Offbeat and daring music in video games 2025 – most on sale at present

For all the dual woes of the gaming and music worlds, final 12 months noticed much more imaginative explorations of music and video games. There are nonetheless a number of hours to seize these within the Steam sale (with Steam cx5odes for a similar usually lasting every week or two after on third-party websites), plus Epic Game Store’s sale runs by way of January 8. And there’s numerous winter forward, so let’s dive in.

Listed by composer(s)

Notes: By the way in which, although I’ve a PC, I’ve taken to taking part in most of those in Parallels (affiliate link). With Windows for ARM, virtualized Windows generally runs smoother on my Mac than it does on PC. Everything right here is no less than out there on Windows, with Mac and all the varied gaming platforms additionally extensively supported.

If you don’t see a Bandcamp participant, it means (sadly) artists have chosen to launch solely on huge streaming platforms. That suggests to me that Bandcamp isn’t fairly as wholesome because it was mid-pandemic, to be trustworthy.

Bozó Attila Bertold, Our Star Is Dying, Tom Jensen – REPOSE

This splendidly moody, deliciously darkish soundtrack will ship chills up your backbone. In REPOSE, you’re spelunking in a seek for oxygen, with the proper query, “Is anything on the dead internet worth saving?” I can consider nothing higher to sum up all of 2025.

REPOSE – Steam

melos han-tani – Angeline Era

Like a few the titles right here, this sport investigates trauma — but it surely’s enjoyable. Recalling a number of the greatest early motion RPGs and Ys video games of the PS1/PC period, it’s a uniquely poignant and ingenious title, and it comes with this beautiful soundtrack by co-creator melos han-tani. You get the sensation that we aren’t simply mining nostalgia, however correctly exploring musical idioms that had been ripe for additional improvement after their time. A should.

fingerspit – Many Nights a Whisper

I already shared my love for fingerspit in a round-up a number of years in the past; this Valencia-based composer excels at dreamy, delicate music that tugs on the heartstrings. Many Nights a Whisper is a poetic LP of a sport with a runtime of about an hour, good for a fast escape into its enchanting world of archery and whispered dialog. And it has a soundtrack you’ll wish to placed on repeat — presently cheaper on Steam than Bandcamp.

Many Nights a Whisper – Steam

Sakai Asuka and misc. – To a T

Fine, high-quality, To a T by Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi has seen combined vital critiques. But by no means thoughts — the sport is a candy delight. The truth {that a} sport about being an ungainly 13-year-old teenager didn’t see vital success is sort of on the nostril — and gamers adore it.

As all the time, composer Asuka Sakai is a legend, behind the music to Katamari Damacy but additionally Soul Calibur II, Ridge Racer Type 4, Klonoa 2, and extra.

The music is ingenious — poppy however warped, completely becoming the transient. It rings out like an anthem for neurodivergence and customarily not becoming in. If Mr. Rogers spoke to youngsters like adults, that is music that speaks to adults as youngsters as adults. (I additionally really feel prefer it’s an unintentional religious successor to Stephen Sondheim’s “Anyone Can Whistle.”)

It additionally has this banger carried out by Rebecca Sugar (music: Asuka Sakai; lyrics: Keita Takahashi and Sam Bird). I don’t assume there’s been a greater grocery purchasing jam because the iconic loaf of bread, a container of milk, a stick of butter.

To a T – Steam

Miscellaneous – Rift of the NecroDancer

Rift of the NecroDancer is having its Rock Band second. So, simply as Rock Band made a harder, deeper music sport, topping that crew’s authentic Guitar Hero, the sequel to the 2015 Crypt of the NecroDancer discovered a barely extra area of interest viewers with a number of the trickier ranges. But this title is nonetheless well worth the delay. Freed of company mother and father like Viacom, indie music video games are having an unsung heydey, and I’ve a sense “more frustration” will come as a function, not a bug, to no less than some CDM readers. Nothing embodies that early Harmonix vibe fairly just like the expressive cartoon-style visuals. And as normal, you get nice music packs like Super Meat Boy, Shovel Knight, Unbeatable (additionally right here!), Celeste, and from exterior gaming, Hatsune Miku. That is, sorry, so a lot better than the damned Beatles. (Sorry Paul and Ringo.)

Rift of the NecroDancer – Steam

Miscellaneous – Unbeatable

This one is an insane shock and edges out the others as probably the most intense music sport of 2025. Hand-drawn anime and a vibe that looks like somebody fed hardcore amphetamines to Jet Set Radio combines right into a sport it looks like we don’t even deserve. You’ll really feel prefer it’s the 12 months 2000.

Quite a forged of artists right here: RJ Lake, Clara Maddux, Vasily Nikolaev, Rachel Lake, Jamie Paige, Lena Raine, MEMODEMO, DOG_NOISE, SoundCirclet, Lumena-Tan. Smart transfer — put it on Discogs!

Unbeatable – Steam

You can even attempt the free whitelabel sidestory (good if you wish to test compatibility with Parallels or Crossover.)

UNBEATABLE [white label]

Johnny Jewel, JOON, and Orion – Wheel World

This sport is nothing however jams and biking. Joon, aka Maltese songwriter and producer Yasmin Kuymizaki, and mates are placing out nearly a brand new style. It’s shiny melancholy synthpop; pastel chill. And you get the sensation {that a} sport launch will get precisely the popularity this tune deserves, exterior of the noise of the music enterprise, and with these cartoon cycles setting the temper.

Wheel World – Steam

(I’m upset extra of those of us aren’t releasing on Bandcamp now!)

s9menine – Rhythm Doctor

Even in a crowded subject, s9menine churned out one of the crucial authentic chip-flavored soundtracks I’ve heard in a lengthy time — solely to fly underneath the radar because the delayed Rhythm Doctor landed in December. I’ve a particular place in my coronary heart for any one-button sport, not to mention a one-button rhythm sport. (I used to be even as soon as a part of a one-button sport exhibition and jam with Kokoromi’s Gamma4 — bear in mind?)

This sport has had an extended street from a pupil mission nearly a decade and a half in the past, but it surely has developed right into a heartwarming opus. It has the zany power of WarioWare with the type of gameplay mayhem that provides you with blisters. Yes. It’s additionally one of many few titles right here that runs natively on macOS.

Rhythm Doctor – Steam

&amp, L’Alphalpha – Afterlove EP

Try this mixture: it’s a mixture of “narrative adventure, dating sim, and rhythm game,” but it surely’s about grieving. Afterlove EP was an underrated, poignant entry this 12 months, set in trendy Jakarta and developed by Indonesian home Pikselnesia, and tragically, the ultimate launch of the late sport designer Mohammad Fahmi Hasni. (The gameplay’s story about grieving turned a real-world one.)

Afterlove EP – Steam

Honorable mentions and the blockbuster

There’s simply an excessive amount of goodness to maintain up with. Equally deserving of point out:

Amos Roddy – BALL x PITT

Mi Lu Music and projectlights – Threefold Recital

And after all you’ve nonetheless received extra Deltarune (!) with Toby Fox, Sword of the Sea (Austin Wintory), Death Stranding 2 (Ludvig Forssell and Woodkid), Hollow Knight: Silksong (Christopher Larkin), all the standard Nintendo greatness, and so on., and so on. I simply didn’t wish to fully replicate different lists!

Meanwhile, although I do say that a number of the above are robust, Everhood 2 is the rhythm sport with a wonderful soundtrack that goes the toughest:

More lists:

The Best Video Game Music of 2025 – Darashiva @ VGChartz

And yeah Pinar Toprak, Bear McCreary, John Paesano, Wilbert Roget, II and Winifred Phillips all received Grammy noms:

These are the games with soundtracks so good, they’ve been nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award – Eurogamers

The underrated game scores and soundtracks that deserve more love in 2025 – Polygon; agree with all of those, and that’s from October

I prevented the one sport everybody is speaking about music-wise, however let’s end with that. Music by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier: