How to License Music for Video Games + 5 Songs for Epic Game Soundtracks
Jourdan Aldredge
May 2, 2025
From high-budget AAA games to indie and retro games, the video game industry is as large and diverse as it's ever been. Similar to the film industry, video game projects can vary in size and scope. Some cost millions of dollars and feature teams of music designers and sound effect artists, providing their entire sonic landscape.
However, for many indie developers and smaller video game studios, it makes more sense to find royalty free music and sound effects for their video game projects. Regardless of your budget, scope, or creative vision, numerous questions surround how to properly license music for video games.
Let’s go over some basics on how to license music for video games, as well as share some curated recommendations of royalty free music for video games and other playlists for sound effects to help you bring your video game visions to life.
The state of the video game industry
As mentioned above, despite originating from very innocuous beginnings with simple games like Pong and Tetris, the video game industry is now estimated to be worth over $200 billion globally, surpassing the combined revenue of the film, television, and music industries, according to Georgia Entertainment.
Yet, despite its significant global impact, many video game developers and aspiring creatives often don’t think of the video game industry in the same way as they do film, music, and other types of creative content.
As such, there are numerous misconceptions about how to properly license music and other digital assets for use in video games. Even with video, which has a long and rich history with music licensing and copyrights, it can be challenging to fully understand how music copyrights work, determine if a song is copyrighted, or even how to license music for use in video.
How music in video games works (traditionally)
Unlike film, television, and other types of video content, video games are unique in their use of music and sound effects. Yet, despite not being linear and straightforward in the same way as film and video, video games still utilize a lot of music and sound effects.
Also, regardless of how music and sound effects are used in video games, these songs and digital assets still need to follow all of the same copyright laws and guidelines as you’d find when creating other types of video and audio content.
That means that video game developers can’t just use any song they desire for their projects. If they want to use a song or sound effect for a video game, they’ll need to explore how to properly license these assets for this specific type of media use.
How to license music for indie video games
For major studios and AAA games with million-dollar (sometimes billion-dollar) budgets, licensing music for video games is a complex process that involves major labels, lawyers, and numerous stakeholders.
However, for indie developers and smaller teams, licensing music for video games doesn’t have to be super complicated or hard. Music licensing companies that provide royalty free music for games and sound effects can be a great option for those looking for a simple and easy way to license music for video games.
When licensing music from Soundstripe, developers can explore different subscription plans and enterprise options to find the right fit for their needs. Once set up with an account and plan, it’s really as simple as just looking through the royalty free music and sound effect playlists and libraries and finding the songs and digital assets that are right for them..
The best royalty-free music for your video games
To help you on your own music licensing for video games journey, we’ve gone ahead and selected some high-quality royalty free music for video games to help you bring your creative vision to life.
These songs span various genres and styles, but would all be ideal options for use as music in your indie video games.
Description: A low-energy, score song that is best described as hopeful and calm. Synth and strings are the primary instruments in this track.
BPM: 100
Key: C Minor
Description: A low-energy, electronic song that is best described as chill and suspenseful. Bass and bass guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
BPM: 140
Key: A Minor
Description: A medium-energy score song that is best described as scary and suspenseful. Drums and big drums are the primary instruments in this track.
BPM: 133
Key: C Minor
Description: A very low-energy, electronic song that is best described as suspenseful and calm. Ambient tones and synth are the primary instruments in this track.
BPM: 130
Key: Bb/A# Major
Description: A medium-energy, electronic song that is best described as inspiring and hopeful. Synth and bass are the primary instruments in this track.
BPM: 129
Key: Db/C# Major
For more royalty free music for video game music tracks, you can further explore additional options in our full Soundstripe music library.
Tips for finding the right music for your video games
Now that we’ve covered some video game basics, history, and recommendations, let’s go over some helpful tips for finding and using the right music in your video games and other projects. Keep in mind, once you’ve properly licensed music for your games, there’s really no right or wrong way to use said music in your projects.
- Understand the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic music in your video games and other video projects.
- When looking for music for the first time, consider downloading preview tracks to use as placeholders in your projects before deciding if a track is right.
- Be sure to check out our library of royalty free sound effects to help your video games feel bigger and more cinematic with impactful SFX.
- Look for music that is easily loopable yet interesting enough not to become boring if players have to listen to it for an extended period.
- Try out Soundstripe’s AI Song Editor to instantly edit your audio track to match the length of your scene or sequence.
These tips, tricks, and resources will be helpful to you as you plan, design, and soundtrack your own video games and other exciting content and projects.