Game of the Year: Top 10 PS5, PS4 Soundtracks of 2021

Play it again, Sam.

If there’s one thing to always look forward to at the end of the year, it’s lists. As sure a thing as death and taxes, countdown lists may just be one of the most fun inevitabilities out there. The one offer this time is a glimpse at some of the best PlayStation music we heard in 2021. While it’s impossible to touch upon every soundtrack worthy of recognition, we’ve compiled what we think are the best of an already bright bunch. With a variety of sounds and compositional voices to explore, let’s dive in.


10. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
 

One of the first true next-gen experiences for the PS5, the latest Ratchet & Clank title knocks it out of the park across the board. The game combines the expected brilliant gameplay the series is known for, some truly jaw-dropping visuals, and — easy to overlook — a phenomenal soundtrack.


Mark Mothersbaugh, perhaps best known as co-founder of Devo, brings his robust composing chops to the Ratchet & Clank franchise, having previously worked on other iconic PlayStation franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. The result is a bombastic score that bounds all over the place — much like the characters in the game — while retaining the synth elements you’d expect of a Mothersbaugh score.


9. The Pedestrian
 

A visually creative puzzler, The Pedestrian has a sneakily good soundtrack. The creative signage that gives way to a number of clever puzzles is backed by a surprisingly playful jazz soundtrack. Composed by Logan Hayes, the score captures all of the rapidly evolving and varied emotions one can expect to encounter in the title’s city setting. While much of the music is energetic and bustling, the music leaves plenty of space for breathers. Calmer ambient pieces litter the soundtrack, providing a really lovely change of pace just when you most need it.


8. Knockout City
 

The zany, colourful world of Velan Studios’ dodgeball title needed an equally vibrant soundtrack, and that’s exactly what it got from the soundtrack by The Soundlings. The duo crafted different in-universe bands, each with a unique identity for different parts of the title. This variety provides a lot of versatility to the music, as well as allows it to stand way out in the field of sports game music. Where else can you go to jump between electro doo-wop and surf rock at the snap of a finger? The listener is presented with a wide array of sounds that confoundedly, infectiously, fit together.

 

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