Some of the Best Officially Licensed Songs in Video Games (Video)

We know there are thousands of songs spread out over hundreds of games that could have made this list, but these songs connect, resonate, & compliment the games

A gamer uses a Xbox video game controller to play the video game
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Image via Getty/Chesnot

A gamer uses a Xbox video game controller to play the video game

As we've gotten closer to the release of Grand Theft Auto V,  more of the game's official soundtrack has been teased by Rockstar. With over 240 licensed tracks, the next Rockstar score could easily be one of the most robust ever published within a video game.

That ambition hasn't always been the industry norm. Officially licensed music in video games has a had a less than luminous history before the people behind series like Grand Theft Auto, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Madden, and NBA2K decided that it was well worth the money to invest in, and feature real music that people actually listened to.

Strictly from a gaming perspective, the inclusion of music being performed by the artists themselves adds an entirely new layer of immersion to a title. We know there are thousands of songs spread out over hundreds of games that could have made this list, but these songs connect, resonate, and compliment their attached games in a way that makes them damn near perfect pairings.

 

Need for Speed Underground 2

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MLB '09 The Show

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Madden NFL 08

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FIFA 98

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Far Cry 3

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NBA Street 2

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Grand Theft Auto IV

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Call of Duty: Black Ops

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Gears of War 3

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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4

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Scarface: The World is Yours

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Alan Wake

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Hotline Miami

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NBA 2K13

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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

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Saints Row: The Third

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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

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BioShock

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Portal

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Red Dead Redemption

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