10 Best Songs That Are Based On Video Games
You’ve probably heard some of these songs before.
If you like video games, you probably also like music a lot. Even though music and video games are usually very different, that hasn’t stopped some bands and artists from making songs that are in some way inspired by their favorite games.
When you look at all the songs based on video games, you’ll find that they come from almost every type of music there is. Whether it’s a reference in the song’s lyrics, a theme for the song, or a popular track that samples a video game song, there’s always a great game-related song to listen to the next time you want to hear something new.
Shadow Moses – Bring Me The Horizon
Shadow Moses by Bring Me The Horizon is clearly based on Metal Gear Solid in some way, and it’s a great track for your next workout mix. It is said that both the title and the first part of the song are a tribute to the series.
Shadow Moses is a big part of the popular stealth game series, so you should know about it. If you like rock that’s a little bit harder, you probably already like this song, and if you also like Metal Gear, you probably like Bring Me The Horizon even more.
Video Games – Tenacious D
This short, silly song by the famous Tenacious D might not be what you were expecting. The song captures the weird past of the band by making references to as many popular game series as it can in a single song and music video.
Even if the song isn’t your thing, everyone should watch the music video with stylized images of Jack Black in games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Fallout, Tunnel Rush, and a lot more.
Symphony Of The Night – DragonForce
Yes, the band that made that really powerful song from Guitar Hero 3 does make other music, and most of it is great. This metal band put out this song as a huge tribute to the Castlevania video game series.
The name of the song should make it clear that it’s about the same-named Metroidvania game, but even the words have to work. The lyrics take you on a whole trip while you listen to the guitars shred to some familiar music from Castlevania.
Video Games – Lana Del Rey
Video Games by Lana Del Ray has one of the weakest links to the rest of the songs on this list. The song’s title makes a clear reference to video games, and the song’s lyrics also talk about video games.
In the song, there is only one mention to someone playing a video game that is not named. However, it seems that the game in question is actually World of Warcraft. This song isn’t as happy as some others, but it helped Lana Del Ray become the superstar she is today.
Ilomilo – Billie Eilish
Some people didn’t know that this Billie Eilish song is based on a game in some way. It was greatly influenced by the silly puzzle game with the same name. Clearly, something about the way the two characters broke up and then got back together spoke to her.
If you’ve only heard the artist’s bigger hits, this song might not be as well-known. It’s clear that the game Ilomilo was the inspiration for a great little song, since it has its own sounds and words that make you think.
Chun-Li – Nicki Minaj
Everyone knows that this Nicki Minaj song is a clear reference to Chun-Li, the most well-known character in the Street Fighter series. Nicki Minaj cosplays as Chun-Li in the music video, while she does her thing to the great track.
There aren’t a lot of clear nods to video games in the lyrics. She talks about video game heroes like Lara Croft and Chun-Li, but that’s about it. If you like Nicki Minaj or rap in general, you might like this song. If you like Chun-Li, you might like it even more.
PAC-MAN – Gorillaz
It seems like a simple way to talk about games is to name a song after them, but this Gorillaz song does a lot more than that. Pac-Man is actually used in the words to show how lost and stressed out the person is.
Fans of Gorillaz would expect the whole music video to be stylized, and that’s how it is. There are many bright and interesting pictures, and many of them are Pac-Man figures. A Pac-Man arcade cabinet is also played throughout the whole movie.
Dollar And A Dream 3 – J. Cole
When you first hear this song, it might be hard to think of anything that has to do with video games. If you’re a really big Kingdom Hearts fan, you might be able to tell that J. Cole’s Dollar And A Dream 3 uses a song from the series called “Darkness Of The Unknown.”
The sample went well with the way J. Cole says his lyrics. Every line sounds real and full of feeling, and the simple clip makes the whole song feel even more important.
Pac-Man Fever – Buckner & Garcia
Even though you might not remember this song, it is not impossible that your parents do. This whole song is a big love letter to the famous arcade game Pac-Man. The fact that this song was a surprise hit shows that everyone liked Pac-Man.
This whole song is about wanting to go to an arcade and play Pac-Man, which was popular back in the 1980s when the song was first released. It’s a simple song, but it’s a fun little trip back in time.
SMASH! – Starbomb
Even though not everyone will like Starbomb’s crude sense of humor, it’s hard to argue that this isn’t a great song based on Super Smash Bros., which is one of the most popular games of all time. The whole music video for the song is funny and full of well-known characters.
Luigi just wants to have fun with his friends, like in most Mario games, but all of the Super Smash Bros characters want to beat each other up for as long as possible. This song has some great vocals by a bunch of funny and skilled people.
