35 Video game theme songs

"Ai no Uta" is an image song released in conjunction with the video game Pikmin for the Nintendo GameCube. The song was only used in commercials for the game and does not appear in the game itself, and those commercials appeared only in Japan. A small clip of the song though can be heard being sung by the Pikmin in Pikmin 2, and the song is one of the default tracks available for the Distant Planet stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The song is sung by the virtual group Strawberry Flower, who also sang the theme song for Pikmin 2. The title of the song translates to "Song of Love," so named because the song expounds on the emotions the Pikmin feel in relation to their involvement in the game.

Super Mario Odyssey is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch on October 27, 2017. An entry in the Super Mario series, it follows Mario and Cappy, a sentient hat that allows Mario to control other characters and objects, as they journey across various worlds to save Princess Peach from his nemesis Bowser, who plans to forcibly marry her. In contrast to the linear gameplay of prior entries, the game returns to the primarily open-ended, 3D platform gameplay featured in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine.

Persona 3, also known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus. It is the fourth installment in the Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. The game was originally released by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in July 2006; the North American release of the game was delayed until 2007 due to issues with the publication of the official art book. Persona 3 FES, a director's cut version containing a new playable epilogue among other changes, was released in Japan in 2007 and worldwide the following year.

"Carry On" is a song by Avenged Sevenfold. The song was released on iTunes on September 24, 2012.

"Castle of Glass" is a song written by American rock band Linkin Park for their fifth studio album, Living Things. The song was produced by co-lead vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin. The song was released as a promotional single for Danger Close Games's 2012 release, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, as with Linkin Park's previous contribution to the Medal of Honor series, "The Catalyst". The single was released on February 2, 2013 in physical format and on March 22, 2013 it was released as a digital single on iTunes.

"The Catalyst" is a song by the American rock band Linkin Park. Released on August 2, 2010, it is the first single from their fourth studio album, A Thousand Suns, which was released on September 8, 2010. The music video for the song, directed by the band's turntablist Joe Hahn, was released on August 25, 2010.

Cuphead is a 2017 run and gun video game developed and published by Studio MDHR. The game was inspired by the rubber hose style of animation used in cartoons of the 1930s, such as the work of Fleischer Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios, and sought to emulate their subversive and surrealist qualities.

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is a third-person shooter video game developed by the Montreal branch of Visceral Games and released on March 26, 2013 by Electronic Arts for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It is the third game in the Army of Two series, following 2008's Army of Two and 2010's Army of Two: The 40th Day. The game takes place in Mexico and pits T.W.O. against a drug cartel known as La Guadaña. It is the first game in the series to run on the Frostbite 2 game engine, whereas the previous two ran on Unreal Engine 3. The demo for the game was released on March 13, 2013. It was the second to last game developed by Visceral Montreal.

Sonic Unleashed is a 2008 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The story follows Sonic as he attempts to restore the world after his nemesis Doctor Eggman shatters it with a powerful laser to unleash Dark Gaia, an ancient evil, while dealing with having become a "Werehog", a werewolf-esque transformation, which he gains after coming into contact with the energy of Dark Gaia. Gameplay features two distinct styles, with each being played either during daytime or nighttime. Daytime stages incorporate Sonic's traditional platforming and trademark speed, with a combination of behind-the-back third-person viewpoints and 2D side-scroller platforming; gameplay seamlessly transitions between these two views. Night-time levels see Sonic transform into the Werehog; gameplay slows down to accommodate greater platform play, and involves combat against waves of enemies using the Werehog's brute strength.

"Eyes on Me" is the eleventh single by Japanese recording artist Superfly, released on December 15, 2010. The title track, described as a "classic winter ballad" , is used as the theme song for the PlayStation Portable game The 3rd Birthday. The single was released as a standard CD release and a limited edition CD+DVD bundle. "Rescue Me" and "Prima Donna" serve as the single's B-sides. The DVD included with the first pressings of the single features an "Official Bootleg Live DVD" of Superfly's performance at the Monster Bash 2010 music festival on August 23, 2010. "Eyes on Me" has since been nominated for the 2011 Space Shower Music Video Award for best female video.

"Face My Fears" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada and American musician Skrillex, released on January 18, 2019, by Epic Records Japan. Along with its English-language counterpart, it serves as the opening theme song to the Square Enix video game Kingdom Hearts III. It was written as a collaboration between Utada, producer Skrillex, and R&B songwriter Poo Bear.

"Follow the Nightingale" is a song by Kokia, released as her 18th single on November 21, 2007. The song, along with the single's B-side "Say Goodbye & Good Day," were used as the opening and ending theme songs for the Nintendo DS game Tales of Innocence.

"Haze" is a song by American rock band Korn, written and recorded for the Ubisoft video game Haze. It was released as a digital single in the US on April 22, 2008. The game itself was released in May 2008 for the PlayStation 3. Korn posted a blog entry on April 23, 2008 stating that those who purchased their untitled album would be able to download "Haze" as a free VBR-quality MP3 by visiting a certain website. "Haze" was featured as a bonus track on the Enhanced Edition and the Australian re-release of the Untitled album.

"Hikari" is a song recorded by Japanese–American recording artist Utada Hikaru for her fourth studio and third Japanese language album, Deep River (2002). It premiered on March 20, 2002 as the third single from the album in Japan. It was written and composed by Utada, whilst production and arrangement was handled by Utada, her father Teruzane Utada, and long-time collaborator Miyake Akira. The single, and a remix by Russell McNamara, was used as the official Japanese theme song for the 2002 action role-playing video game Kingdom Hearts, and appeared on its original soundtrack respectively. Musically, "Hikari" is a pop folk song. Lyrically, it is about mysteries in life and human activities.

"Hikari no Sasu Mirai e!" is the opening theme to the PlayStation 2 video game Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World and is the sixty-ninth single by Japanese singer Hironobu Kageyama. It was released by King Records on Christmas Day in 2008 in Japan only and would peak at 200 on Oricon. The song was written by Yuriko Mori and the composition and arrangement was by Kenji Yamamoto (Kenz).

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2006 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the Sonic series' 15th anniversary, and intended as a reboot for the seventh generation video game consoles. Players control Sonic, Shadow, and new character Silver, who battle Solaris, an ancient evil pursued by Doctor Eggman. Each playable character has his own campaign and abilities, and must complete levels, explore hub worlds and fight bosses to advance the story. In multiplayer modes, players can work cooperatively to collect Chaos Emeralds or race to the end of a level.

Shadow the Hedgehog is a 2005 platform game developed by Sega Studios USA, the former United States division of Sonic Team, and published by Sega. It is a spin-off from the Sonic the Hedgehog series and follows Shadow the Hedgehog, a creation of Doctor Eggman's grandfather, Prof. Gerald Robotnik, as he attempts to learn about his past while suffering from amnesia. Shadow the Hedgehog introduces third-person shooter elements and nonlinear gameplay to the Sonic franchise. To defeat enemies, Shadow can use various weapons and special attacks, and most levels have three possible missions that the player may choose to complete. The missions completed determine the game's plot and subsequently playable levels.

"Kimi ga Iru Kara" is a song recorded by Sayuri Sugawara as her second single. The single was released on December 2, 2009 by For Life Music. The song is the theme song for the Japanese release of Final Fantasy XIII. The B-side, "Eternal Love" was also used in the game as the insert song. The other B-side, "Christmas Again" samples a piece of Franz Liszt's work.

"Late Goodbye" is a song by the Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall that appeared in the 2003 video game Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne as well as on the band's debut album Signs of Life. It was also the first single released from the album and reached No. 14 on the Finnish Singles Chart as well as No. 1 on Radio SuomiPOP's Top 30 chart.

Sonic Adventure 2 is a 2001 platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. It was the final Sonic the Hedgehog game for the Dreamcast after Sega discontinued the console. It features two good-vs-evil stories: Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower and Knuckles the Echidna attempt to save the world, while Shadow the Hedgehog, Doctor Eggman and Rouge the Bat attempt to conquer it. The stories are divided into three gameplay styles: fast-paced platforming for Sonic and Shadow, multi-directional shooting for Tails and Eggman, and action-exploration for Knuckles and Rouge.

Fire Emblem Fates is a tactical role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS handheld video game console, developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD and published by Nintendo. It was released in June 2015 in Japan, then released internationally in 2016. It is the fourteenth game in the Fire Emblem series, and the second to be developed for Nintendo 3DS after Fire Emblem Awakening. Fates was released in three versions, each following a different storyline centered on the same characters: Birthright and Conquest as physical releases, and Revelation as downloadable content.

"Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai!!" is the opening theme to the PS2 video game Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3. and is the 36th single by Japanese singer Hironobu Kageyama. It was released on February 23, 2005 in Japan only. The single peaked at #1 on Oricon.

"Passion" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Utada Hikaru, taken as the fourth single from her studio album Ultra Blue (2006). It premiered on December 14, 2005, in two physical formats and for digital consumption, distributed by EMI Japan and EastWorld. "Passion", alongside its English counterpart "Sanctuary", were used as the national and international theme songs to the Square Enix video game Kingdom Hearts II (2005); both tracks serve as the successor to "Hikari", which is found on Kingdom Hearts.

Persona 4, also known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus. It is chronologically the fifth installment in the Persona series, itself a part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise, and was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in July 2008, North America in December 2008, and Europe in March 2009. It was re-released as a PlayStation 2 Classic for the PlayStation 3 in April 2014. Persona 4 takes place in a fictional Japanese countryside and is indirectly related to earlier Persona games. The player-named protagonist is a high-school student who moved into the countryside from the city for a year. During his year-long stay, he becomes involved in investigating mysterious murders while harnessing the power of summoning Persona. The game features a weather forecast system with events happening on foggy days to replace the moon phase system implemented in the previous games.

"Refrain" is a song by Mamoru Miyano, released as his fifth single. The single also included "Ao no Tsubasa", the opening theme song to the game Uta no Prince-sama. The song was released on October 21, 2009.

"Secrear" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Maaya Sakamoto. It was released by FlyingDog as an exclusively digital single on October 30, 2013. The song was written by Natsumi and composed and arranged by Solaya. It is the theme song to the Monster Hunter: Frontier G, on which it is performed in-game by the character of Diva.

"Shikisai" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Maaya Sakamoto. It was released as a double A-side single alongside the song "Shiawase ni Tsuite Watashi ga Shitte Iru Itsutsu no Hōhō" by FlyingDog on January 28, 2015. The song was written by Sakamoto and composed and produced by the Japanese band La La Larks. "Shikisai" is the theme song to the Android and iOS role-playing game Fate/Grand Order. The song also serves as the theme song to the animated television film based on the game, Fate/Grand Order: First Order.

Love is the third mini-album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on 8 November 2012 in three editions: CD+DVD, CD-Only and a limited Tales of Xillia 2 Edition.

Sonic the Hedgehog CD is a 1993 platform game for the Sega CD. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he attempts to save an extraterrestrial body, Little Planet, from Doctor Robotnik. As a Sonic the Hedgehog series platformer, Sonic runs and jumps through several themed levels while collecting rings and defeating robots. Sonic CD is distinguished from other Sonic games by its time travel feature, a key aspect to the story and gameplay. By traveling through time, players can access different versions of stages, featuring alternative layouts, music, and graphics.

Sonic R is a 1997 racing video game developed by Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team for the Sega Saturn. It is the third racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and the first to feature 3D computer graphics. The player races one of ten Sonic characters in various Sonic-themed race tracks as they attempt to stop Doctor Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds and enslaving the world. Sonic R features single-player and multiplayer game modes, and while similar to kart racing games such as Mario Kart, it places an emphasis on jumping and exploration. By collecting items and completing objectives, players can unlock secret characters.

"Until It's Gone" is a song written by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was originally recorded by the band for their sixth studio album, The Hunting Party, where it appears as the seventh track on the album. Produced by Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson, the track also appears on the single of the same name, which was released by Warner Bros. Records and Machine Shop on May 6, 2014. The single is the second to be released in promotion of The Hunting Party. The single is also included in the music for the action-adventure video game Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, which was released on June 24, 2014.

Persona 5 is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus. It is the sixth installment in the Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in Japan in September 2016 and worldwide in April 2017, and was published by Atlus in Japan and North America and by Deep Silver in Europe and Australia. An enhanced version featuring new content, Persona 5 Royal, was released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in October 2019 and worldwide in March 2020.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a first-person action-adventure platformer video game developed by EA DICE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2016. It is a reboot of the 2008 game that focuses on protagonist Faith Connors.

"White Light" is a song by Japanese musical act Superfly. Used as the theme song for the Bandai Namco game Tales of Zestiria, it was released as a digital single and the leading track from Superfly's fifth studio album White on January 21, 2015.