In the previous part, we talked about the sound effects, now let's broaden our eardrums gaze and take a look at the—

Background Music

The amount and structure of background music depend on the game’s genre, scope, narrative, and gameplay style. In games like Doom, music is central — it drives adrenaline and encourages fast, aggressive play. Metal: Hellsinger goes further, making audio integral to gameplay itself.

In tactical shooters, however, this approach would be counterproductive. Here, precise sound positioning is key: enemy footsteps, reloads, bomb setups, etc. Music takes a backseat to critical audio cues and is used minimally — in menus, round intros, or moments when battles are resolved. During active combat, music is either absent or subdued as ambient sound, emphasizing tension and atmosphere rather than controlling game tempo.

Modern game sound design often uses interactive music systems, dynamically reacting to the player’s actions and world events. There are two main approaches to designing these systems:

• Horizontal — different sounds play for different locations (city, forest, factory, etc.), clearly signaling environment changes.

• Vertical — layered music, e.g.:

  • base layer plays during exploration;

  • tension layer adds when enemies notice the player;

  • combat layer transforms the base track into a dynamic composition, heightening intensity toward the climax.

“Excellent examples of game music include brutal Doom (2016), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, capturing the spirit of Slavic fantasy, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with one of the most detailed and expansive music systems. Nobuo Uematsu’s work in Final Fantasy inspired me to create music, while indie games like Undertale show how 8-bit compositions enhance immersion.” — Vitaly Davidovich, Sound Designer

Character themes often use leitmotifs, musical phrases reflecting the character’s personality, behavior, etc. By adjusting instruments, tempo, or key, composers can subtly signal mood shifts or narrative context.

Menu music is another vital aspect — it becomes the project’s audio “face” as it is frequently heard by players. It must be memorable without becoming tiring.

Overall, interactive music can range from 20-30 minutes in small indie games to 4-5 hours in AAA titles.

Share in the comments if you have a favourite track from any game! What do you listen it to?