Even if you don’t play video games, the world of video game music is worth exploring. Video game OSTs (original soundtracks) make excellent background music because the majority of them are instrumental, with no lyrics to distract you.
Further, video game music is crafted to set the mood while allowing you to focus on playing. That makes these soundtracks perfect for studying, deeply working, or otherwise blocking out distractions.
With focusing in mind, I’ve selected video game soundtracks that are not overly intense, and as consistent as possible from track to track. I’ll also provide a few recommended tracks from each to help you decide what matches your tastes.
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania game set in the land of Hallownest, which is beautifully brought to life by composer Christopher Larkin’s soundtrack. The pianos and strings convey the emotional weight of the broken world you explore.
A few of the tracks are more intense battle themes, but overall, the music is reflective and good for setting a somber mood.
Recommended tracks: Greenpath, Reflection, City of Tears
Hollow Knight: Silksong
If you like the original Hollow Knight’s music, you should next check out the soundtrack of its sequel. Silksong was released in September 2025 after much anticipation, and Larkin’s follow-up OST has the same masterful touches that bring its melancholic world to life.
Recommended tracks: Choral Chambers, Shellwood, Far Fields
Tunic
Tunic plays like a combination of Zelda’s adventuring and Dark Souls’ combat, with its coolest attribute being how you collect pieces of an in-game manual to learn more about the world.
Many parts of the soundtrack have a whimsical feel to match this world you unravel bit by bit, with some darker tracks reflecting the game’s lore and mysteries.
Recommended tracks: Memories of Memories, Flux Is On, Ocean Glaze
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a great illustration of why indie titles are special: it brought new life to the farming life simulator genre. After inheriting a farm from your late grandfather, you have free rein to run the property, make friends with the townsfolk, explore caves for supplies, and much more.
It’s an incredibly relaxing game, which comes through in its soundtrack. You’ll enjoy old-timey banjo tunes, upbeat event music, and seasonal jingles.
Recommended tracks: Summer (Tropicala), The Library and Museum, Winter (The Wind Can Be Still)
Fez
Fez is a 2D platformer that allows you to rotate the screen in four directions, providing new perspectives for platforming and solving puzzles. If you love mysteries, this is a great game, as the postgame puzzles are wildly cryptic.
The soundtrack is mostly electronic, perfectly matching the cube-based aesthetic of the game.
Recommended tracks: Beacon, Knowledge, Love
Braid
Braid was one of the first breakout indie games that would come to define the scene as we now know it. It’s a puzzle platformer where you can rewind time, which creates interesting scenarios when combined with objects that can’t be rewound and other twists.
Braid’s soundtrack is licensed, meaning the developer paid to use existing music rather than having fresh tracks created for the game. The resulting tracklist is a blend of cello, harp, violin, and other instruments that give it a royal, classical feel. This matches the game’s artwork and works well with the reversal mechanic.
Recommended tracks: Maenam, Downstream, Lullaby Set
Bastion
Supergiant Games is best-known for the excellent roguelike Hades (which also has an amazing soundtrack, but its intensity doesn’t fit the “focus” vibe). But composer Darren Korb has crafted an excellent OST for each of the company’s releases, with the first game being no exception.
Bastion has a bouncy soundtrack that’s more upbeat than most of the others here, so it’s a good fit when you need extra pep and don’t want to doze off.
Recommended tracks: Spike in a Rail, Bynn the Breaker, Terminal March
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
The 2019 sequel to Yooka-Laylee didn’t get as much hype as the first game, but it’s a great title in both gameplay and music. Veteran composers David Wise and Grant Kirkhope return for several tracks, with Matt Griffin and Dan Murdoch also providing excellent music for the adventure.
Like you’d expect from the Rare games of old, the OST is plucky (great for upbeat work) and easy to tap your toe along with. Of particular note is how each level’s theme has a secondary version to reflect changes that happen on the overworld, like the stage being flooded or frozen.
Recommended tracks: Windmill Way – Windy, Urban Uprise – Updraft, Factory Fright – Flooded
Monument Valley
Monument Valley is a pleasant puzzle game with a chill soundtrack to match. If you like the vibes of Fez’s soundtrack but want something more chilled-out, this is the one to try.
The music is calming, giving you space to think and consider your next move. It almost sounds like something you would hear in a meditation app. And if you like the first game’s music, Monument Valley 2’s and 3’s soundtracks are also on Spotify, along with the Forgotten Shores DLC from the first title.
Recommended tracks: Amateur Cartography, Inverted Island, Oceanic Glow
Anything from GameChops
This one is cheating slightly as it’s not a game; GameChops is a record label devoted to game music remixes and covers. Its artist page on Spotify has dozens of mixes, in styles ranging from lo-fi to jazz to sleep and more.
If you aren’t sure what to listen to, shuffle this page and you’re sure to find great Spotify background music before long.
Recommended albums: Zelda & Chill, Super Lofi World 3, Wii Chill
Bonus: Soundtracks on YouTube
I limited the main list to video game soundtracks on Spotify, since those are official releases. Many more game OSTs are available on YouTube, but many of these (especially Nintendo music) are unofficial and often end up being removed by the owner.
That being said, a few are too good not to share!
Baba Is You
Baba Is You is one of the most creative puzzle games I’ve ever played. In it, you push around word blocks to modify the rules for the level. For example, if you change the phrase “Flag is win” to “Key is win”, then touching the key completes the stage.
It’s a brilliant game, though the puzzles can become complex. The game’s soundtrack matches that, with slow-burning, thoughtful tunes perfect for deep focus. Check out the full official Baba Is You playlist on YouTube, as it’s not on Spotify.
Recommended tracks: Wall Is Stop – Starting off, Cog Is Push – Solitary isle, Fruit on Grass – Garden
Animal Crossing series
Animal Crossing is a life simulation game that utilizes a real-time clock. Every game in the series has a unique track for each hour of the day (excluding City Folk, which shares a soundtrack with Wild World).
I recommend finding a playlist or video with a full 24-hour cycle of hourly themes, as that provides variety, and you can hear the focus of the music changing as the day moves on.
Power up your focus with video game music
The best game music is enjoyable even outside the title it came from, which is the case with all these titles. Many other game soundtracks are great for working out, sleeping, or similar, but I’ve selected these for focus.
I love video game music and sharing it with others. I hope hearing this excellent music inspires you to give one of these games a try!
