What would be your go-to gaming soundtrack to recommend to a non-gamer?

Videogame music has been such a huge presence in my life from such a young age that I rarely stop to consider how many people go through life without ever hearing any of it. They probably know the classics (your Tetris, Mario, etc) but forever be oblivious to the incredible scores and vocal pieces that lie in some of our favourite games.

Critical Hit

Welcome to Critical Hit (formerly known as Soundtrack Sunday), where I celebrate and lament all things videogame music, audio design, and the ways our favourite games make our ears tingle.

I stumbled across this Reddit post over on r/gamemusic asking which OSTs people would use to get non-gamers hooked, and it had me thinking about times where I've tried to sneak in cool videogame tracks to people in my life who don't tend to play much. My Dad's a gamer—hell, he's basically the reason why I'm here writing this very article—but his tastes these days tend to lie with shooters and Farming Simulator.

Whenever we end up on a car drive together I love popping on songs from games he's never played. Vocal tracks from Persona 4 like Heartbeat, Heartbreak and Snowflakes. Or popping on the gentle rain version of Persona 5's Beneath the Mask whenever he pops round for a coffee and a chat. I've even tried to sneak in some funkier beats here and there, like Kitsch from Tekken 5 or the all-out remix Landslide from Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers' Eden raid series.

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Persona 3, 4 and 5's protagonists. — (Image credit: Atlus)

For a total non-gamer, though? I always love using videogame music as a background piece. Something more relaxing or calming than your grand orchestral pieces—it's usually much better for setting the tone. Unless you and your non-gamer comrade are, like, heading into battle or something.

Spira Unplugged from Final Fantasy 10 is a lovely calming track that blends in perfectly for a chill chatter when I have family visiting, for example. Or maybe something a little more jazzy—a few months ago I stumbled into my local pub on a quiet Sunday afternoon only to discover the DJ was playing the main theme of L.A. Noire. It's basically a straight-up jazz track in its own right, even removed from its videogame origin, making it such a great choice for the vibe.

But what about you? If you could only recommend a couple of tracks—or a videogame OST as a whole—to someone who maybe picks up a controller once in a blue moon, which one would it be? Which song do you reckon could maybe even convince someone to pick up the game the soundtrack comes from? Be sure to leave a comment with your songs (or game!) of choice and your reason why.

Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in games like Killer Instinct, Toontown and Audition Online, which continue to form the pillars of her personality today. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a news writer and now lends her expertise to write a wealth of features, guides and reviews with a dash of chaos. She can often be found causing mischief in Final Fantasy 14, using those experiences to write neat things about her favourite MMO. When she's not staring at her bunny girl she can be found sweating out rhythm games, pretending to be good at fighting games or spending far too much money at her local arcade.