Gaming

Ori and the Blind Forest's ost is phenomenal.

I think all of the Supergiant Games have great soundtrack. Transistor was what got me into their games, and it was the soundtrack that caught my attention first.

TUNIC, FEZ, Nier Automata, Outer Wilds.

I also have a soft spot for Paper Mario and TTYD, those soundtracks are full of bops

NieR: Automata

The Weight of the World

The Nier Automata OST is perfection. Almost every single track is memorable and lovable, I often relisten the whole ost just for fun

Indie games in general have great OSTs, MGS:R and Persona (and SMT in general) are obvious popular picks.

The World Ends With You is less mainstream (with one of the few gripes being the lack of boss-specific themes, at least in the DS original I played - but it makes up with the diverse overworld and normal battle themes), as is Etrian Odyssey.

I think orchestra is mixed, it's either the best fucking tracks ever (often when mixed with electric guitar), or they kind of blend with other orchestral tracks I know and don't end up being unique enough.

Bastion and Hades have just cool soundtracks you can listen to anytime. When pure adrenaline is needed the DOOM soundtrack.

OST's are my JAM!

Ori is a classic. - It's equal parts haunting and jubilant.

Death Stranding - Don't be so serious. Every song is a masterpiece.

Overwatch - It's just good fun

Witcher 3 - hey lele lelele lele lele ley!

Cyberpunk - Dark, broody, and invigorating

Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2 - Absolute fantasy. If you want a VGM OST to plan your d&d session to, this is a great option

Red Dead Redemption 2 - Maybe it's partly because Arthur Morgan's story is so incredible but this soundtrack gives me the shivers. "May I stand unshaken... Amid, amidst a crash of the world?" omggg give it to me D'Angelo

There's tons more I'm missing here. But these ones stand out to me.

Edit: Formatting

I've been listening to some choice tracks from Final Fantasy XIV, mostly from the big epic finales. I probably should be excited for XVI, but I just reaaally don't trust the action JRPG setup.

However, an even better soundtrack to me is Ori and the Blind Forest, as you mentioned - it has some epic bangers to it, but it's also an incredible soundtrack even for the calm, peaceful tracks playing while exploring.

Credit to Nier Automata for what it's worth...there's some tracks I really like in there on their own, but...I honestly feel like those really good tracks just don't often fit the gameplay. They have some hard-hitting vocal tracks playing while 2B is wandering the city or standing around, and it really warps the feel of the pacing. I mention it because it's just an interesting example to me of "good music" not actually fitting as a soundtrack.

I like OST that goes hard (bass heavy) and I didn't see any here. My personal favorites are:

• Hotline Miami (1 & 2)
• Furi
• Katana Zero
• My Friend Pedro
• Haven

I have probably forgotten some games and I will be happy to discover others as it is quite niche.

There are so many good OSTs and often it's the combination of the memory of the game szene and the song, but trying to separate those two I still love Hollow Knight, Nier automata and the new Zelda tears of the kingdom. Also Hades and some diablo songs really slap.

Transistor

Katamari Damacy

Stardew Valley

Both the Nier games have amazing soundtracks that I listen to frequently.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is also great although I don't really listen to it on its own. It really makes the game feel much more impactful while playing.

Hollow Knight

Omori

Doom 2016 and eternal

Mario odyssey

Terraria

Resident evil 4

Deathloop

Bloodborne

Nier Automata

Spectre tourment

Crypt of the necrodancer

Amnesia a machine for pigs

Metroid prime

Persona 5

Guilty gear strive

Undertale

Cuphead

These are all of my favorites personally. Omori or hollow knight being the best.

Man this question isn't even fair there are so many fantastic soundtracks in gaming I could literally go on for hours about them.

Doom, Mass Effect, Halo, Skyrim, Ratchet and Clank, Assassin's creed(3 especially), Divinity original sin 2, pathfinder: wrath of the righteous, monster hunter, league of legends(all of riot games really), darktide, sonic, payday, witcher, Spiderman, Zelda, cyberpunk, megaman, final fantasy, Devil may cry, metal gear, undertale

that's just what I think of off the top of my head, there could easily be an entire sub just dedicated to the topic

Outer Wilds. Yeah it's one of the greatest games ever made, but would it be so good without that soundtrack? Debatable.

I petitioned to play something from it at my actual wedding (sadly was overruled), and I know I'm not the only one.

Chrono Trigger

Final Fantasy 6 (the opera aria was played at my wedding)

Castlevania 3, specifically the six channel Famicom version

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

I'm old, if you couldn't tell

Shout out to Touhou.

Pyre's both my favorite game and has my favorite OST. The tracks are layered in a way that they can change on the fly - and the instruments of certain characters kick in during the magical superbowl theme in really satisfying ways. Here's a couple examples:

The Dissidents' theme: Thrash Pack

Final showdown theme versus Dissidents: Never to Return

The Essence's theme: Sky Dance

Final Showdown theme versus Essence: Never to Return

Favorite tracks gotta be Path to Glory, though.

I think the Elder Scrolls games all have great music, but Morrowind's OST has always stood out as amazing. Hearing that opening soundtrack immediately sends me back to playing it for the first time!

https://youtu.be/xULTMMgwLuo

Literally any Final Fantasy for me. Nobuo Uematsu is just an incredible composer.

Dragon Quest series too, although Koichi Sugiyama was a…not great person.

Monkey Island 2 holds a special place for me because it introduced iMUSE and dynamically altering the music with the environment which was years ahead of its time.

Oh I can’t forget the To the Moon series of games by Kan Gao too. The music is a big part of why those games are such tear jerkers

Doom 2016, Mirror's Edge, Metal Gear Rising, Nier Automata, ah so many options... probably a bit of recency bias, but I think I'll say Neon White.

When it comes to licensed soundtracks, DiRT 2's soundtrack is perfection.

Jet Set Radio Celeste Citizen Sleeper

Outer Wilds Journey Flower Abzu Shadow of the Colossus The last Guardian Mass effect Metal Gear Solid Undertale Thomas Was Alone What Remains of Edith Finch Dear Esther Firewatch No Man's Sky Death Stranding

I really like video game soundtracks :)

Final Fantasy VIII holds a special place in my heart for sure.

Halo 1-3 and probably reach too. There is just something about those strings that hit differently. The music perfectly portrays the feeling of loneliness and being the "last" spartan trying your best to save the human race from extinction.

Halo ODST

Hollow Knight

Journey

Monument Valley 2 <- especially this one

For focused work: Shenzhen IO Exapunks Opus Magnum Into the Breach Firewatch IXION

Other: Blue Archive Symphony 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Branched Remix Minecraft Stardew Valley Spelunky Helltaker Kirby

-Persona 4 & 5

-Paradise Killer

-Celeste

-Hotline Miami

-Signalis

-Oxenfree

-Coffee Talk

are all in my normal album rotation

All the soundtracks Darren Korb makes for Supergiant. Hades resonates more with me as it's the one I've played the most, but I'm also a huge fan of Transistor's.

Just in case some of you don't know...

https://downloads.khinsider.com/

It is a website with gamerips of soundtracks. There are ways to download albums without making accounts, so don't go signing up for this.

Enjoy!

• Doom 2016
• Outer Wilds

I really vibe with Minecraft. The nostalgia just hits different when I listen to it.

Outer wilds Subnautica Subnautica Below zero FTL and into the breach are some of my favorites personally

One of my favourite soundtracks of all time was the haunting soundscapes from Anarchy Online. Timeless and haunting whilst travelling the wastelands of the planet Rubi-Ka.

I can’t froth at the mouth about game music, without mentioning Dear Esther. The arty solo exploreable story in a rugged haunting Hebridean landscape. The piano and cello move together in deep tones, and build up to ascending anthems of emotion. Composer Jessica Curry is simply a genius, and I can easily be moved to tears with this soundtrack. My favourite track is “I have begun my ascent”.

Also Supergiant Games soundtracks to Transistor and Pyre are emotive and catchy as any non-soundtrack album.

Several OSTs that have stuck with me through the years:

• Frozen Synapse
• Dustforce
• Bastion
• Nitronic Rush
• FTL

Doom Eternal, Destiny and Halo

While there's no correct answer here, I think the most widely beloved OSTs of all time probably belong to the Final Fantasy, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario IPs.

Celeste, especially Farewell.

Can't believe noone has mentioned Doom 2016, one of my favorites!

Slay the Spire. There are a number of good songs but the theme for the final super secret boss is an absolute banger.

Need for Speed Carbon especially the electronic music is underrated

C418 - Minecraft Volume Alpha

There's a lot of them, but Hollow Knight's OST Dark Souls III, HotlineMiami 1/2 and Momodora Reverie Under the Moonlight are my favorites.

I love the soundtrack for the original Risk of Rain and also FTL

Shadow of the Colossus by Kow Otani

Freedom Fighters by Jesper Kyd

Chrono Cross remains my fave even after all those years.

probably Doom Eternal. Just tuned to perfection.