Collecting vinyl came back into popularity over the course of the last decade or so, and in a very big way. In an effort to push back on the age of streaming, and also to earn some street cred in the hipster community, many of us got back on the wax wave and have LP after LP lining our shelves – and emptying our wallets.
Or perhaps, maybe you’re someone who still remembers buying records on vinyl way back in their original heyday and has simply never stopped. However you’ve gotten here, you’ll likely agree with me that there’s just something special about dropping a needle onto an album and being serenaded by the tunes of your choosing.
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As gamers, it’s also no secret to us that certainvideo gameshave original soundtracks that aren’t just great within the medium, but are genuine musical works of art that transcend the “video game music” moniker.These special OSTsare ones that will stick with us forever, especially if you invest in them on vinyl.
The ten records below are mostly ones I’ve collected myself, and all hold a special place in my own heart, but also many of others' hearts around the globe. If you’re into vinyl and video games, keep an eye out for these selections and add them to your collection if you can.
Some of these selections are official releases, and some are extremely high-quality, mass-produced bootlegs. Either way, they’re amazing and a worthy part of anyone’s shelf.
10Shovel Knight
Now Dig On This
Shovel Knight
I caughtShovel Knightfeverhardback when the game originally launched, and every piece of added content along the way has captured me equally as hard (special shoutout to Specter of Torment). A big reason for what makes Shovel Knight just so good is the wonderful OST that accompanies it.
This soundtrack is bombastic and triumphant, blending perfectly with the heroics of our favorite blue-armored protagonist as he progresses through each and every amazing level. It’s enough to make you feel like grabbing a shovel from your garage and pogoing up and down your street.
The main title theme is already awesome enough, but things kick into overdrive immediately with “Strike The Earth!”, the theme of Plains Of Passage, the game’s first level. From there, thischiptune-like OST never looks back and gives us bangers galore.
Saturday Morning Tunes
Keeping with the retro/indie theme,Cupheadhad me hooked for the first refrain of, “Well, Cuphead and his pal Mugman, they like to roll the dice.” This 1930s-style video game has a near-hundred-year-old musical soundtrack to pair with the visuals expertly.
Despite being so beholden to a specific era’s musical stylings (and ultimate limitations), Kristofer Maddigan wentincrediblyhard on the tunes for this game. Throw on “Floral Fury” and attempt to keep from starting a full-blown conga line in the living room.
There’s not a single bad track here, and each and every one transports you back in time from the moment it kicks in. “Carnival Kerfuffle” is another clear standout, though I still have occasional nightmares about Beppi the Clown.
8Wave Race 64
Maximum Power
Wave Race 64
The Nintendo 64 collection is home to some insanely good OSTs, and we’ll get to a couple of others on this list before our time is up today. Let’s kick things off with Wave Race 64, still somehow one of the most criminally underrated racing games of all time.
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The main theme of this gameimmediatelygets you into the mindset that you own the ocean, and no one is going to stop you from the top step of the podium. Well, except for maybe an occasionally ill-placed buoy or giant floating spike-thing of doom that has no business being placed along a regulation jet ski racing path.
“Dolphin Park” absolutely freakingrips, and “Twilight City” has a certain Sonic The Hedgehog vibe that somehow manages to outdo the blue speedster himself. The MIDI-style electric guitars that are the backbone of almost every Wave Race 64 song are totally gnarly.
Getting Over It
Celesteis a top 10 platforming game of all time, and it’s impossible not to give the OST some credit for just how high this game ultimately soars. Equal parts emotional, cozy, trippy, and exciting, composer Lena Raine really cooked on this one from needle drop to runout track.
As someone who has anxiety, just like the main character Madeline, Celeste hit me on such a deep level, and it is a game I revisit once a year. The music throughout is the perfect pairing forthe personal journey you join Madeline onas she climbs the titular mountain.
“Resurrections” is probably the standout track here with its lo-fi, haunting groove. But really, throw this album on your turntable, and you’re going to have a hard time switching to anything else any time soon.
6Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Emotional Roller Coaster
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Fextralife Wiki
As you can probably imply from the picture above, the soundtrack forClair Obscur: Expedition 33isn’t one I’ve picked up for myself yet, but that’s not because it’s anything less than incredible.The game that’s had the biggest “moment” of 2025 so faris partially such a resounding success because of its absolutely masterful soundtrack.
Recorded by a real orchestra and classically trained vocalists, there’s a level of artistry and polish in this OST that goes beyond many others. Sure, we get orchestral scores for modern games all the time, but very few manage to be just so integral to the true appeal of the entire game as a whole.
“Lumière” has a real case for best video game track of all time, but the quality never drops off from there. Clair Obscur is one of the most emotionally charged video games I’ve ever played, and the soundtrack sets up every scene and powerful moment perfectly. This is one I need to snag for myself on wax ASAP.
5The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Forever Ingrained
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Few titles besides actual rhythm-based games have music so interwoven into the fabric of their DNA asThe Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time. Armed with his trusty ocarina, Link learns a collection of songs throughout the epic adventure, and they become part of our memories forever as a result.
Upon playing a snippet of a song on the ocarina, OOT will then launch into a full version of the song Link is utilizing, and we get to hear this clip every single time. But the music quality goes beyond these perpetual earworms, too.
The OST itself will stay in my head till whenever the three Golden Goddesses decide to call me home. The Forest Temple theme is a standout here because it’s just so creepy and atmospheric, butsomany other tracks on this one are true parts of iconic video game history too.
4Persona 4
Everyday Is Great
This one might fall into hot take territory, but I’m here to tell you thatPersona 4, pound for pound, is a better game experience than Persona 5 despite the constant high praise the latter receives. Don’t get me wrong; it’s pretty much splitting hairs between the two. But I’m still a P4 guy myself.
Persona 5’s jazz-fusion OST is top-tier too, but there’s just something about the music in Persona 4 that’s stuck with me more over the years. Far too often, I find myself humming the tune that accompanies “Everyday is great at your Junes,” and I’d wager I’m not alone.
P5 has the standout tracks, but P4 has the nostalgic, lowkey background music that has managed to work itself deeper into my soul. To be sure, you can’t go wrong with the P3 soundtrack either (which is also on vinyl), but if I’m picking one from the franchise, give me P4 and those cozy small-town streets.
3Super Mario 64
File Select On Repeat
Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64was the defining game of my childhood, and the first video game I can remember absolutely blowing my mind. I’ve told the story before, but I first saw it when I came home from preschool one fateful afternoon and found my older brother working through Bomb-Omb Battlefield on the family’s brand-new N64. The rest is history.
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While I didn’t know it back then, the music of Super Mario 64 would stick with me in a major way almost 30 years later at this point. Having this OST on vinyl to chuck on whenever I want to take a trip down memory lane is a treat, but the good vibes here go beyond personal nostalgia. The soundtrack itself is wonderful.
I mean, come on. Even the file select menu music of Mario 64 goeswayharder than it has any business to. Throw on certified classics like “Dire, Dire Docks” and so many others that match the theme of each level’s on-screen action flawlessly, and this is a vinyl for the ages.
2NieR: Automata
And A Box Of Tissues
NieR: Automata
Oh, boy.NieR: Automata, how I love you, and how you love to destroy me. I can’t really oversell how hard this game hit me by the end of “playthrough” number three and the credits rolled as I had a bit of a mini-existential breakdown.
There’s a reason so many players claim this as an all-time great video game. I’m also here to tell you that it truly has the best overall soundtrack of any game ever created. It’s one I don’t put on all the time, simply because it hits me too hard, thus I’m putting somethingslightlymore accessible at #1 below.
But no matter how you slice it, the NieR: Automata OST is a masterpiece. “Weight Of The World” makes me cry. So does “City Ruins.” Oh, and so does “Pascal”, as weird as that one may be. The packaging and included artwork of Automata’s soundtrack on vinyl is beautiful as well.
1Undertale
WhileUndertaledidn’t devastate me emotionally quite as hard as NieR: Automata, it came darn close. This is a game I refuse to ever delete from my Nintendo Switch, as I want to leave each and every character exactly on the console forever exactly how their stories concluded. Sounds crazy, I know. And… well, it probably is.
But the point is, Undertale is the type of game that also sticks with you, and its soundtrack, once again, plays a pivotal role in this staying power. If the game wasn’t going to put Toby Fox on the gaming map already, his original soundtrack for Undertale would’ve done the job by itself.
“MEGALOVANIA” is the song everyone knows, but having this OST on vinyl helps you uncover some of the lesser-known songs, too. Over the course of this insanefive-LPvinyl package, there are no skips. There areweirdsongs here and there, sure. But they all play a part in the bigger picture of Undertale itself and solidify this one as the biggest “must-own” possible for fellow vinyl-collecting gamers.
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