WHERE CAN I FIND MUSIC FOR GAMES?

What turns a great video game into a world-beating, bestselling video game? Inventive, involving plots; characters you want to be, and spend time alongside; awe-inspiring graphics? Sure. But what will take it up a level is your video game music. It’s the element that can make games the truly unforgettable experiences that transport players to other worlds, civilisations, eras and situations – and keep them playing for longer. Music for gaming can be used in many ways to enhance the experience, including:

• Storytelling
• Immersion
• Gameplay
• Replayability

Storytelling

Music can be more memorable than visual details and can help players understand the game’s narrative. For example, music can establish the game’s era, identify cultures, or reveal hidden threats.

Immersion

Music can work with sound design to create a stronger atmosphere and make the game more engaging.

Gameplay

Music can be an integral part of gameplay mechanics, guiding players with emotional cues and signalling transitions. For example, faster tempos can encourage quicker reactions, while soothing melodies can help players think more clearly. Music can also alert players to dangers, like approaching enemies, or signal when specific actions are needed.

Replayability

The feelings a soundtrack evokes can motivate players to replay a game.

Where Can I Find Music for Games?

You can split video game soundtracks into two broad categories – sound effects and background music. Sound effects are audio elements which accompany various actions, events and interactions within the game. Think everything from footsteps and ambient sounds to characters’ voices, gunshots and explosions. They’re pivotal in helping you to feel immersed in the virtual world by making it ‘real’. For example, if you’ve got the sound of a weapon reloading, it can alert you as a player to the imminent need for strategic thinking and tactical decisions.

What are some of the sounds you might need?

• Environmental – wind, rain, or maybe some birdsong
• Character sounds – from footsteps to grunts when a character is fighting, vocal expressions to unique sounds that help to define and build each character
• Weapon or combat sounds – the crackle of gunfire, swords clashing, explosions
• User interface sounds – aka UI sound effects – these are auditory cues accompanying menu navigation, button presses, in-game notifications, etc
• Special effects – when you’ve got magical or supernatural elements, you need sounds to associate with extraordinary powers

For video game sound effects, check out our Editor’s Toolkit selections of everything from ticking clocks to drones, nature effects to power-up-style swooshes.

Video game soundtracks have become big business – the annual Madden NFL soundtracks are famed for being exhilarating and immersive, and artists are desperate to be featured on them. Some of the biggest Japanese game soundtracks – and their composers - have become modern music icons: think Koji Kondo (Super Mario, Legend of Zelda) and Junichi Masuda (Pokemon).

Composers such as Gustavo Santaolalla (The Last of Us) and Lorne Balfe (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin’s Creed III – for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Music) move between creating epic, storytelling music for games and working their magic on movie soundtracks – Balfe has written for global hits such as Mission Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick.

But what if you’re dealing with a smaller budget and can’t afford to get a composer in? We have the solution: use licensed music.

Games such as Crazy Taxi, Gran Turismo and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater used licensed songs. As well as tapping into pop culture, licensed music has been used in innovative ways in games. The Grand Theft Auto franchise features in-game radio stations which let players choose the songs they wanted to listen to as they drive around, making the whole scenario feel even more ‘real world’.

If you’re wondering what is the best background music for gaming, or how to find powerful music for your game to license, then look no further than the Audio Network catalogue. We have literally hundreds of thousands of tracks to choose from – and a ton of specially-chosen playlists for inspiration and to get you started. From epic to retro and sports gaming to otherworldly fantasy, you’ll be levelling up in no time. You could even go straight to the top with the Lorne Balfe Collection – exclusive to Audio Network.

Searching for Video Game Music

To make your search for game music even easier, Audio Network has harnessed the power of AI with Prompt Search and Audio Search. For Prompt Search, you can put in a scene description, some character details or how you want your player to feel during a section of gameplay, maximising your creativity to match the visuals and action perfectly.

Want to find something similar to a track used in another game? You can search by link with Audio Search. So if you want to find something that sounds like, say, a Skyrim track or Call of Duty, try putting in a link to a trailer, or to a track on Spotify, YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud or another streamer, to generate a playlist within seconds.

Licensing Music

When it comes to licensing music for video games, nothing could be easier than using tracks from Audio Network’s huge array of original music by brilliant worldwide composers and artists. Simply create an account for free and you can start downloading music.

We handle everything connected to the copyright for each track you use, so you can rest easy, knowing that you won’t have any legal headaches from using music or effects that aren’t cleared.

Level Up

Now you know where to find the best music to make your games stand out from the crowd, become an expert with our guides to the Japanese games composers you need to know, the iconic classical music in video games and learn how music licensing can power your ROI.