The practice of releasing video game soundtracks on compact disc began in the 1980s. CDs began to decline in the 2000s as they were replaced by other lossy-compressed audio formats such as MP3. Despite the decline, video game soundtracks continued to be released on CD and included in game collectors' editions. In the 2010s, successful indie games such as Undertale included physical collector's editions featuring their own video game soundtracks on CDs.
History The earliest CD recordings of video game music date back to the 1980s. Koichi Sugiyama was an early figure in this practice, and following the release of the first Dragon Quest game in 1986, the Tokyo Strings Ensemble released a live performance CD of his compositions. Haruomi Hosono released the first generally recognized video game soundtrack album, Video Game Music, and the practice experienced its "golden age" in the mid-to-late 1980s with hundreds of releases including Buckner & Garcia's Pac-Man Fever, Namco's Video Game Graffiti, and Koichi Sugiyama's orchestral covers of the Dragon Quest series. By the early 1990s, compact discs (CDs) were gaining traction as a storage medium for music and video games. By 1987, Sega was selling 50,000 to 100,000 game soundtrack CDs annually. NEC had been the first to use CD technology in a video game console with its PC Engine CD-ROM² System add-on in October 1988 in Japan (launched in North America as the TurboGrafx-CD the following year), which sold 80,000 units in six months.
Games could include high-quality pre-recorded audio because of CD-ROM technology, introduced in the early to mid 1990s. Before this, video game music was made using the programmable sound generator (PSG) by the console's sound chips using techniques such as FM synthesis or wavetable synthesis, creating a "chiptune" sound. Albums of this music did exist. They were often re-recorded or rearranged versions. The CD-ROM supported "Redbook audio," the standard for CDs to be played directly from the game disc. The CD-ROM had a lot of storage capacity. This allowed game scores to be as varied and complete as scores. With improvements in CD technology, games can now feature live-recorded music, licensed songs, full voice acting, and high-quality sound effects. Some popular early CD-ROM games, like The 7th Guest, featured impressive high-resolution graphics and live-recorded music. The advantage of CD-ROM technology was that composers could now use live instruments, vocals, and dialogue, and composers could be confident about how their music would sound on hardware, since the influence of a soundcard's synthesis decreased significantly. However, the downside was the capacity space. A CD could hold 72 minutes of uncompressed Redbook audio, however, this space had to be shared with the game's other data. CD audio naturally led to the possibility of selling the game's music as a separate product. Many video games have featured a commercially released soundtrack, such as Super Mario World, Killer Cuts, and Tempest 2000. The music in Tempest 2000 was made by Ian Howe of Imagitec Design. The game's soundtrack of the game was popular enough to be released as a separate CD.
The trend was rising when 32-bit home consoles, such as the Sega Saturn becoming popular in Japan and the Sony PlayStation. These systems used the CD-ROM format, which made Redbook audio a standard feature. The PlayStation's CD drive could also play music CDs. Some games, like Final Fantasy VII, with its video game soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu, used MIDI-based music instead. This was done to free up processing power for graphics and allow for a more dynamic score. The four hours of music from Final Fantasy VII were later released on a four-CD set. The sale of video game soundtracks has created a growing symbiotic relationship between the music and the video game industry. After Redbook audio came out, people started to like music that was already made. The earliest example of this is the game Wipeout XL for the PlayStation. It had music from groups like The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, and Daft Punk. Sony has done a cross-promotion for the game by delivering the soundtrack and PlayStation consoles to well-known DJs. Commonly, games are used to promote and sell licensed music, rather than original scores, and recording artists are used to market and sell games. Music marketing agency Electric Artists conducted a study that revealed a number of interesting statistics surrounding "hard-core gamers" and their music habits: 40% of hard-core gamers bought the CD after hearing a song they liked in a video game, 73% of gamers said soundtracks within games help sell more CDs, and 40% of respondents said a game introduced them to a new band or song, then 27% of them went out and bought what they heard. Selling video game soundtracks on CDs has become increasingly popular in the video game industry. Interpretive albums, remixes, and live performance recordings were also popular variations of original soundtracks (OSTs). In Japan, video game music reaches the top of sales charts. Some game soundtracks have become so popular that they have reached platinum status, such as NBA Live 2003.
In the 2000s, as digital music and internet-based distribution of lossy-compressed audio formats such as MP3 grew in popularity, CD sales began to decline. Despite the decline, by the mid-2010s, the practice of producing video game soundtracks on CDs and vinyl records experienced a resurgence, driven by successful Indie games such as Undertale. Amidst the growth, the vinyl revival was happening in another physical format, becoming immensely popular. Music from video games was helping to make vinyl records popular. The company Iam8bit started that year. It was the first company to only make video game music on vinyl records. Since then, iam8bit has sold more than 200,000 albums, including Cuphead, Persona 5, and Undertale, all of which were very popular, and reached the top of the Billboard 200 charts. The companies that made these records like Iam8bit, Mondo, Data Discs, and Fangamer made them special by creating and adding custom art as well as focusing on the visuals. Noah Lane, who is in charge of licensing at Fangamer, said, "We recognize that many soundtracks will remain unopened, so we strive to create a product that's worthy of being displayed in someone's home. A good example is our most recent release of Deltarune Chapter 1, designed by Ade. They made tons of gorgeous new art just for the vinyl, with lots of fun references to the game all throughout. It is absolutely worthy of framing and hanging on a wall." Iam8bit's approach aligns with this sentiment, treating video game vinyl as a highly collectible item.
Although CDs were not directly a part of the vinyl revival, the vinyl revival of the 2010s through the present day was itself inspired by younger music buyers' interest in video games. Conversely, CDs continue to outsell records by a significant margin as of 2022. A 2025 article in The Washington Post reported that CD sales and interest are steady and, in some cases, growing. Online marketplace Discogs saw an 8% rise in CD purchases and a 47% increase in users adding CDs to their wish lists. Experts think younger people like CDs because they seem fashionable and fun, and they want to truly own their media in a time of short-term streaming. They also like the hands-on experience of using a format. This caused a desire for a connection to music. Like reading notes, showing off collections, and doing an "offline ritual”. This helped boost CD production, including in the video game industry. Video game music retailers like Fangamer have pursued and produced CDs and vinyl records of video game soundtracks, often for indie games. The soundtrack for the critically acclaimed indie game Undertale was released on CD as part of a limited physical collector's edition, which is the strategy that became common for other successful indie games to release their own video game soundtracks on a CD, such as Celeste, Stardew Valley, Hades, and many more. CDs can also be an alternative to vinyl records, as CD prices are generally lower and more budget-friendly. CDs are easier for consumers or collectors of music soundtracks to purchase. CDs remain a valued physical media format for video game collectors and fans.
Soundtrack albums 1990s–2010s Rel.OST TitleGame titleLabelNotesRef(s)1990Dragon Quest IV Symphonic SuiteDragon Quest IVSony RecordsPerformance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.1991Super Mario World Official SoundtrackSuper Mario WorldWarner Music Japan2-CD set.1994Tempest 2000: The SoundtrackTempest 20001995Killer CutsKiller Instinct1996The DigThe DigAngel RecordsRearranged for standalone listening experience.1996Wipeout 2097: The SoundtrackWipeout 2097Virgin RecordsFeatures music from The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy.Valentine, Dave and Chris Greening. "Tim Wright (aka CoLD SToRAGE) Interview: From Lemmings to Wipeout". VGMOnline. 7 May 2010.1997FINAL FANTASY VII Original SoundtrackFinal Fantasy VII4-CD set. 1997Outlaws: Original Music SoundtrackOutlawsLucasArts1997この世の果てで恋を唄う少女 YU-NO Original Sound & Voice CollectionYU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this WorldélfBased on the Sega Saturn port's music.1997この世の果てで恋を唄う少女 YU-NO Super Sound TrackYU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this WorldélfEnhanced rearrangements.1998Grim Fandango Original Game SoundtrackGrim FandangoLucasArtsScore by Peter McConnell, performed live.1999Medal of Honor Original Soundtrack RecordingMedal of HonorSony MusicFully live orchestral score by Michael Giacchino.2002Final Fantasy 20020220Final Fantasy2-CD live recording of the Tokyo Philharmonic performing music from Final Fantasy I–X.2003NBA Livestyle 2003NBA Live 2003Priority/EMIFirst video game soundtrack certified Platinum by the RIAA, selling over 1 million units.2004Republic: The Revolution – Original SoundtrackRepublic: The RevolutionScore by James Hannigan performed by a Slovak orchestra.2008Super Mario Galaxy Original SoundtrackSuper Mario GalaxyNintendo of JapanCD can be available in a 1-CD or a 2-CD set featuring an orchestral score. Only exclusive to Club Nintendo members.2000Tomorrow Never Dies: The Original Soundtrack from the VideogameTomorrow Never DiesChapter III Records2000The Sims (Original Soundtrack)The SimsEA Records2001Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Original Soundtrack)Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyKonami2003Silent Hill 3 (Original Soundtrack)Silent Hill 3Konami2004Halo 2 (Original Soundtrack) Volume OneHalo 2Sumthing Else Music Works2007Eclipse "The Album": Ryu Umemoto Rare Tracks Vol.1Eclipse: Zettai Reido Keikaku Soushitsu ShoujoEGG Music Records2008Desire "The Origin": Ryu Umemoto Rare Tracks Vol.2DesireEGG Music Records2008Xenon "The Origin": Ryu Umemoto Rare Tracks Vol.3EGG Music Records2008EVE Burst Error "The Perfect": Ryu Umemoto Rare Tracks Vol.4EVE Burst ErrorEGG Music Records2008Grounseed "The Origin" Ryu Umemoto & Ryu Takami Rare Tracks SpecialEGG Music Records
2011–2014 Rel.OST TitleGame titleLabelNotesRef(s)2011Radiant Historia Music CDRadiant HistoriaAtlus2011Batman: Arkham City – The Album (Original Soundtrack)Batman: Arkham CityWaterTower MusicFeatures 12 tracks of licensed rock and alternative music featured in the game, including artists such as Panic! at the Disco, Coheed and Cambria, and Serj Tankian.2011Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary SoundtrackHalo: Combat EvolvedSumthing Else Music Works2-CD set featuring new orchestrations of the classic Halo soundtrack by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, created in celebration of the 10th anniversary.2014Transistor Original SoundtrackTransistorSupergiant Games2014Destiny Original SoundtrackDestinyBungie Music Publishing2+ hour orchestral soundtrack featuring live recordings.
2015