The 10 Best Video Game Scores and Soundtracks of 2023

Practically everyone would agree that 2023 was massive for video games. What started as a small number of interesting offerings in January kept ramping up more and more until fans were left with colossal months like June and November. These months had so many releases that players either needed to be careful about what they got on big release times like the week of October 17, or there was so much that everyone had something to look forward to regardless of their own preferences.

With plenty of video games to choose from, though, comes many scores and soundtracks. As many video games are about immersion and keeping players invested as long as possible, the music heard within them is one of the most important parts of the experience. When it comes to the sound of all the new releases in 2023, it’s been a rather stiff bout of competition as each game offers something impressive. In no particular order, here are the 10 best video game soundtracks and scores from 2023.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

As The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom serves as the long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild, there were many places in which the action-adventure title could not fall short. Naturally, one of these aspects was TOTK‘s sound design and musical score, and in that regard, Zelda once again hardly disappoints. Even though most of Tears of the Kingdom‘s tracks serve to be background ambiance as players once again explore Hyrule, important low-lying yet powerful tracks add to the story’s events, such as the many songs that add weight and color to locations such as Rito Village and the Temple of Time.

The game also excels at having an incredible score to back up important moments, such as the many boss encounters in Tears of the Kingdom, and the climactic highs of Link’s adventure. The musical direction in particular uses a strange reversed vocal effect to add to the themes of time, curses, and displacement throughout the game, which helps its particular sound not only stand out from other Zelda titles, but other video games in general.

Sea of Stars

Sea of Stars aims to pay tribute to the many role-playing games that came before it, and it does so by merging the old with the new, especially in terms of its score. Blending chiptune with real instruments gives the music found in the game a unique mix of old and new that remains nostalgic yet refreshing. This nostalgic feeling adds to the cozy yet expansive vibe Sea of Stars carries throughout its first voyage, which makes it incredibly memorable.

To top it off, the soundtrack for Sea of Stars is immense, featuring day, night, and pirate-style tracks that give the game a different feeling depending on which players listen to. This even takes songs such as the fighting themes and adds variety to what fans hear, breaking the unfortunate truth that the battles in the RPG genre will feature a handful of songs that will grow old before they grow memorable with enough grinding. All in all, Sea of Stars‘ score delivers the feelings of adventure and a wide open world that covers the indie RPG’s daring scope masterfully.

Final Fantasy 16

With dark depths that would be expected in Game of Thrones permeating its story, Final Fantasy 16 strikes out as a bold new entry to the franchise. While it calls back many series staples, it also bends and breaks them in ways fans might not expect throughout a gritty and hard-hitting narrative that spreads to its music with ease. Even the title screen music of Final Fantasy 16 alone uses lower tones to deliver on Clive Rosfield’s anguish while paying tribute to the “Crystal Theme” found in many other FF games.

This power remains throughout many moments of the game, especially in important plot-related moments. Particular motifs remain to lift the cast of Final Fantasy 16 up and point out their deeper roles throughout the story; a prominent example being the use of “My Star” through Jill’s appearances. Even battle themes, like those against the Eikons, demand the player’s attention through musical might. To top it off, the soundtrack is still not afraid to experiment, with songs such as Typhon’s battle theme adding EDM beats to a fantastical chorus. The sheer depth of Final Fantasy 16‘s soundtrack certainly helps hold it up as one of the most exciting FF RPGs releases to date.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

After the rather lengthy wait between New Super Mario Bros. U and its deluxe version, Super Mario Bros. Wonder does not disappoint in many ways, with the music being a prominent factor in the game as a whole. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is one of the best platformers of 2023, and with its entire theme of “wonder” leading to vast creative options in level design, exploration, and platforming, its soundtrack naturally had to do the same. As each level changes with the use of Wonder Flowers, the score of Super Mario Bros. Wonder almost seems endless.

Using a Wonder Flower changes every level, and new music reflects that change. When players use an Elephant Fruit, the soundtrack adjusts to match. The game is also dynamic with what can be expected from its music as well, with levels such as Piranha Plants On Parade changing and removing parts of the music depending on how many of the titular enemies are on-screen to sing. Even old iconic Mario themes such as the “Underground” and “Athletic” themes are given a new face lift, breathing life into the music that other games didn’t have.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

It may be easy to write off Star Wars Jedi: Survivor‘s soundtrack as the same sounds fans would expect from a piece of the lengthy Star Wars franchise, but that’s exactly what makes it special. As the series is known for being accompanied by the incredible works of John Williams, Gordy Haab and Stephen Barton manage to bring that same musical score to the game without stealing the famous movie composer’s personal identity.

This approach to the game’s music is brilliant as it helps plenty of Star Wars fans feel immersed in the world Respawn Entertainment crafted by helping the game’s planets look and sound like fans are exploring many of the series’ movies and shows with ease. One could argue that through Star Wars Jedi: Survivor‘s lengthy and impacting narrative, the music helps bring back the unique feelings that the original Star Wars films were known for. It’s because of this dedication to detail with this iconic, fan-favorite franchise that Respawn’s title is a stand-out game of 2023, and why Star Wars Jedi: Survivor most certainly deserves a sequel.

El Paso Elsewhere

When a small motel in El Paso, Texas suddenly gains a bunch of extra underground stories, James Savage has to brave these reality-changing floors to find his girlfriend Draculae and save those she’s kidnapped. El Paso Elsewhere is a third-person “neo-noir” shooter that uses grunge with hip-hop to set its mood and tone. As many people would expect, El Paso Elsewhere is similar to Max Payne and other shooter titles in that it’s incredibly action-packed, which allows harsh EDM beats to blend in with digitized guitar twangs that give off a unique vibe.

The feel of El Paso Elsewhere‘s music certainly helps the game’s storytelling, as with the shifting rooms and floors, as well as James’ own drug issues warping his perceptions, the music hits the right unexpected notes. The raps, the samples they use, and the careful use of dubstep cues and wild west instruments pull players into the world of the game while also allowing the soundtrack to be as fast-paced and assertive in players’ heads to help them achieve the goals needed to see this unique noir video game to the end. El Paso Elsewhere certainly decided to go big or go home when it came to its score, and it shows.

Spider-Man 2

Just like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does its best to sound like players are taking part in an interactive superhero movie. This naturally means coming with its own dramatic and cinematic score, and the detail and care found in the backing tracks of the game’s most dramatic moments certainly sets it up as one of the best 2023 has to offer.

After what Spider-Man: Miles Morales set up back in 2020, Spider-Man 2 is all about the teamwork between both Spider-Men. Miles and Peter are both given prominent musical cues that set up their time to shine, even if Miles was given the short end of the stick. Battles are backed up with the same trumpets and horns that many superhero fans ought to be familiar with, which helps put players in the shoes of both Miles and Peter with ease. The score is crafted so carefully that key moments, such as one important boss fight with Miles, are made even better as the music is timed to the cutscenes. As a result, Spider-Man 2 truly elevates what people expect from superhero narratives in video games, just as the other two titles did before it.

Hogwarts Legacy

It seems that 2023 is a rather prolific year for paying tribute to the work of John Williams, as Hogwarts Legacy takes many cues from the famous composer for its own soundtrack to help bring players back into the world of Harry Potter. This, of course, means that like Spider-Man 2, the game’s score has a cinematic feel to it, but it could be argued that Hogwarts Legacy‘s music doesn’t aim to feel like an interactive movie and more like an adventure that belongs to the player as they explore Hogwarts from before Harry Potter’s time.

Hogwarts Legacy also takes a different approach to Williams’ music than Star Wars Jedi: Survivor did, striving to set out its own identity rather than strictly emulate the musician’s work. This is certainly one of the more unique musical choices that helps set it apart, as Hogwarts Legacy is all about “living the unwritten.” Some important cues that Harry Potter fans should know made it in the game, such as the many musical cues representative of Hogwarts, but in many ways, Hogwarts Legacy avoids relying on nostalgia too much in its score.

The resulting soundtrack from these choices from the composers ends up working out brilliantly, as the adventure certainly feels like it belongs in Harry Potter, but it doesn’t necessarily use Harry Potter himself to do so. Instead, it lets the world speak for itself, which is understandable considering Hogwarts Legacy takes place a century before the books and movies. It brings out the true magic and wonder that players have wanted to experience in the Harry Potter world for decades, and will likely be as remembered as the movies’ own scores years in the future.

Alan Wake 2

Writers are once again asked to think like a writer in Alan Wake 2, only this time it’s a matter of life or death. With Alan Wake‘s new dive into survival horror, naturally, key things in terms of direction would change. This is seen through how the game keeps most exploration segments quiet, but still uses key musical pieces to bring players deeper into the story and cutscenes. However, not only does it bring back the reflective vocal tracks at the end of each chapter in Alan Wake 2, but it extends the musical elements of the game to unforeseen heights in ways that Remedy Entertainment has made into its staple for years.

As the Alan Wake series tells the story of a writer, Alan Wake 2 uses metaphors, imagery, and other creative mediums to create symbolism. This shows in the game’s music with the vocal tracks that greet players at the end of each section fitting the struggles of specific characters, and even in a musical section that earns Alan Wake 2 a spot among the best musically-inclined games of 2023. The sound of Poets of the Fall as the Old Gods of Asgard ties the knots between both games in a tribute that’s great to hear and even more intriguing to play.

Hi-Fi Rush

Serving as one of the biggest surprises of the year, Hi-Fi Rush is the perfect blend of rhythm, platforming, and combat mechanics. As its core mechanic is that everything hits the beat of the music playing on Chai’s chest, naturally there’s got to be great music in the game for players to rock out to. In this regard, Hi-Fi Rush goes above and beyond to make the sound design incredible from start to finish.

The entire world in Hi-Fi Rush adapts to the song currently playing, including background elements such as trees, monitors, and the way platforms appear or fall down. The songs that players time their hits and jumps to are also incredibly catchy and adventurous, and will likely get stuck in fans’ heads long after the title’s been turned off. Hi-Fi Rush even includes a Streamer Mode that removes the ten copyrighted songs and replaces them with versions that won’t hurt those who play the game on Twitch or other streaming platforms, both extending the soundtrack and remaining accessible for all kinds of players and viewers alike.