What is a game without its soundtrack? In the indie space, where experimental design is expected and celebrated, composers have taken to creating novel and expressive accompaniments to our favorite titles. These soundtracks can be as deeply personal as the games themselves and showcase the sonic range of an entire orchestra to match the epic scale of the medium’s best. Whether it’s Darkest Dungeon‘s haunting intensity or Journey‘s wistful strings, our gaming experiences can’t be separated from the sounds that accompany them. I first played some of my favorite games after hearing their soundtracks ⏤ sometimes just a single song ⏤ and I hope that you’ll find some new games out of this list, too.
Below are some of the best indie game soundtracks, ranked from “Chill” to “No Chill” for your listening experience.
Mutazione
Favorite track: “Gathering Together”
Pure Vibes. I know “the chillest background music ever” does not sound like particularly high praise, but think of it this way: Alessandro Coronas’ OST to the criminally underrated Mutazione is the kind of accompaniment that transforms a lazy evening into a rich, serene calm. There are four hours of music, including ambiance and wildlife recorded around Coronas’ home in southern Sardinia, that enliven the eponymous fictional island of the game and, more often, my office.
LOVE 2: Kuso
Favorite track: “Miniature”
James Bennett absolutely slays with this lo-fi masterpiece. Kuso is a side-scrolling minimalist platformer, and what it lacks in visuals, it makes up for with this gorgeous soundtrack. With beats you can literally jump to, Kuso is the perfect aesthetic for grinding through tasks. Not to worry, there are plenty of mellow tracks with airy synth vibes for brainstorming, relaxing, or just taking a three-minute chill session.
Bandcamp Vol 1, Bandcamp Vol. 2
Heart of the Woods
Favorite track: “Ending Theme”
Split among composers Sarah Mancuso and Kris Flacke, the soundtrack to the cult hit visual novel Heart of the Woods could warm even the coldest heart. As the accompaniment to the snowy adventures of paranormal investigators Tara and Maddie, these soundtracks are rich with piano and strings that stir an aching ennui. But my absolute favorite track, something I listened to for years before even playing the VN, is “In Love With A Ghost.” With vocals by Ukuletea, the track reminisces on the hope and longing of an incipient love. It gets me every time.
Moonlight (Bandcamp, Itch), Snowfall (Bandcamp, Itch), Ending Theme (Bandcamp)
Hotline Miami
Favorite track: “HYDROGEN”
Hotline Miami seamlessly fuses Synthwave with the throbbing beats of a nightclub. The ensemble soundtrack taps artists like M.O.O.N., Scattle, and El Huervo to create some unique pump-up tracks. The album is varied, but most songs are dancey, upbeat, and effervescent. It’s a great Friday vibe, the thrumming beats carrying the listener through any task, no matter how monotonous. With just over an hour of music, Hotline Miami‘s original soundtrack will have you hitting that repeat button over and over.
A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986
Favorite track: “2:30AM [ VHS Skyline ]”
The neon glow of the shop signs through the rain, leather jackets and short skirts on a dance floor, speeding along the beach on the back of a motorcycle — all these images are conjured by A Summer’s End’s OST. Featuring synthwave and city-pop from Crystal Cola, Stevia Sphere, and developer Oracle and Bone, drum machines drive this game about seduction and identity. The whole soundtrack is so good, I’d be remiss not to point you to the notable absences on the official soundtrack: Timecop 1983’s “Dreams” and Jared Stevenson’s “Smooth Funk.”
Outer Wilds
Favorite track: “Campfire Song”
This one comes with a warning for those of you who have played Outer Wilds: it’s gonna hurt. There are few games that conjure such nostalgia in a short time with their worlds, and the sense of loss from Outer Wilds is made better by the conceit of its cosmic time loop. Both Andrew Prahlow’s soaring synths and banjo-y campfire tunes evoke wonder and adventure in the sky above Timber Hearth, but these melodies will come for you like a dagger when “End Times” sets in.
No Straight Roads
Favorite track: “Vs. YINU (EDM version)”
It may be a bit of a copout to add a rhythm game to this list, but when the beats are this good, how can you say no? No Straight Roads follows a duo of wannabe rockstars as they take on the EDM empire. The soundtrack is to die for with its blend of classical, EDM, and our heroes’ rock and roll stylings. The music jumps between each genre effortlessly, and with multiple variations of almost every theme, you’ll find yourself falling in love with the same song over and over again.
Mixolumia
Favorite track: “Clear!”
Mixolumia is Tetris reimagined as a chill musical affair. You don’t have to be good to enjoy it (trust me, I know) because the game is utterly satisfying. That’s thanks in no small part to the tracks in this collection. Whether you play your mixoluminos at a drizzly pace or spark fireworks on the screen, the best part of Mixolumia’s soundtrack is how it always feels like an adaptive accompaniment to your game. There’s no sense of victory or loss, just the next track to vibe to for a few minutes while my board slowly but surely fills up.
Hollow Knight
Favorite track: “City of Tears”
From the desolation of “Dirtmouth” to the propulsion of “Mantis Lords,” Christopher Larkin’s soundtrack is as expansive as the game it was made for. Haunting vocals softly accompany gentle, deliberate melodies played on piano. Stretched-out tones of woodwinds tied together with the strings of a harp led down a firelit path by a violin played with such sonority, the strings sound ready to snap. Hollow Knight‘s OST captures both the directionless exploration and the precise evasions of the nail-wielding Knight in an orchestral showcase of what games can sound like.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Favorite track: “Erase”
Lena Raine doesn’t miss. The Celeste, Minecraft, and Guild Wars 2 composer shows off her range in Chicory with idyllic acoustic town music and crashing synths during boss battles. Whether it’s a verdant picnic or a fight with the personification of mental illnesses (whatever your needs may be!), Raine paints a compelling sonic picture with an unconventional orchestra at her fingertips.
Heaven Will Be Mine
Favorite track: “Plastic to Plastic”
Alec Lambert understood the assignment. A mech game and dating sim set in space, factions divided over the course for the future of humanity, each future aligned with a different one of your exes — it could only sound like this. From the distorted, synthy bwaaahs of “Plastic to Plastic” that imagine some great gravitational force pulling you into its reactor (for a kiss), to the compressed funk groove of “Joyride” as you jet across the sky as a literal shooting star to your haters, Heaven Will Be Mine’s OST is a powerful mood.
Hades
Favorite track: “The Unseen Ones”
Darren Korb has plenty of absolute bangers under his belt, but 2021 roguelike Hades really takes the cake. A blend of soothing Mediterranean-inspired ambiance tracks and wild rock ballads, this gorgeous soundtrack transports the listener to the sunlit coasts of Greece before yanking them straight to the depths of Hades. The styles blend perfectly to encapsulate the raw Grecian sex appeal that is the main character Zagreus and his eternal struggle to finally glimpse the shore of the human realm. These tracks never get old, and trust me, after playing through the opening levels about 90 times, that’s a feat in and of itself.
Umurangi Generation Macro
Favorite track: “Tariq’s Rap”
The Macro DLC to 2020’s indie darling Umurangi Generation brings even more drum and bass from the base game’s composer ThorHighHeels. An accompaniment to the end of the world, Thor still finds a way to fill the OST with humor, imagining what a dolphin hooked up to a computer would spin under the moniker of DJ Tariq. Yeah, it’s a diegetic soundtrack by a DJ dolphin that raps with text-to-speech. I’m not really sure “experimental” begins to encompass the sonic space of this one.
Sounds of Tokyo-To Future
Favorite track: “PULL UP”
Did not have to go this hard. So, this one isn’t exactly a soundtrack, but you’re going to wish it was. The sequel to his hit Jet Set Radio homage Memories of Tokyo-To, 2 Mello is firing on all cylinders in Sounds of Tokyo-To Future. 2 Mello’s discography has a knack for capturing a sense of place, and Tokyo-To is the coolest city you’ll never get to see. An urbane album of rap, hip-hop, breakbeat, and so much more, you’ll be reaching for spray paint and skates by the end of a playthrough.
The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile
Favorite track: “A Starry Sea”
In direct opposition to the “very chill” first entry on this list lies The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile. Like most Ska Studio games, it’s a little weird, fairly dark, and oozing with metal appeal, so naturally, the beat ’em up’s soundtrack needed to be equally unhinged. A blend of synth wave and screaming guitar solos, James Silva imbues every note with chaotic energy and a manic willingness to start a fight. This soundtrack certainly has a time and a place, and while an office might not be the best one, a back alley knife fight just might.