Topic: Video Game OST of the Year 2025

In my opinion, video games contain some of the best music ever composed, and 2025 has played host to many phenomenal soundtracks. In this thread, share your favorite video game OST released in 2025 and your favorite song from that soundtrack. If you want, you can share your runner-ups as well.

My Vote:
Deltarune Chapters 3+4

The Deltarune OST as a whole, especially so in Chapters 3 and 4, appeals to me through its impeccably-made melodies and excellent use of leitmotifs (Freedom motif, anyone?).

My favorite song from this soundtrack is From Now On (Battle 2).

My runner up picks are Mario Kart World and Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Mario Kart World. Not even close. I can't even pick a favorite overall track, so I'll just say that my favorite theme for a new course is Crown City, my favorite Mario Kart remix is 3DS Rainbow Road, and my favorite remix of a classic Mario game theme is Dire, Dire Docks. And those choices can still change!

My runner-up is Donkey Kong Bananza. It may have more atmospheric tracks than I would like, but there are some great ones here and there. My overall favorite track is the song "Breaking Through (Heart of Gold)" which, as Pauline even mentions, really does make me feel better whenever I hear it!

I thought that Darren Korb did an excellent job with Hades II, and I particularly enjoyed the songs of Scylla and the Sirens.

Coral Crown is great enough, as it grows from background music while you're making your way through Oceanus, to a full performance when you meet them and take them on. However, when you've beaten them enough times, they'll switch to a diss track called I Am Gonna Claw (Out Your Eyes then Drown You to Death) and have several more in their repertoire, depending on the occasion. It's just brilliant.

Mario Kart World hands-down

After waiting a decade for the follow-up to 8's superb soundtrack I could not have possibly imagined the level of musical mastery they would pull. Absolutely incredible!

Yeah, Mario Kart World by a landslide.
So many excellent compositions of tracks. Not every remix is a 10/10, but even the ones that mostly play it straight still add to the obscene length of this OST. I also liked DKB and Deltarune’s, but THAT remix from DKB and It’s TV Time are the only two entries in my top 20 this year in a list otherwise populated solely with Mario Kart World tracks.

Mario Kart World

/thread

I’ve enjoyed MKW and Sonic Racing Crossworlds a lot. Between the two I’m leaning towards MKW

@Dev-N @JakedaArbok @Robot99 @Megas75
Even if it isn't my #1 OST this year, Mario Kart World definitely has a fantastic soundtrack. The remixes of older Mario songs in free roam are lovely and nostalgic. Even more than the free roam songs, I love the new track music. Peach Stadium, Crown City, Mario Bros. Circuit, and more all have phenomenal music. My favorite song from the whole soundtrack has to be Rainbow Road.

@Matt_Barber
I'm in the middle of playing Hades II right now, and Scylla's themes definitely stood out to me. The title of her diss track made me laugh the first time I read it. I don't usually enjoy lyrical music, so me liking Scylla's songs is quite surprising to me (likewise, I surprisingly loved Breaking Through from Donkey Kong Bananza). Good pick!

Mario Kart World easily, it's wonderful the extent that Nintendo picked songs from the Mario universe even choosing to pick from dormant franchises like Wario Land but there's plenty of good new songs too.

• Favourite new song - Boo Cinema
• Favourite Mario Kart remix - A tie between GCN Sherbet Land and GBA Rainbow Road
• Favourite remix outside Mario Kart - NSMBWii beach theme

Runners up goes to DK Bananza and Metroid Prime 4.

Yeah, no, it's Mario Kart World by a countrymile. My personal favourite track was the title theme, but I liked Faraway Oasis and Bowsers Castle as well.

Mario Kart World hands down, it's no contest
Favorite new song is Crown City
Favorite Mario Kart remix is either GCN Sherbet Land (giant improvement from the original and MK8 versions) or DS Airship Fortress
Favorite remixes/arrangements outside Mario Kart are Purple Comet from Super Mario Galaxy, Rice Beach from Wario Land and Steam Gardens (Rock Version) from Super Mario Odyssey
I also want to shout-out the remix of DK Jungle Parkway
The original song.. well, calling it a song is a massive stretch, it's a 10 second marimba(?) loop, barely counts as music
But Mario Kart World did the unthinkable and turned it into an actual song, and a really good one at that