Gaming and music are two sectors of the entertainment industry that have long shared a deep, almost symbiotic connection. Whether you're dodging enemy fire in a high-stakes shooter or spinning the roulette wheel with the intensity of a Vegas pro, the right soundtrack can elevate gazing at a screen from being a simple pastime to an all-encompassing immersive experience. The question is, what should you be listening to?
The Evolution of Gaming and Music
If you’ve been paying any attention to the gaming industry over the past couple of decades, you’ll already know that it’s come a long, long way since the early days of 16-bit machines and programmable CD-Roms. The video games being released today are veritable blockbusters, often taking gamers on narratively-driven journeys or delivering cutting-edge gameplay and mechanics.
There’s eSports too—this pro gaming sector would’ve been nothing more than a fantasy back in the 1980s. Here, in 2025, however, playing video games in global tournaments is a legitimate job description!
Of course, the digital gaming landscape is massive, extending beyond the conventional sectors we’ve mentioned above to modernised versions of games that are hundreds of years old. Take roulette, for instance. Once a game only played in person, online roulette has now become a popular remote pastime with players all over the world thanks to platforms like PokerStars Casino carving out a niche. The same can also be said for strategic games like chess, and even Mahjong’s been given a digital makeover.
Why Music Matters
It goes without saying that music is an essential element of the gaming experience - it's why development studios place such a big emphasis on carefully crafting sound designs and soundtracks. However, music isn’t just decoration, it’s a tool…
What you choose to listen to can have an impact on everything from your emotions to your ability to focus. In the case of gaming, it can even be the difference between doing well in a level and losing. Competitive gamers often turn to electronic scores with steady BPMs for this very reason, as predictable rhythms help to maintain a consistent mental state.
Music in gaming is about so much more than pure function, though. Very often, it’s about triggering an emotional state. We’ve all experienced the power of music in real life situations, with songs, melodies and lyrics forming fixed associations with key moments in our lives. The same goes for gaming.
In fact, a game’s official soundtrack is designed to serve the narrative and gameplay and make you feel a rollercoaster of emotions, but sometimes, that’s not what you need. If the in-game music isn’t doing that for you, why not take matters into your own hands and curate a playlist?
Choosing the Right Sound for Gaming
If you’ve been paying any attention to the gaming industry over the past couple of decades, you’ll already know that it’s come a long, long way since the early days of 16-bit machines and programmable CD-Roms. The video games being released today are veritable blockbusters, often taking gamers on narratively-driven journeys or delivering cutting-edge gameplay and mechanics.
There’s eSports too—this pro gaming sector would’ve been nothing more than a fantasy back in the 1980s. Here, in 2025, however, playing video games in global tournaments is a legitimate job description!
Of course, the digital gaming landscape is massive, extending beyond the conventional sectors we’ve mentioned above to modernised versions of games that are hundreds of years old. Take roulette, for instance. Once a game only played in person, online roulette has now become a popular remote pastime with players all over the world thanks to platforms like PokerStars Casino carving out a niche. The same can also be said for strategic games like chess, and even Mahjong’s been given a digital makeover.
Why Music Matters
It goes without saying that music is an essential element of the gaming experience - it's why development studios place such a big emphasis on carefully crafting sound designs and soundtracks. However, music isn’t just decoration, it’s a tool…
What you choose to listen to can have an impact on everything from your emotions to your ability to focus. In the case of gaming, it can even be the difference between doing well in a level and losing. Competitive gamers often turn to electronic scores with steady BPMs for this very reason, as predictable rhythms help to maintain a consistent mental state.
Music in gaming is about so much more than pure function, though. Very often, it’s about triggering an emotional state. We’ve all experienced the power of music in real life situations, with songs, melodies and lyrics forming fixed associations with key moments in our lives. The same goes for gaming.
In fact, a game’s official soundtrack is designed to serve the narrative and gameplay and make you feel a rollercoaster of emotions, but sometimes, that’s not what you need. If the in-game music isn’t doing that for you, why not take matters into your own hands and curate a playlist?
Choosing the Right Sound for Gaming
When it comes to crafting your own playlists for gaming, there are a few things to keep in mind. The music you're listening to should match the intensity, pacing and overall mood of your game. Remember, if you’re switching off in-game music and sound, your playlist should be finely tuned to your playstyle and support what’s unfolding on-screen.
Let’s say you’re deep in a First-Person Shooter (FPS), creeping through the wreckage of a bombed-out city, rifle at the ready. The tension is thick, every shadow providing cover for a potential ambush. You need music that matches that razor-sharp edge—pulsing drum and bass, glitchy industrial beats or heart-pounding metal. The relentless BPM of The Prodigy, the distorted fury of Nine Inch Nails and even the dark aggression of Carpenter Brut all work to keep you wired and alert.
Open-world adventures, though, are a different beast entirely. The polar opposite of the adrenaline-fuelled nature of the FPS, open worlds are about discovering. Whether you’re scaling ancient ruins in the latest instalment in Assassin’s Creed or wandering the neon-lit streets of Cyberpunk 2077, the right music should enhance your journey, not distract from it.
Ambient electronica should be your go-to here (think: Tycho or Bonobo) but slow-burning prog or post-rock can build some nice tension too. This is all about layering sound over on-screen visuals to make exploring even the dustiest of desert landscapes feel cinematic.
When it comes to strategy games—including RTS games, but also encompassing cerebral platform games and puzzlers—the music you listen to should be like a turmeric shot to the brain. Jazz can be a great option here, as intricate and rolling rhythms will keep those neurons firing. You could even factor in a few minimalist classical tracks (Erik Satie, anyone) but avoid anything too bombastic.
Let’s say you’re deep in a First-Person Shooter (FPS), creeping through the wreckage of a bombed-out city, rifle at the ready. The tension is thick, every shadow providing cover for a potential ambush. You need music that matches that razor-sharp edge—pulsing drum and bass, glitchy industrial beats or heart-pounding metal. The relentless BPM of The Prodigy, the distorted fury of Nine Inch Nails and even the dark aggression of Carpenter Brut all work to keep you wired and alert.
Open-world adventures, though, are a different beast entirely. The polar opposite of the adrenaline-fuelled nature of the FPS, open worlds are about discovering. Whether you’re scaling ancient ruins in the latest instalment in Assassin’s Creed or wandering the neon-lit streets of Cyberpunk 2077, the right music should enhance your journey, not distract from it.
Ambient electronica should be your go-to here (think: Tycho or Bonobo) but slow-burning prog or post-rock can build some nice tension too. This is all about layering sound over on-screen visuals to make exploring even the dustiest of desert landscapes feel cinematic.
When it comes to strategy games—including RTS games, but also encompassing cerebral platform games and puzzlers—the music you listen to should be like a turmeric shot to the brain. Jazz can be a great option here, as intricate and rolling rhythms will keep those neurons firing. You could even factor in a few minimalist classical tracks (Erik Satie, anyone) but avoid anything too bombastic.
