guitar solo that has me hooked for each single second. It is composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari, who’s chargeable for a complete host of bangers throughout the sequence. Oh, and he is additionally the man who actually created Responsible Gear. Virtually forgot that little truth.
Marionette feels oddly old-school regardless of solely being round a decade previous, and that mix of classic riffing with modern-day mixing provides the entire thing an actual distinctive vibe. There’s additionally one thing I form of love in regards to the juxtaposition of Elphelt’s cutesy bridal look and her theme track, too.
I completely implore you to scope out the remainder of Ishiwatari’s work throughout his sequence, in addition to a number of the tracks he composed for BlazBlue. Now in case you’ll excuse me, I am off to discover ways to play Elphelt whereas listening to Marionette on repeat for the subsequent a number of hours.