Part of Pop Culture, Gaming Music Is More than Soundtracks for Videogames

Soundtracks are streamed millions of times

Videogaming has become a legitimate sport, with a global value of $21.3 billion, and, like all sports, is having an effect on music and music sales. A study by U4GM, an online game-services provider, has charted the top 10 tracks, based on Spotify play counts, that gamers are listening to.

Key findings: Undertale, with 1.57 billion Spotify plays, tops the list at No. 1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim comes in second with 841 million plays, followed by Persona 5 (third, at 438 million plays), Red Dead Redemption II (sixth, at 180 million plays), and Cuphead (rounding out the list, at 113 million). The rankings underscore the diversity of gaming soundtracks: from jazz and funk to rock and folk genres.

“Game soundtracks have come a long way since those old 8-bit tunes,” says U4GM spokesperson Wai-Fai Cou. “Today, we’re getting full orchestral scores and even collaborations with famous musicians, creating tracks that stick in your head long after you’ve rage-quit that impossible boss fight. Videogame music has evolved so much over the years.”

Spotify currently has more than 8,000 playlists that include the words gamer and/or gaming in their titles and descriptions, reflecting the popularity of this music category.

Beyond success through streaming, game music is also being recognized by longstanding awards. Last year, the Recording Academy added the rubric Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media, giving the genre its own Grammy category.

“Gamers are listening to these soundtracks during the game,” says Cou, “and they’re adding them to their playlists, working out to them, and even using them to relax and unwind for sleep. It’s no surprise that games like Undertale and Skyrim have soundtracks that are streamed millions, even billions, of times. They’ve become part of pop culture in their own right, and players just can’t get enough of them.”