Music has always huge for me in everything I do. From day-to-day chores to my daily drives to work, I like to have some sort of noise with everything going on in my life. Cooking, drawing, (obviously) gaming, the list goes on. In fact, a lot of what inspires me to complete a game is the soundtrack behind it, as that tends to make or break a game for me. Honestly, I think this is why it’s no surprise that I listen to music as I work out at the gym as well – in fact, some of the music I’ll listen to also comes from video games as well. That’s why today, I have compiled a list of the top 9 video game soundtracks that, in my opinion, are the best to listen to while working out.

Devil May Cry 5

The Devil May Cry series has a lot of good songs. The fifth installment’s original soundtrack is my favorite, specifically both “Devil Trigger” and “Bury the Light,” both of which are perfect for the gym. When I’m lifting weights, I tend to need something intense that leaves my ears ringing given my volume, plus the incorporation of a steady beat underneath the rest of the instrumentals means I can keep pace with it. Devil May Cry 5 is all of that and more.

Persona 3

I am a Persona nerd, so it really is no surprise that one of the franchise’s soundtracks would show up on my list. “Burn My Dread” plays a lot into the older rock it is meant to encompass from that era. Thanks to that, I really like to use it when I am just starting out my workout. It’s not too heavy, but it has a rhythm that helps me focus on my steps on the stair master. I always like listening to it as well as when I’m not at the gym but that is because I tend to play this game every chance I get, so it’s more like the soundtrack is part of my life.

LOCKDOWN Protocol

A lot of 2024’s LOCKDOWN Protocal’s music comes from outside sources – independent artists who are all DMCA friendly with their music for streamers and the like. However, I am going to let it count as a soundtrack in this loose timing. I enjoy the variety it offers with different types of music that don’t feel mishmashed in a way that’s jarring. In fact, “Worship” by Diamond Eyes is on my playlist for when I’m at the gym and it helps when I’m on a roll, keeping me motivated to finish sets strong even if going to failure.

Shadow the Hedgehog

Released in 2005, Shadow the Hedgehog has some of the hardest songs I had the opportunity of listening to. With rock mixed with EDM and heavy rhythm and beats, I found the soundtrack absolutely blasts when working out. The rhythm is amazing to keep pace no matter what you are doing and its a great distraction between sets when you are attempting to recover – “I Am…All Of Me” is actually in my workout playlist for that very reason. 

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

The installment from 2013, the Metal Gear series always has a soundtrack that goes as hard as the games’ storylines, but Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance just seems to hit even harder. It’s a game I enjoy replaying, and the soundtrack has become pretty entwined with both my rage and my workout playlist, so I just had to recommend it for other gamers looking for music to blast in the gym.

Doom

Come on, it’s Doom. Does the music need a reason? It helps to just keep me more focused on my workout than the heaviness of the weight I am attempting to lift or the pain in my muscles as I try to keep working at the same high pace as I have since the beginning. A bonus is as I sit to rest between sets for a moment, the hard bass line of the music and aggressiveness of the rhythm can allow me space out in my recovery before I go for my next set with more enthusiasm than is probably warranted just to lift said weights.

Payday 2

I really can’t explain the reason behind certain songs being in my workout playlist. Payday 2 has a lot of funny moments in the game itself (comically large spoon, I’m looking at you). The soundtrack in the background always makes the heists feel so much more intense and real, as if you are actually fighting cloakers and bulldozers for whatever item you’re attempting to steal. What better way to beat your PR in the gym than under the imaginary threat of being blasted by the entirety of the police force and special ops?

Kingdom Hearts 2

These last two entries are going to be a little interesting, but the beautiful instrumentals of the entire Kingdom Hearts 2 soundtrack just hits differently while downing as much water as the human body can uncomfortably hold. When I am on my last set, “Sanctuary” tends to carry me through the last of my workout. This is especially the case when I do cooldown stretches in order to keep my muscles from locking up in ways that would be super painful later or even the next day. 

Pokémon: Black/White

By the time I have finished at the gym, I usually climb back on the stair master to just do a slower version of my warmup in order to cool down from the high intensity. For me, I tend to choose music without lyrics in order to simply just breathe and not focus on my own thoughts. “N’s Theme” does a good job of that, allowing me just a quick moment to have the nostalgic beats and the constant shift of rhythm to focus on instead of on my sore body.

Featured Image: ATLUS (via Steam)

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