For all the twin woes of the gaming and music worlds, last year saw even more imaginative explorations of music and games. There are still a few hours to grab these in the Steam sale (with Steam cx5odes for the same typically lasting a week or two after on third-party sites), plus Epic Game Store’s sale runs through January 8. And there’s a lot of winter ahead, so let’s dive in.
Listed by composer(s)
Notes: By the way, even though I have a PC, I’ve taken to playing most of these in Parallels (affiliate link). With Windows for ARM, virtualized Windows sometimes runs smoother on my Mac than it does on PC. Everything here is at least available on Windows, with Mac and all the various gaming platforms also widely supported.
If you don’t see a Bandcamp player, it means (unfortunately) artists have chosen to release only on big streaming platforms. That suggests to me that Bandcamp isn’t quite as healthy as it was mid-pandemic, to be honest.
Bozó Attila Bertold, Our Star Is Dying, Tom Jensen – REPOSE
This wonderfully moody, deliciously dark soundtrack will send chills up your spine. In REPOSE, you’re spelunking in a search for oxygen, with the perfect question, “Is anything on the dead internet worth saving?” I can think of nothing better to sum up all of 2025.
melos han-tani – Angeline Era
Like a couple of the titles here, this game investigates trauma — but it’s fun. Recalling some of the best early action RPGs and Ys games of the PS1/PC era, it’s a uniquely poignant and inventive title, and it comes with this gorgeous soundtrack by co-creator melos han-tani. You get the feeling that we aren’t just mining nostalgia, but properly exploring musical idioms that were ripe for further development after their time. A must.
fingerspit – Many Nights a Whisper
I already shared my love for fingerspit in a round-up a few years ago; this Valencia-based composer excels at dreamy, delicate music that tugs at the heartstrings. Many Nights a Whisper is a poetic LP of a game with a runtime of about an hour, perfect for a quick escape into its enchanting world of archery and whispered conversation. And it has a soundtrack you’ll want to put on repeat — currently cheaper on Steam than Bandcamp.
Many Nights a Whisper – Steam
Sakai Asuka and misc. – To a T
Fine, fine, To a T by Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi has seen mixed critical reviews. But never mind — the game is a sweet delight. The fact that a game about being an awkward 13-year-old teenager didn’t see critical success is almost on the nose — and players love it.
As always, composer Asuka Sakai is a legend, behind the music to Katamari Damacy but also Soul Calibur II, Ridge Racer Type 4, Klonoa 2, and more.
The music is ingenious — poppy but warped, perfectly fitting the brief. It rings out like an anthem for neurodivergence and generally not fitting in. If Mr. Rogers spoke to children like adults, this is music that speaks to adults as children as adults. (I also feel like it’s an unintentional spiritual successor to Stephen Sondheim’s “Anyone Can Whistle.”)
It also has this banger performed by Rebecca Sugar (music: Asuka Sakai; lyrics: Keita Takahashi and Sam Bird). I don’t think there’s been a better grocery shopping jam since the iconic loaf of bread, a container of milk, a stick of butter.
Miscellaneous – Rift of the NecroDancer
Rift of the NecroDancer is having its Rock Band moment. So, just as Rock Band made a tougher, deeper music game, topping that team’s original Guitar Hero, the sequel to the 2015 Crypt of the NecroDancer found a slightly more niche audience with some of the trickier levels. But this title is nonetheless worth the delay. Freed of corporate parents like Viacom, indie music games are having an unsung heydey, and I have a feeling “more frustration” will come as a feature, not a bug, to at least some CDM readers. Nothing embodies that early Harmonix vibe quite like the expressive cartoon-style visuals. And as usual, you get great music packs like Super Meat Boy, Shovel Knight, Unbeatable (also here!), Celeste, and from outside gaming, Hatsune Miku. That is, sorry, so much better than the damned Beatles. (Sorry Paul and Ringo.)
Rift of the NecroDancer – Steam
Miscellaneous – Unbeatable
This one is an insane surprise and edges out the others as the most intense music game of 2025. Hand-drawn anime and a vibe that feels like someone fed hardcore amphetamines to Jet Set Radio combines into a game it feels like we don’t even deserve. You’ll feel like it’s the year 2000.
Quite a cast of artists here: RJ Lake, Clara Maddux, Vasily Nikolaev, Rachel Lake, Jamie Paige, Lena Raine, MEMODEMO, DOG_NOISE, SoundCirclet, Lumena-Tan. Smart move — put it on Discogs!
You can also try the free whitelabel sidestory (perfect if you want to check compatibility with Parallels or Crossover.)
Johnny Jewel, JOON, and Orion – Wheel World
This game is nothing but jams and biking. Joon, aka Maltese songwriter and producer Yasmin Kuymizaki, and friends are putting out almost a new genre. It’s bright melancholy synthpop; pastel chill. And you get the feeling that a game release gets exactly the recognition this tune deserves, outside of the noise of the music business, and with those cartoon cycles setting the mood.
(I’m disappointed more of these folks aren’t releasing on Bandcamp now!)
s9menine – Rhythm Doctor
Even in a crowded field, s9menine churned out one of the most original chip-flavored soundtracks I’ve heard in a long time — only to fly under the radar as the delayed Rhythm Doctor landed in December. I have a special place in my heart for any one-button game, let alone a one-button rhythm game. (I was even once part of a one-button game exhibition and jam with Kokoromi’s Gamma4 — remember?)
This game has had a long road from a student project almost a decade and a half ago, but it has evolved into a heartwarming opus. It has the zany energy of WarioWare with the kind of gameplay mayhem that will give you blisters. Yes. It’s also one of the few titles here that runs natively on macOS.
&, L’Alphalpha – Afterlove EP
Try this combination: it’s a combination of “narrative adventure, dating sim, and rhythm game,” but it’s about grieving. Afterlove EP was an underrated, poignant entry this year, set in modern Jakarta and developed by Indonesian house Pikselnesia, and tragically, the final release of the late game designer Mohammad Fahmi Hasni. (The gameplay’s story about grieving became a real-world one.)
Honorable mentions and the blockbuster
There’s just too much goodness to keep up with. Equally deserving of mention:
Mi Lu Music and projectlights – Threefold Recital
And of course you’ve still got more Deltarune (!) with Toby Fox, Sword of the Sea (Austin Wintory), Death Stranding 2 (Ludvig Forssell and Woodkid), Hollow Knight: Silksong (Christopher Larkin), all the usual Nintendo greatness, etc., etc. I just didn’t want to entirely replicate other lists!
Meanwhile, though I do say that some of the above are tough, Everhood 2 is the rhythm game with an excellent soundtrack that goes the hardest:
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 got 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 these, and that’s from October
I avoided the one game everyone is talking about music-wise, but let’s finish with that. Music by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier: