The 12 Best Video Game Scores and Soundtracks of 2024

2024 has been a big year for video game scores, with composers delivering soundtracks that can leave a lasting mark on even the most casual gamers by pushing the boundaries of what music is able to achieve in a video game. While there were dozens of great games released in 2024 with even better soundtracks, however, only a handful of them can be considered the best.

Ultimately, for a video game soundtrack to be considered one of 2024’s best, it needs to offer something fresh and innovative that enhances its game’s world and reinforces the storytelling. Great video game music can’t get in the way, nor can it hide behind the scenes; it needs to stand out without sticking out, acting as a complement rather than the star of the show. In 2024, 12 games managed to accomplish that, with 5 of them even being nominated for Best Score and Music at the 2024 Game Awards. Each of the scores and soundtracks listed is presented in alphabetical order.

Astro Bot

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Nominated for 2024’s Game of the Year as well as many other categories, Astro Bot is one of the year’s best games for a multitude of reasons — including its exceptional soundtrack. Primarily composed by Kenneth C M Young, known for his work on LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway, Astro Bot‘s soundtrack features 87 tracks that blend original compositions with remixes of fan favorites, all while including familiar elements from the Sony games it features to connect in a humorous and heartfelt way to fans. Ultimately, the music enhances the overall experience of Astro Bot‘s immersive experience, with each track complementing its diverse levels and themes and enhancing the game’s joyous atmosphere. All of these elements work together to reinforce Astro Bot‘s position among the best video game scores and soundtracks of 2024.

Black Myth: Wukong

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Yet another Game of the Year nominee known for its gameplay, visuals, and storytelling is Black Myth: Wukong, but its soundtrack is something to write home about as well. With Black Myth: Wukong pushing players headfirst into Chinese mythology, it needed an impressive soundtrack to back it up. As it turns out, Black Myth: Wukong‘s soundtrack is exceptional, serving as the perfect auditory stage for the game’s rich narrative and incredibly detailed environments, using traditional Chinese instruments to enhance the game’s cultural depth. With music that seamlessly blends into its gameplay for a synchronous experience, Black Myth: Wukong is more than deserving of recognition as one of 2024’s best video game scores.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ring‘s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion may only be DLC, but it has still managed to find its way onto the list of 2024’s Game of the Year nominees as well. While this is largely due to its expansive world, its willingness to honor the formula of the base game while simultaneously innovating it, and its challenging yet fulfilling gameplay are its most noticeable features, its score complements its scenery and battles so well that it’s difficult to even know that it’s there at times. Some might find that to be a fault with a soundtrack, but a great score needs to find a way to walk the line between center stage and a backdrop, and the soundtrack for Elden Ring‘s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC does that masterfully, making it a standout addition to the list of 2024’s best video game scores and soundtracks.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

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Once again, a Game of the Year nominee makes its way over to the list of 2024’s best video game scores and soundtracks as well. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the second entry in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, and while its gameplay, story, and world are all brilliantly executed, its soundtrack is just as awe-inspiring. By blending reimagined classics from the original Final Fantasy 7 with innovative original compositions, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth‘s soundtrack effortlessly bridges the gap between fan service and new demographics. Furthermore, with music that dynamically adjusts to the gameplay scenario for a seamless and immersive experience, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth‘s soundtrack undoubtedly belongs on the list of 2024’s best video game scores and soundtracks.

Helldivers 2

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Helldivers 2‘s soundtrack is one of 2024’s best, simply due to its ability to underscore the themes and action of the title’s gameplay. While its score as a whole is representative of the epic battles Helldivers 2 offers, its main theme, “A Cup of Liber-Tea,” is its most famous track, evoking feelings of militaristic heroism as players duke it out against giant bugs on war-torn landscapes. Ultimately, Helldivers 2‘s soundtrack enhances the game’s intense action sequences and spurs players to keep fighting for democracy, making it more than deserving of a place among the best video game scores of 2024.

Neva

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Neva, released in October of this year, has been widely acclaimed for its captivating visuals and emotional narrative, with its soundtrack playing a significant role in enhancing the overall experience it offers. As Neva is largely all about its atmosphere, its music needs to complement that, and to say that it does would be an understatement. Neva‘s soundtrack is often incredibly simplistic, which is precisely how it manages to capture the emotion and atmosphere offered by the game’s visuals and gameplay. In a sense, Neva‘s soundtrack itself plays a major role in the game’s storytelling, which works in turn to increase the game’s immersion. There is little reason why it shouldn’t be included on the list of 2024’s best video game scores and soundtracks.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

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Creating an authentic Indiana Jones experience in the gaming space is no easy feat, but MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has managed to do that with what is arguably one of the most true-to-film Indiana Jones gaming experiences ever made — a sentiment that goes all the way down to its soundtrack. To translate Indiana Jones into a game is one thing, but attempting to honor a composer as legendary as John Williams while still creating an original score is something else. However, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s composer, Gordy Haab, captures the adventurous spirit of the franchise in the game’s music to back up what feels like a playable Indiana Jones film, thereby justifying its inclusion on the list of 2024’s best video game scores and soundtracks.

Read Game Rant’s Review of Metaphor: ReFantazio

Understandably composed by Shoji Meguro, who is known for his work on the Persona series, Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s soundtrack takes the music fans have become familiar with in Persona and translates it into an orchestral and operatic selection of songs fit for the game’s darker, medieval setting. While it might have been hard for some hardcore fans of the Persona series to wrap their heads around Meguro’s departure from his previous jazz and pop-infused styles, Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s soundtrack has since left its mark on 2024 by inspiring appreciation for its artistic intent and alignment with the game’s themes. This Game of the Year nominee’s soundtrack is more than worthy of recognition for having one of 2024’s best video game scores.

Persona 3 Reload

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As a remake, Persona 3 Reload needed to do everything in its power to ensure its soundtrack was faithful to the original game and yet innovate on it in ways that would breathe new life into it for modern audiences. Fortunately, Persona 3 Reload‘s soundtrack is fresh yet familiar, featuring plenty of tracks that fuse genres together for a memorable auditory experience that has received plenty of praise since the game’s release. Due to its willingness to pay homage to the original score for Persona 3 and its ability to seamlessly integrate its music into its gameplay, Persona 3 Reload‘s soundtrack is undoubtedly one of 2024’s best in the gaming space.

Silent Hill 2

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Yet another remake in 2024, Silent Hill 2 had the same task ahead of it that both Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Persona 3 Reload had: finding a way to honor and yet revitalize the original game’s iconic soundtrack to complement the new title’s remake status. Well, Silent Hill 2‘s remake took that quite literally, blending remastered tracks from the original game with brand-new compositions that even further enhanced the game’s atmosphere. The updated score preserves the atmospheric ambiance showcased in the original game’s soundtrack while simultaneously introducing plenty of new elements to keep the overall experience feeling fresh. This balance of nostalgia and originality are what ultimately put Silent Hill 2‘s soundtrack on the list of 2024’s best.

Star Wars Outlaws

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Star Wars Outlaws might have had a rough time breaking through expectations in 2024, but its soundtrack has managed to achieve something many of the rest of 2024’s best games haven’t. Specifically, Star Wars Outlaws‘ soundtrack has earned a Grammy nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games, which is rather obvious about where it stands among this year’s video game scores. Composed by Wilbert Roget II, with contributions from Jon Everist and Kazuma Jinnouchi, Star Wars Outlaws‘ soundtrack manages to capture the magic of John Williams while incorporating distorted synths and deep 808-style kicks for a fresh experience. As Yoda might say, “On the list of 2024’s best video game scores and soundtracks, Star Wars Outlaws belongs.”

Stellar Blade

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Stellar Blade has surprised this year in more than one way. Not only did it deliver unexpectedly satisfying gameplay, but it also has one of the most memorable soundtracks of 2024. With music that significantly enhances its post-apocalyptic world by blending orchestral arrangements with electronic elements, Stellar Blade stands out as one of 2024’s best video game scores. Even from the release of Stellar Blade‘s demo, it was apparent its soundtrack would impress, and it certainly did.