10 Catchiest Songs from Video Games

Video games have been a growing medium since the late 70s, from the 8-bit masterpieces to cinematic glories. As the graphics have been evolving, so did the music and it has provided our ears with listening pleasures. Music adds great atmosphere to games and this list will celebrate some of the catchiest games in video games that stay in your mind even long after you’ve played the games.

Video game music used to be niche, but now it can cover a wide range of genres; the classical delights from Skyrim; the hits from Just Dance and Guitar Hero; and the endless epic battle themes. Video game music is one of the most diverse genres there is and there’s always something for everybody.

This list will contain one song per game and will also include indie games. Every effort has been made to keep this list as spoiler free as possible, but there may be minor spoilers.

Starting the list with a classic. Many people discovered this gem when it topped WatchMojo’s Top 10 Best Game Over Songs. It was also featured in their Top 10 Most Cheesiest Video Game Songs list. The song was then crowned as the best game song and has its own following.

In Total Distortion, the player takes the role of an entrepreneur in a point and click adventure who has to battle guitar warriors in a distorted dimension. The game itself is ambitious and creative and was praised. Should you fail, the famous game over screen comes up with the title’s song as the enemy laughs in your face.

The song really captures the distorted dystopian universe of the game as well as captures the game’s character. The quirky vocals fit the humorous mood of the game and are one of those instances where a game over is more entertaining than completing the game.

One person in the comment section even requested the song to be played at his own funeral. The song pulls a great burn talking directly to the listener and says, “I hope you improve your lousy score!” The song’s great use of rhyme and repetition keeps the track stuck in your head. The word dead comes up 36 times until the song disintegrates.

Animal Crossing is one of the most beloved franchises from Nintendo. It’s one of the most peaceful simulation games of all time. If you’ve played any animal crossing game, you would know how vibrant and colourful the anthropomorphic characters are.

The soundtrack, in particular, is pleasant and having resident musician K.K. Slider do an acoustic version of the song for you is sweet. "Spring Blossoms" has a strong traditional Japanese vibe to it. A unique extra to Animal Crossing is that you can hear different variants of the song. Like the music box versions in New Leaf. K.K. Slider breathes whole new life to it with his acoustic vibe but shows the original tone of the song with his whistling. It’s catchy as well as relaxing.

The Cat Lady is not a game for the light-hearted and it has a soundtrack to back it. "Inside" is a song that hits hard. It’s so intense and represents the dark themes of depression and mental illness. "Inside" by Warmer perfectly captures the essence of The Cat Lady and the riffs make it very catchy and worthy of a game opener.

The Cat Lady is Susan Ashworth a woman in her forties who attempts suicide but is granted the gift of immortality and the task to kill five of the most disturbing people known as parasites who just happen to be around her area.

Dark, full of macabre and heaviness, "Inside" captures that part of Susan who is trapped within her own mental illness.

YangYang Mobile’s successful Kickstart Project helped them create their first visual novel, The Letter inspired by many J-Horrors such as Corpse Party and The Ring. And since the game’s release in 2017, its cult following has continued to grow with its own discord server and faithful fans on Tumblr and Twitter.

"Letters Goodbye" is a great rock anthem sung by anime voice actress/vocalist Amanda Lee, who brings the song to life with her soothing vocals. Amanda Lee (who also voices Isabella in the game) has over 57 thousand followers on Twitter. The song really helps you get hyped for the game and shows you how much love and effort the dev team put into this game.

The full version of the song is available in the soundtrack and is available as DLC and is included in part of the Collector’s Edition.

Donkey Kong 64 opens to a classic and memorable rap introducing all members of the DK Crew. It’s classic, cheesy, and fun. The song was revamped for Super Smash Bros Melee, but many prefer the jazzy charm and jungle tone of the original.

We can never forget the opening of Donkey Kong 64 where the entire DK Crew are standing together and striking a pose like the superhot pop groups polluting the radio stations back in the day. The tone of the original is light and upbeat.

The Melee version makes drastic changes to the pace, giving it a modern touch. The fast pace of the song is already obvious, but even more noticeable in the verses about Dixie Kong and Diddy Kong. The sudden change in tone in vocals makes the modern version lose its clarity. And there’s also a minor, but very noticeable change in the last verse the word hell is replaced with heck.

One fan on YouTube said that they knew they would fall in love with this game based on this song alone. It’s easy to understand why. Splatoon was an instinct classic with an original twist on a traditional concept. The song is highly catchy and has a crisp tone and the rhythm is awesome. Its fast pace really suits the mood of the game.

The production of the song creates an urban atmosphere and we can listen to this song and think of any busy urban city. The vocal effects and the echoes give that edge that something epic is happening; along with the riffs mixed in, which helps bring hype to the game.

The squid gurgling may be incoherent, but it still sounds wonderful and catchy. The title also leaves the door open for fresh puns. It’s a very unique track in which it has a very timeless feel to it. It feels like something that could be either modern or retro.

What makes this song so catchy is how pleasant everything sounds. The vocals are soft and lovely and it’s very well produced. It would be a perfect driving song or chick-flick anthem. It also represents Bayonetta’s free spirit perfectly.

The lyrics are packed with empowerment which is a trait that Bayonetta’s character is highly praised for. While she is controversial, we can all agree that her powers are amazing and that this song is a perfectly fitting tribute to her.

When Bayonetta won the Super Smash Bros Ballot, fans rejoiced. An instrumental version of "Tomorrow is Mine" is used for Super Smash Bros for the Wii U and 3DS.

"Boogeyman" is an absolute rock gem. Fans that have played Downfall would have been introduced to the band Black Casino & The Ghost to this track. It’s energetic, addictive, and makes the normal and the bad ending of Downfall worth the effort to obtain. "Boogeyman" went on to become the band’s most popular song on Spotify with over 30,000 listeners.

As "Boogeyman" is the closing song for Downfall, it is the opening song to Black Casino And The Ghost’s album Some Dogs Thing Their Name is No. The album itself has had praise from The Guardian and on the band’s Bandcamp page, the majority of fans that reviewed the album listed "Boogeyman" as their favorite track.

"Boogeyman" is an outstanding track that stands on its own well. Unlike a lot of songs on this list, you don’t need to know the original game in order to understand or appreciate it. It’s a song we can instantly connect with.

The World Ends With You is one of the most vibrant and creative games that came on the Nintendo DS. It’s tough picking out the catchiest tune from The World Ends With You, as pretty much the entire soundtrack is catchy. I’ve picked "Calling" as it reminds me so much of the Euro-pop and dance tunes from the late 90s and early 00s, and I think it would fit nicely played on the radios and the clubs.

The lyrics are liberating and have that Kingdom Hearts vibe which is understandable as Square Enix also produced this game. Whilst there is that liberation and feeling of freedom, there’s also a dependency on friends. The song’s message also feels relevant for a lot of today’s global problems especially when we hear the words, “WAKE UP!” and the way that it’s sung with subtle aggression.

Devout fans of the Norwegian gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy who remember the band’s sudden change of direction may hear bits of their song, "Let You Down." Whether this is intentional or just a pure coincidence is a mystery. Lack of evidence supports the latter.

This beautiful ballad from Pop icon Hikaru Utadu is as the title suggests, "Simple and Clean." Its innocent theme captures the bubble-gum atmosphere of Kingdom Hearts perfectly and provides nostalgia catchiness for fans all over the world. The song is emotive and ahead of its time.

Kingdom Hearts captures the Disney magic that generations have come to grow and love. With Goofy and Donald playing a big role in the game and many iconic Disney characters making an appearance, this game is a dream come true for Disney fans.

"Simple & Clean" has that formula of a Disney song. It’s energetic and has lyrics that boast of desire, greatness, and happiness. It makes us want to belt it out at the top of our voices regardless of singing skills. While we may not be as gifted in vocals as Princess Elsa, we can still appreciate the lovely songs. The childhood essence and poetic innocence make it catchy and easy to remember. This is easily one of the most known songs on the list with over ten million hits on Youtube.