Personally, I'm a huge fan of Hollow Knight, Ori and the (Blind Forest/Will of the Wisps), and Kingdom Hearts. Orchestral soundtracks are just something else...
I think all of the Supergiant Games have great soundtrack. Transistor was what got me into their games, and it was the soundtrack that caught my attention first.
Both the Nier games have amazing soundtracks that I listen to frequently.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is also great although I don't really listen to it on its own. It really makes the game feel much more impactful while playing.
Indie games in general have great OSTs, MGS:R and Persona (and SMT in general) are obvious popular picks.
The World Ends With You is less mainstream (with one of the few gripes being the lack of boss-specific themes, at least in the DS original I played - but it makes up with the diverse overworld and normal battle themes), as is Etrian Odyssey.
I think orchestra is mixed, it's either the best fucking tracks ever (often when mixed with electric guitar, but not necessarily), or they kind of blend with other orchestral tracks I know and don't end up being unique enough.
All the soundtracks Darren Korb makes for Supergiant. Hades resonates more with me as it's the one I've played the most, but I'm also a huge fan of Transistor's.
Disasterpeace is an AMAZING composer and has done some stellar work in both video games and film as well. Here's a couple of my favorites from video games:
I've been listening to some choice tracks from Final Fantasy XIV, mostly from the big epic finales. I probably should be excited for XVI, but I just reaaally don't trust the action JRPG setup.
However, an even better soundtrack to me is Ori and the Blind Forest, as you mentioned - it has some epic bangers to it, but it's also an incredible soundtrack even for the calm, peaceful tracks playing while exploring.
Credit to Nier Automata for what it's worth...there's some tracks I really like in there on their own, but...I honestly feel like those really good tracks just don't often fit the gameplay. They have some hard-hitting vocal tracks playing while 2B is wandering the city or standing around, and it really warps the feel of the pacing. I mention it because it's just an interesting example to me of "good music" not actually fitting as a soundtrack.
One of my favourite soundtracks of all time was the haunting soundscapes from Anarchy Online. Timeless and haunting whilst travelling the wastelands of the planet Rubi-Ka.
I can’t froth at the mouth about game music, without mentioning Dear Esther. The arty solo exploreable story in a rugged haunting Hebridean landscape. The piano and cello move together in deep tones, and build up to ascending anthems of emotion. Composer Jessica Curry is simply a genius, and I can easily be moved to tears with this soundtrack. My favourite track is “I have begun my ascent”.
Also Supergiant Games soundtracks to Transistor and Pyre are emotive and catchy as any non-soundtrack album.
Man this question isn't even fair there are so many fantastic soundtracks in gaming I could literally go on for hours about them.
Doom, Mass Effect, Halo, Skyrim, Ratchet and Clank, Assassin's creed(3 especially), Divinity original sin 2, pathfinder: wrath of the righteous, monster hunter, league of legends(all of riot games really), darktide, sonic, payday, witcher, Spiderman, Zelda, cyberpunk, megaman, final fantasy, Devil may cry, metal gear, undertale
that's just what I think of off the top of my head, there could easily be an entire sub just dedicated to the topic
Far too many to list, but Final Fantasy IX's soundtrack is a tremendous work of art, and a perfect final bow for Nobuo Uematsu from the series. It's always stuck with me among nearly ever other soundtrack.
Notable Mentions (in no order):
Sonic 2 and 3&K
Hotline Miami 1 & 2
Street Fighter 2
Nier Automata
Castlevania (Whole Damn Series)
Donkey Kong Country & 2
Doom I & II
Undertale
Freedom Planet
Golden Sun 1 & 2
Hollow Knight
Skyrim
Kirby Series
Mario Series
MegaMan 2 & 3 (Shout-out to The Megas)
Super Meat Boy
And so many others, but I'll be here all day if I keep going.
There are so many good OSTs and often it's the combination of the memory of the game szene and the song, but trying to separate those two I still love Hollow Knight, Nier automata and the new Zelda tears of the kingdom. Also Hades and some diablo songs really slap.
While there's no correct answer here, I think the most widely beloved OSTs of all time probably belong to the Final Fantasy, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario IPs.
Outer Wilds
Journey
Flower
Abzu
Shadow of the Colossus
The last Guardian
Mass effect
Metal Gear Solid
Undertale
Thomas Was Alone
What Remains of Edith Finch
Dear Esther
Firewatch
No Man's Sky
Death Stranding
Pyre's both my favorite game w/ my favorite OST. The tracks are layered in a way that they can change on the fly - and the instruments of certain characters kick in during the magical superbowl theme in really satisfying ways. Here's a couple examples:
Literally any Final Fantasy for me. Nobuo Uematsu is just an incredible composer.
Dragon Quest series too, although Koichi Sugiyama was a…not great person.
Monkey Island 2 holds a special place for me because it introduced iMUSE and dynamically altering the music with the environment which was years ahead of its time.
Oh gosh where do I even start. I have a massive list of VGM soundtracks that I listen to but if I had to pick some favs currently:
Gran Turismo 5/6 - been playing these games recently through the PS3 emulator and the vibe and feel these games go for is so much more amplified with the soundtrack, lots of chill jazz and downtempo music mixed with other genres like Dance and Rock.
Pokémon (really any of them) - I've always loved the Pokémon soundtrack in all the mainline games, my favourite games in the series are HGSS so probably that soundtrack if I had to pick one.
A Hat in Time - Soundtrack is so fun and upbeat, really regret buying this game on 2 separate platforms and then not playing through either of them.
Celeste - Trans girl climbs gay mountain simulator with Lena Raine's simply amazing piano and synth soundtrack is so damn good I can't give it enough praise <3 (also all her other work on games like Minecraft and Chicory is super good too!)
Ori is a classic. - It's equal parts haunting and jubilant.
Death Stranding - Don't be so serious. Every song is a masterpiece.
Overwatch - It's just good fun
Witcher 3 - hey lele lelele lele lele ley!
Cyberpunk - Dark, broody, and invigorating
Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2 - Absolute fantasy. If you want a VGM OST to plan your d&d session to, this is a great option
Red Dead Redemption 2 - Maybe it's partly because Arthur Morgan's story is so incredible but this soundtrack gives me the shivers. "May I stand unshaken... Amid, amidst a crash of the world?" omggg give it to me D'Angelo
There's tons more I'm missing here. But these ones stand out to me.
+1 for Hollow Knight! I've actually been loving the music for Surviving Mars. maybe a bit niche, but really nice. Especially the "official mars radio" station.
The halo theme original and mjolner mix, a walk in the woods from halo 1 . ff7 tifas theme and aeriths / aeris theme and the mass effect 3 ending theme to name a few
I love Amplitude Studios soundtracks (Endless Legend, Endless Space 1&2, Humankind). They're great background music while thinking about stuff (like at work). Though maybe I just got Pavlov'd into thinking that since they're strategy games 😅
Also, Persona 4! The soundtrack is so nostalgic and reminds me of my childhood somehow.
I gotta give a shout-out to Portal 2, maybe not my personal favorite but probably the soundtrack I appreciate the most. It uses music almost like sound effects, with different stems emanating from different test elements, and turning on/off based on their status. I even made my first video essay about it because there's just so much cool stuff going on.
Mass Effect has banger tracks pretty much throughout the entire trilogy. I also quite often go back to the Bastion soundtrack. The tracks are great on their own already but how they used the songs within the game was brilliant.
I also want to mention the Gothic soundtrack because I get nostalgic every time I hear it. The main theme just transports me back into that world instantly. Even though it's been like 10 years since I last played these games.
Halo CE has some real bangers (Devils...Monsters, On A Pale Horse, Covenant Dance, Under Cover of Night). Blow Me Away from Halo 2 has some amazing guitar riffs. The Starcraft: Mass Recall mod adds a lot of great music from other games/artists to its cutscenes. Starcraft Terran 1 goes METAL is probably my favorite out of those.
I think the Elder Scrolls games all have great music, but Morrowind's OST has always stood out as amazing. Hearing that opening soundtrack immediately sends me back to playing it for the first time!
Vanilla WoW, Celeste, and Mirrors Edge all makes me feel like when I played the games for the first time as soon as I hear them. Fantastic evocative soundtrack.
Halo 1-3 and probably reach too. There is just something about those strings that hit differently. The music perfectly portrays the feeling of loneliness and being the "last" spartan trying your best to save the human race from extinction.
Nier Automata/Replicant and Metal Gear Rising are my favourite soundtracks if not music in general. The Nier soundtrack is so emotional, especially when you know the story behind the songs, while the Metal Gear Rising Soundtrack is basically just pure adrenaline.
The original quake soundtrack is great if "sound textures by Nine Inch Nails" interests you. Adding on to that, try the soundtracks for fan-made quake campaigns like Arcane Dimensions and Dwell.
I have so many favorites, Ori soundtracks are amazing, Kingdom Hearts, Genshin Impact, Minecraft
For more lighthearted yet genius silliness though: Part Time UFO
Not really a game but a visual Novel everyone needs to read and listen to: Umineko
In most games I turn off the music pretty quickly so the ones where I don't must be my favorites.
Heroes of the Storm. Great originals and lots of reworks of favorites from other Blizzard games. I must admit that I turned it off eventually because I play better without music but I've listened to those tunes hundreds of times over the years.
Crypt of the Necrodancer, which is a good thing since it's a rhythm game :)
The Isaac and VVVVVV music fit the games really well.
The digital version of the Ascension deckbuilding game has some really nice art and music. My favorite is the Dreamscape stuff.
Recently I've been starting my day of with the title theme from NES Pictionary to help wake me up, that track slaps way more than it has any right to. When I'm working I often put on one of the Zero Escape OSTs to help me think, especially 999 or Virtue's Last Reward. If I'm looking for bangers then Furi or GhostRunner are frequent favourites.
Most of my favorites are already here, but one that's unfortunately overlooked is the soundtrack to Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magic Obscura. It's all this really moody, atmospheric string quartet music that just fits the game perfectly. I really recommend you give it a shot, it's really unique!
Legend of Dragoon soundtrack composed by Dennis Martin.
Bajo Kazooie soundtracks by Grant Kirkhope.
Donkey Kong soundtracks by David Wise.
Sly Cooper soundtrack (first game) by Ashif Hakik.
Ratchet and Clank soundtrack (first game) by David Bergeaud
Metroid soundtracks by Kenji Yamamoto.
All made insanely long lasting impressions where I could hear just a bit from one of the songs and instantly know what it is. Having played lots of video games, these seem to be the ones that have created the most lasting memory. They also absolutely slap as well.
The Legend of Zelda games BOTW and TOTK get mention here as well, though I don't find it as memorable. the sound design in these games is just top notch though.
Tetris definitely deserves a shoutout.
LA Noire by Simon Hale is fantastic though it's mostly just riffing off of Chinatown's soundtrack and I wouldn't say it really implants itself in the memory like the ones mentioned above.
There's this french MMO i played as a kid called Dofus and that soundtrack still hits hard when I listen. I think part of it is nostalgia but also its just so beautiful
FFXIV and Nanashi are notable as they're by the same composer (latter game was done under a pseudonym) and even happen to share at least one song, in some form.
Soma Bringer has the most beautiful music of this list.
I would say Halo 3: the music that play in the teaser triggered a HUGE hype instantly and because bungie delivered, the game has a special place in my heart, including the OST.
This year Baldur's Gate 3 OST is also about to be a banger (hope larian win the best score at the GA, even if it will be complicated with FFXVI OST)
Celeste's OST is really nice. Love it's high energy with the B-side tracks. In game, experiencing Reflections and it's progression throughout how it reflects it's dream that becomes more intense and nightmarish made me fall in love with Lena Raine's style. If anyone wants to hear
For me, Shovel Knight and Chrono Trigger tie for first, followed by Ocarina of Time and Super Mario World.
Fun fact: nearly every single song in the Super Mario World soundtrack is a variation on one single melody, so its diversity even with that constraint really showcases how cleverly it was created.
It's Skyrim for me. Growing up I've never played any games (because GiRLs DoN't GaMe) but I've heard some of Jeremy Soul's Skyrim tracks on YouTube and was completely enchanted. Learned that it is from the game, decided to try and now I'm a gamer, lol.
Oh, and also the main theme of Dragon Age: Origins is just divine. And honorary mention to Mass Effect and Witcher music too.
Super Mario Odyssey - 1 UP Girl is a phenomenal song, and the rest of the soundtrack rocks as well. Bonus points for every track having an 8-bit version
Final Fantasy IV - My first SNES game. I still have that entire OST burned into my mind. The first time I heard the full orchestral version of the FF theme (I had played FF1 previously) blew me away
Outer Wilds - Better when heard in-game. I still tear up hearing certain pieces
Mega Man X2 - SNES era Capcom music at its best
The Great Ace Attorney - Really the whole series, but I think this one is my favourite. Capcom has great composers. The theme at 221 Baker Street is the coziest music
Soundtracks filled front-to-back with bangers that have stuck with me over the years:
Sonic Mayhem's Quake 2 -- and, of course, Trent Reznor's Quake. 植松 伸夫 -- Final Fantasy 7. Grant Kirkhope/Graeme Norgate's GoldenEye 64. Max Lichtenstein's Pax Imperia 2. Richard Joseph's Chaos Engine. Just about anything Mick Gordon touches. ...aaaaand just about every Mario, Metroid, Sonic, DOOM (Heretic included), Command and Conquer, Advance Wars...
Hollow Knight ofc, but also love Risk of Rain 2's OST, cyberpunk 2077 has a lot of bangers in there too. Unironically Spore has a nice soundtrack, but ofc it's better when you're in-game. Mass Effect has several bangers per game, especially love the OSTs of ME2 and 3. I love a lot of game music, especially when it's enhancing a moment in the game. Like in Spore when you're on the main menu with the spiral galaxy, or in ME2 when you're on the final mission. The thing that sold me on Cyberpunks OST was two fold: the radio stations are great, but the secret ending while listening to The Rebel Path is an adrenaline rush.
Final Fantasy XIV is my singular favorite, but given all its expansions that might be cheating a touch. ;) The Final Fantasy series in general tends to have great music.
Nier series, chrono trigger, Skyrim, and there are a lot of others I've liked as well, but I think that covers all my favorites. :)
idk if this counts as an "OST" but the New Vegas soundtrack like changed my life lol. the vibes set by those choice cuts of big band/swing from the era just added a level of immersion and comfort I didn't even know existed.
Halo (of course), Deus Ex, Cyberpunk 2077, Doom, Elder Scrolls, the Sega Genesis Sonic games, Psychonauts, Super Mario, Mirror's Edge, hell, I never really thought about it before but there is a lot of good stuff out there.
This is going way back, but the 7th Guest soundtrack had lived in my head since the first time I saw the game. Really great atmosphere, equal parts creepy and playful, perfect mood for a haunted mansion filled with puzzles.
The Hollow Knight soundtrack is great. A slightly more obscure favorite of mine is Jamestown, the music in that game goes incredibly well with the gameplay and gets me hyped.
Star Control 2. 4 musicians contributed without collaborating directly, resulting in many creative alien races having unique and memorable theme music.
Persona 5 is my jam. Liked it so much I bought it on vinyl. Nier Automata is good too, more haunting and lends to the game's mood/ambience. I think Firewatch is like this too. Jet Set Radio Future and Persona 3 are also really groovy.
Ar Tonelico 2 has one of the most beautiful musics I've heard, not limited by music. Not too surprising, given how the entire franchise is basically about glorifying music to divine levels and brings top notch singers like Shikata Akiko and Shimotsuki Haruka to sing songs like METHOD_IMPLANTA and EXEC_SOL=FAGE/.. The BGM is also great, with tracks like Rustling Throb Cloche.
Finally, special mention to Space Invaders Extreme 2. I wouldn't say it's the best OST but it's the most fun example of adaptive music I've seem (heard?).
That one single song that played on the load screen of Boiling Point - Road to Hell. It was incredibly good and I still listen to it from time to time.
Boiling Point Road to Hell Main Theme
I'm going to be weird and say Undertale/Deltarune; Toby Fox is really good at music imo. The fact that he brought that talent with him into Pokemon Scarlet/Violet is admirable to me.
I also really enjoy the Katamari games and Silent Hill. The Pokemon games themselves also have some bangers, ngl.
I see several people naturally mentioning the Minecraft OST, there are two resource packs I highly recommend if you want a more nostalgic experience.
"Balanced Music" is a great pack on Modrinth that removed the biome specific criteria and re-balances everything so you do not keep hearing the same caves & cliffs song every 10 minutes.
"C4Music" is another pack on Modrinth that removes the newer tracks (post Nether update if memory serves me right) and only has original music + some of the unreleased tracks.
To answer the question myself though, other than Minecraft of course I would have to say Terraria, OpenTTD, Ocarina of Time, RimWorld and Celeste among many other titles.
Okami and Katamari Damacy.
I also love interactive music, some examples are Pokémon Sword/Shield, Banjo Kazooie/Tooie, and Journey. If anyone has other examples please let me know.
Far Cry 5. It's probably the only game I've played that has the same songs written in totally distinct music styles. Each song, like "We Will Rise Again", is written as:
It's amazing that all three of these songs are the same in lyrics and meaning, but their execution is completely different and had very different emotional feels as a result.
Child of Light, Hades, Bastion, Icewind Dale, Dragon Age (any of them really), Heroes of Might and Magic 3-5, Dead Cells, Endless Legend, Pillars of Eternity, Pokemon Violet. Also Warframe, especially from The Second Dream and further period.
SimCity 4
openTTD's openmsx (admittedly I have a soft spot for MIDI in general)
DOOM (1993 - again, it's MIDI)
Need for speed underground 1
Tony hawk's Pro skater (N64)
Factorio
Minecraft (the C418 era particularly)
Terraria (this is just awesome and makes the game so engaging
The list goes on, but these are the ones I can list rn
The first Fable game has such an amazing soundtrack. Every one of those tunes is etched into my brain. They capture the feeling of the areas they play in so well.
Final Fantasy XIV. I'm so excited to hear what Masayoshi Soken will cook up next.
Other ones to mention are Guilty Gear Strive, MegaMan X and Zero series, and The World Ends With You.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is surprisingly good. Surtur's theme is one of the best boss themes ive ever heard. I also really like using the Battle Brothers ost for my Pathfinder games.
Every Korean anime online game i've ever played has had an unnecessarily good soundtrack. Maplestory, Mabinogi, LaTale, S4League, GunZ: The duel, the list literally never ends.
KOTOR and KOTOR 2, Mass Effect (Vigil, Leaving Earth, An End Once and For All), Hogwarts Legacy (very reminiscent of the movie scores but its own thing)
For me it's Skyrim. Streets of Whiterun, Masser, Jerral Mountains, Under an Ancient Sun, so many tracks that just instantly transport me back to the world I was immersed in throughout most of high school. They bring a sense of peace that comes from exploring in a simpler time.
I really enjoyed the OST of the Ace Attorney games (especially the first one), Shadow of The Colossus, Kingdom Hearts, Hotel Dusk and Xenoblade Chronicles... I could go on though.
Sim City 4 is definitely in my top five - love the chilled out jazzy stuff. Also, this is kind of out there, but does anybody remember the Harry Potter RPGs on gameboy color? Those had some great magical 8-bit tunes!