12 Iconic Indie Game Soundtracks That Will Level up Your Listening

Video game music is not just the beeps and boops you used to know!

Indie Game music encompasses so many different genres and sounds. If you’ve never given indie game music a listen, we’ve got something here for everyone to enjoy. Grab your headphones and let two radio DJs, podcasters, and indie game enthusiasts (Katerblossom and DiscoCola) introduce you to some of our most cherished and beloved indie game soundtracks.

Goodbye Volcano High

Composer/Vocals: Dabu, Brigitte Naggar, Lachlan Watson
Best time to listen: When you want to sing at the top of your lungs
Favorite Song: Won’t Forget

When I played Goodbye Volcano High, I immediately labeled Worm Drama as my new favorite indie rock band. In this game you play as Fang, who is navigating the normal horrors of being a senior in high school while also trying to cope with the fact that a meteor might be coming to destroy everything they know and love. With all of the angst swirling at the plot of this game, it’s impressive to actually be able to hear those themes reflected in the music as well. You can really feel it in Brigitte Naggar’s performance while listening, and especially while playing. It sounds great on its own, but even better when you experience it through Fang’s eyes.

Hollow Knight

Composer: Christopher Larkin
Best Time to Listen: When it’s raining, or snowing, or foggy.
Favorite Song: Sealed Vessel

Hollow Knight is not an ‘underplayed game.’ It’s one of the most popular indies out there. But in case you aren’t familiar, Hollow Knight’s soundtrack is full of beautiful orchestral pieces composed by Christopher Larkin. Nearly each piece is beautiful on its own, and if someone played these songs on a classical music radio station it would fit right in. But when you take the full soundtrack as a whole, you get to experience Larkin’s expert use of leitmotifs. And then all of that is even more powerful in the context of the game. Others have spoken more eloquently on this soundtrack than I ever could, so I’ll just say it rules.

Melatonin

Original Soundtrack: Half Asleep Games and featuring licensed tracks by Yotam Perel and Shindig
Best time to listen: Pre-gaming! 
Favorite Song: New Friends

It’s crucial for a rhythm game to have an unmistakable soundtrack, and these tunes are no exception. Melatonin blends energetic pop and lo-fi music with distinct sound FX and unique vocal recordings. I like how you can hear the swipe of a credit card or a person snoring along with a sick, unforgettable beat drop.

Donut County

Composer: Daniel Koestner
Best Time to Listen: Relaxing
Favorite Song: Breaking Ground

This one is pretty straightforward. As a game with a really simple gameplay mechanic, music really needs to shine through. And so it does. I wouldn’t call the songs from Donut County a bop, but more of a groove. Play it with the volume up, and I’m betting most of you will be tapping a toe or nodding your head along to the ‘groove.’ Many of the songs make for great bed music in radio announcements to boot. It’s always nice when a video game soundtrack sounds good and also has practical applications for my day job.

Florence

Composer: Kevin Penkin
Best time to listen: After a breakup
Favorite Song: Florence

For classical music lovers, Florence is a great gateway to indie game music listening. It was the first soundtrack that kick-started my exploration process, and I think it manages to sound beautiful, heartbreaking, and playful all at the same time. One of the main characters is a cellist, and I love how this instrument is featured in the soundtrack. In a game that takes less than 45 minutes to complete, the music of Florence will thoughtfully pull you along its sweet and empowering narrative.. never leaving your side. When you finish, you’ll be better than you were.

Hyper Light Drifter

Composer: Disasterpeace
Best time to listen: Planning and plotting against your ‘boss battles’
Favorite Song: Panacea

Hyper Light Drifter is my favorite indie game, so it’s probably no surprise that this is one of my picks. The music from Disasterpeace creates tension and fear of the unknown in large or dark places. It also creates a greater sense of serenity when the player is surrounded by the rarer natural beauty, mostly in the aquatic sections of the game. The music backing the boss fights help paint the identity and combat of each boss as well. And then it also uses the absence of music to drive home moments of respite. All of this perfection is topped off with one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard for the credits.

Well done, Drifter… You can rest now.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

Composer: fingerspit 
Best time to listen: Pondering humanity’s existence. Or just, like, studying. 
Favorite Song: Making of a Witch

When I listen to this soundtrack… I feel wistful, peaceful, and intense all at the same time. fingerspit manages to put such a range of emotions into this soundtrack, but still ties all of the musical threads together, which makes for a cohesive listening experience. I think that this soundtrack is what space and magic must sound like. Grab your journal, a cup of hot tea, and start plotting your future influence on the universe.

Machinarium

Composer: Floex (Tomáš Dvořák)
Best time to listen: Multimedia editing
Favorite Song: Mr. Handagote

For years, Machinarium was my favorite video game music soundtrack. In fact, this soundtrack was perhaps the first and most prime example of a soundtrack I listened to before ever touching the game. I cannot recall how I came across the Machinarum music initially, but it has served me well in my years hosting Press Start To Listen; The Sea and Mr. Handagote are probably the most repeated songs on PSTL — maybe just under “In the Blue Sky” from Cyber Troopers: Virtual-On. I don’t personally think this soundtrack is skip-free, but the really good songs are some of the best. I’m not alone in thinking this; many times before, the vinyl for this soundtrack has sold out. Someday I’ll get my own copy.

Venba

Composer/SFX: Alpha Something and Neha Patel 
Best time to listen: While cooking
Favorite Song: Eversilver Ensemble

Alpha Something captures the iconic vibes of Tamil film music with the sincere soundtrack of Venba, which delivers on so many fronts. I appreciate the post production mixing and mastering that keeps the music true to the time period we are experiencing in game, as Venba is a heartwarming story that unfolds over several decades. Because cooking is such a strong theme, it’s amazing to hear sounds like silverware, pots, and pans being used to create something catchy and sweet. The main takeaway: looks and sounds good enough to eat.

Ghost Song

Composer: Grant Graham
Best time to listen: Literally whenever.
Favorite Song: Mist (Credits)

This is a recent addition to my list of favorite soundtracks, and almost immediately shot to number 1. What makes the absolute best video game soundtrack in my opinion is something that sounds really incredible on its own (obviously) but also enhances the game to an incredible degree. Ghost Song does both masterfully. When I started Ghost Song, I expected a Metroidvania with incredible character designs. What I got was a heartbreaking and inspiring story of humanity and self-discovery. The music deepens the emotional connections between all characters. Finishing the game gives an incredibly solemn melody that builds and releases in the credits in such a beautiful way that it rivals some of the most beautiful choral pieces I’ve ever heard. Like Outer Wilds did, the music from Grant Graham brought tears to my eyes and I’m not exaggerating.

Our Mutual Picks

Sayonara Wild Hearts

Composer/Vocals: Daniel Olsén, Jonathan Eng, Linnea Olsson
Best time to listen: Cruising through the city at night
Favorite Song: Mine

With a game that is so tied to music, it really has to be the star of the show, and they nailed it. It would be so easy to rely on beat-heavy techno/house/drum & bass music for a rhythm-heavy game, but they went with the indie-pop route, and we’re here for it.

River City Girls

Composer: Megan McDuffee, Chipzel
Best time to listen: When you need to hype yourself up
Favorite Song: Unseen

Action can hit you at literally any moment in this game, as a result Megan McDuffee crafted music that keeps you amped and on your toes. But we also get great pop-rock songs with amazing vocals by the in-universe-character Noize. Whom we fight. This adds a greater emphasis on how kick ass this music is.

Can’t get enough of two music nerds raving about our favorite indie game tunes?

Follow No Small Games and Underplayed on Spotify, as we often highlight indie game music on our respective shows. 

Check out DiscoCola’s radio show Press Start to Listen on Monday nights/Tuesday mornings at 12AM Central Time. Listen live or in the archive at KZUM.org!

About No Small Games

No Small Games is an indie game recap and review podcast brought to you by hosts Kate and Emily! They became friends while streaming on Twitch and bonded over their love of indie video games. In each episode of No Small Games, the two will discuss an indie game they both played independently. They’ll compare their experiences: the good, the bad, their most memorable moments of their playthroughs.

Learn more about the podcast and its hosts on the About page.

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