20 Best PS4 Soundtracks

The official album is credited to Yoko Shimomura first, years after she left Square to go freelance in 2002. It came out first in Japan on December 21, 2016, and its standard four-disc edition holds the entire in-game soundtrack with one exception, Stand by Me, for ninety tracks of music.

Players keep bringing up the song that is missing from the box, the Florence and the Machine cover, and Somnus gets named right alongside it. Collectors are harder to win over. They rate the album 4.8 out of 5, yet only 419 own it and 204 want it. That small crowd is what pushes a score players like this much to the bottom of the list. It is a sweeping score, and it makes more sense once you know the game it came from is a road trip. Start with Somnus, then decide if the rest is for you.

Ilan Eshkeri and Shigeru Umebayashi composed the game's soundtrack, with Umebayashi responsible for the exploration music. Eshkeri researched 13th century Japanese music, from Gagaku to Shōmyō Buddhist chanting, and the team had picked him after hearing how he recreated Japanese music with western instruments.

Players who bring it up tend to call it their latest favourite. Collectors have taken to it too: 4,466 of them own the album, the fourth highest number in this top 20, and another 1,215 want it. It has come out in 11 official editions, so there is always a copy to find. The Japanese influences are what give it a sound of its own, and that is much of why it stands out. Put it on when you want something wide and calm.

Inon Zur composed the score, and it earned him a nomination for Best Score/Soundtrack at The Game Awards 2015. The album counted here is his score on vinyl, without the old songs from the radio.

Players remember the radio as much as the score, and Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo) above all, which is not the song anyone expects at the end of the world. Collectors want the vinyl more than they own it: 2,697 against 1,998. They rate it 4.43 out of 5 across 60 ratings, which is plenty of votes for a score album. The radio is half the charm of the game, but the score is the part that holds up when you listen away from it. For the music itself, play the score on its own and leave the radio for the game.

Joris de Man composed the soundtrack, with contributions from The Flight. The score was built around three themes, and for the tribal one the composers tried bows on piano wire and played cellos with plectrums. They were also told to play like a survivor who had found a guitar or harmonica after the end of the world and was guessing how to play it.

Players often list it next to The Last of Us. Collectors rate the album 4.4 out of 5, and 1,324 of them own it while 1,206 want a copy, so it is an album people hold on to. The music leaves a lot of space, and that suits a world where the machines have taken over the quiet. Play Aloy's Theme first, then let the rest run.

Henry Jackman, who mostly scores films, wrote the music, and Uncharted 4 stands among his most successful video game scores. The album opens on A Thief's End and closes on Epilogue, with For Better or Worse late in the running order.

Players remember the music as a highlight of the game, with Cut to the Chase and For Better or Worse among the tracks they name. Collectors are split almost evenly: 1,291 own the album and 1,185 want it, and they rate it 4.5 out of 5. It is a score that knows how to be exciting and sad in the same minute, which is hard to pull off. It is the one to put on when you want big, warm adventure music.

Royal is the enhanced version of Persona 5. It was released for PlayStation 4 in Japan on October 31, 2019, and worldwide on March 31, 2020, and it won Best Music at the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2019.

Players who name it usually name NieR: Automata in the same breath. Collectors treat its album as a record of its own: 3,710 own it, not far behind the 4,169 who own the Persona 5 vinyl further up this list, and 2,095 want it. They rate it 4.67 out of 5. The sound is stylish and a little cheeky, and it makes the hours of menus feel like part of the show. Play Take Over first, and you will know quickly whether the rest is for you.

The first Hotline Miami made the artists on its soundtrack more popular, so for the sequel roughly 200 songs were sent to the developer Dennaton. The final soundtrack holds around fifty pieces, newcomers such as Carpenter Brut among them, and Castanets' You Are the Blood plays over the ending.

Players tend to name both games together, but the first one came out on PC, so only the sequel counts here. Collectors want this album badly: 3,275 want it, against 1,861 who own it, and they rate it 4.52 out of 5. It is not an album for a quiet afternoon, but when the mood is right nothing else on this list hits as hard. It is the loudest, most neon album on the list, so play Roller Mobster first and see if it grabs you.

Gustavo Santaolalla returned to compose and perform the score, as he had on the first game, while Mac Quayle contributed combat music. The developers also got permission to use Future Days by Pearl Jam and Take On Me by A-ha.

Players often pair it with Uncharted 4. It sits far down the player count, but 7,332 collectors own the album, and only Doom and Red Dead Redemption 2 have more in this top 20. Another 2,589 want it, and they rate it 4.67 out of 5. It is restrained where other big games are loud, and that restraint is what makes it stay with you. It is a quiet, sad record, so start with Beyond Desolation.

Furi's soundtrack is a set of tracks by different established artists, each made for the game and for the boss or area where it plays. The team went with electro and synthwave to excite the player and make the game stand out. Carpenter Brut contributed four tracks, and because some players hear a fight's music for longer than others, his pieces had to loop.

Players call it synthwave that lifts every boss fight. Oddly, no collector has rated the album's original edition, so it takes the average score, but 1,795 of them own a copy and 1,036 want one. Every boss gets a track written for that one fight, and you can hear the difference from a normal game score. If you like Carpenter Brut, start with You're Mine.

Ludvig Forssell composed the score, but the game also leans on licensed music, most often from the bands Silent Poets and Low Roar, for its set pieces and long walks. Hideo Kojima felt Low Roar's acoustic but digital futuristic sound matched the concept, and after the death of frontman Ryan Karazija in 2022 he said Death Stranding would not have been born without them.

Players mostly mean those songs when they name it. The album counted here is Forssell's own score, which 2,948 collectors own and 1,253 want, and they rate it 4.33 out of 5. The songs have an album of their own. It suits the long walks the game is known for, and the songs hit harder after an hour of them. To hear what players mean, play Heartman, then go looking for Low Roar.

Darren Korb described the music as old-world electronic post-rock, and Ashley Lynn Barrett, who was the female vocalist in Bastion's soundtrack, returned to sing five of its songs, We All Become among them. The soundtrack sold 48,000 copies within the first ten days of release.

Players name Supergiant's games as a set, and many of them put Transistor first. Collectors rate the album 4.63 out of 5, and the numbers are nearly level: 1,849 own it and 1,971 want it. The mood is soft and sad rather than showy, and the voice carries all of it. If you only know the game for its voice, start with We All Become.

Gordon devised different soundscapes for Mars and for Hell. The Mars base was built by humans, so its music needed to sound like humans created it, while Hell got something more atonal and dissonant. Some tracks, such as At Doom's Gate, pay homage to Bobby Prince's work for the original Doom.

Players say the music fits the gameplay better than almost anything else. They name it far less often than the games around it, but on the collector side nothing in this top 20 comes close: 10,482 own the album and 7,876 want it, and they rate it 4.58 out of 5. It is heavy, fast and a little silly, and the album sounds exactly as much fun as the game plays. Start with BFG Division and turn it up.

Yuka Kitamura took the place of Motoi Sakuraba as lead composer. Most of the album's 25 tracks are named after the bosses they play over, with Soul of Cinder the last of them.

Players remember it for the boss fights, the Abyss Watchers above all. Collectors have pressed it into 23 official editions, more than any album in this top 20 except The Witcher 3, and 3,009 of them own a copy while 2,606 want one. The album works as a long boss gauntlet, and each track is named after the fight it belongs to. Play Soul of Cinder to hear the last fight without dying first.

Woody Jackson, who worked on the original game, returned to compose the score, and over 110 musicians worked on the music. Jackson even bought instruments from the Wrecking Crew featured on classic cowboy films. Daniel Lanois produced the original vocal tracks, with D'Angelo and Willie Nelson among the artists.

Players still call it one of their favourite soundtracks. The album of those songs is the most rated in this top 20, 4.67 out of 5 from 527 ratings, and 7,422 collectors own it, the second most on the list. That is what carries it to seventh. It is slow, warm and dusty, an album that sounds better the longer you let it play. Start with Unshaken.

Bear McCreary, best known for his work on Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead, wrote the score. Its three-note Kratos theme is most obviously heard in the title track, and the Stranger's theme uses a Hardanger fiddle. When the game was revealed at E3 2016, Sony had McCreary perform his score with a live orchestra.

Players often name it beside The Witcher 3. Collectors rate it 4.78 out of 5, and 4,121 of them own the album while 2,035 want it. It has been pressed in 18 official editions. The sound is big and cold, with a streak of warmth underneath, which suits the story just right. Play the title track first and listen for the three notes.

The score was composed by Jonathan Morali of the band Syd Matters, inspired by modern indie folk, and the soundtrack blends his pieces with licensed songs, José González and Mogwai among them. When the game won critical acclaim, the soundtrack was one of the things critics singled out.

Players still play it like a playlist, with Obstacles by Syd Matters among the songs they name. Collectors are right behind them: 4,289 want the album, the third longest want list in this top 20, and 1,568 own it. They rate it 4.77 out of 5 across 112 ratings. It makes a very good playlist on its own, and the licensed songs are half the reason. If you want something gentle that still lands, this is the one.

Marcin Przybyłowicz was the game's music director and composer, with extra music from Percival, a Polish folk band that plays on reconstructions of medieval instruments. He expected an academic approach from them, then learned that most of the group were not formally trained. The Brandenburg State Orchestra performed the score in Frankfurt an der Oder.

Players single out The Wolven Storm. The album has been pressed in 41 official editions, and 5,595 collectors want one, a want list beaten only by Doom, while another 3,888 own it. It has the sound of an old tale told by people who love their instruments, and that gives it a character few game scores have. If you want folk instruments and a full orchestra on one album, this is the pick.

Ryan Amon wrote 11 of the album's 21 tracks, the title track among them. The First Hunter is by Tsukasa Saitoh, and Yuka Kitamura and Michael Wandmacher wrote pieces too. The soundtrack was released separately on April 21, 2015.

Players name Ludwig, the Holy Blade and The First Hunter above everything else. Only NieR: Automata was named by more of them. Collectors rate the album 4.75 out of 5, and 3,793 own it against 2,558 who want it, but Persona 5 edges past it on the collector side. It is dark, grand and a little frightening, which is how a hunt through a cursed city should sound. Put on The First Hunter and see how long you stay calm.

Shoji Meguro composed and produced the score. He wrote about 80 percent of the tracks over roughly three years and gave it strong acid jazz elements. Seven tracks are sung in English by Lyn, a jazz and soul singer. The three-disc album reached fifth on the Oricon charts in Japan.

Players reach for Beneath the Mask and Rivers in the Desert first. Collectors back them up: 4,169 own the Essential Edition vinyl, which averages 4.8 out of 5 from 193 ratings, tied for the best average in this top 20, and another 4,049 want it. It is smooth and a bit mischievous, with the bounce of acid jazz and the polish of pop. Start with Life Will Change, then move on to Beneath the Mask.

Keiichi Okabe led the score with other members of his studio band Monaca, and he wrote it with an open world in mind, composing songs that segue into each other depending on situation and environment. Emi Evans provided vocals, as she had on the first Nier, and first-print copies of the album came with an extra sixteen-track album called Hacking Tracks, music for the hacking sections.

Plenty of players refuse to pick one track and name the whole soundtrack. No game was named by more of them, about a third more often than Bloodborne, and collectors rate the album 4.74 out of 5 across 140 ratings, with 1,904 wanting it and 1,359 owning it. It sounds sad, strange and beautiful at once, and it keeps finding new ways to do that for hours. Play it as one long piece, starting with Weight of the World.