Top 10 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Games with the Best Soundtracks

The Nintendo Entertainment System was a revolutionary machine, but people seem to overlook it today. It was incredibly advanced for its time.

The NES had good games, bad games, and a lot of difficult games. Along with those games came some truly great 8-bit soundtracks.

These are the best of the best.

The Top Ten

  1. Mega Man 2

    Good list! This should be higher though (in my opinion). Mega Man 3 should be on here too.

    One of the best games on the system with wonderful music. I still remember renting my cart at Blockbuster a few hundred times. The Dr. Wily Stage 1 theme is the best, though, in my opinion.

    Opening title theme, also the Dr. Wily's castle - so good!

  2. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

    Only #4? Move it up another 3 spots. This is legendary, to say the very least. I mean, the games above all have wonderful soundtracks, but in my book, this one takes the cake.

    The best by far. Nearly all of these tracks were redone in future Castlevania games.

    Try playing this and not humming the music.

  3. Ninja Gaiden

    This was such a hard game, but it was always worth playing. Most of these NES game soundtracks have something in common: an action-packed soundtrack that matches the game perfectly. This specific soundtrack stood out from the others for being so cinematic.

  4. Mega Man 3

    The only game with a soundtrack that competes with Mega Man 2. I don't know which I like better. Top 2 for Mega Man.

    Maybe the best soundtrack of the series, which is saying a lot.

  5. Super Mario Bros. 3

    This is said to be the greatest Mario game of all time and the greatest NES game of all time. The soundtrack is one of the most well-known in all of retro gaming. It is upbeat and extremely catchy, and even the castle themes actually sound like castle themes. The airship song is simply epic.

    One of those soundtracks that simply makes me smile and lets me know I'm playing a good game. The athletic theme is my personal favorite. Mega Man 2 comes a deadly close second, though.

  6. Castlevania

    The prologue is the most inviting NES song ever (if you know what I mean). All through the game, the music never ceases to amaze me, considering the limits of 8-bit music. Just listen to Wicked Child.

    Oh, Castlevania... Definitely one of the hardest games for the NES. The Stage One track is simply one of the most memorable NES songs of all time. That song alone practically gives this soundtrack the number three spot.

    I just can't figure out why they never re-release Wicked Child in any newer Castlevania games. It's one of the best tracks on the NES, period!

  7. Contra

    Contra set the standard for 2D shooters. This game was as hard as it was satisfying, and the soundtrack is the reason why. Like Battletoads and Batman, it pretty much defined the game. It's pure NES action at its finest.

  8. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

    Terrible game. What's this dude talking about? Haha. Awful game, but really good music.

    I'd say, for a bad sequel to a popular franchise, it still has pretty good music.

  9. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

  10. Super Mario Bros.

    You knew this would be on the list. I mean, who doesn't know the Mario theme? Yeah, nobody. This could possibly be the most famous video game song of all time. Need I say more?

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Sunman

    This unreleased Sunsoft game, originally intended to be a Superman game, has a jazzy soundtrack evocative of the early days of Superman and Batman, evoking feelings of frantic tension.

  12. ?

    Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu

    This is an awesome and very underrated game, and it has one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard in a video game.

    13. The Contenders

  13. Battletoads

    Battletoads is said to be the hardest game on the NES, or even the hardest game of all time. But that doesn't stop it from being really fun to play, and the soundtrack just makes the game. It's perfect for an action game like this, and each song is unique and great fun to listen to. When I listen to the soundtrack, I feel like I'm actually playing the game.

    This game is awesome. Great graphics. Great music. Great frustration.

  14. The Legend of Zelda

    This soundtrack is adventurous. It's pure Zelda music, and nothing more. The reason that this is on the list is that the soundtrack is not very broad. People really only know two songs: the theme and the dungeon theme. But nonetheless, it's an awesome soundtrack.

  15. Batman

    Batman was yet another very hard game for the NES. Like Battletoads, it was still fun to play and had a great soundtrack. I don't have to say much about this one. It just feels like classic Batman.

  16. Journey to Silius

  17. DuckTales

    The intro song is so badass. I generally waste an hour listening to it. They got it so right.

    My childhood television. Those were the days.

    Amazing music. Especially the moon level. Great game too, and it has inspired recent games such as Shovel Knight.

    Why isn't this in the top 3? Do people not have ears?

  18. Mega Man 4

  19. Super Mario Bros. 2

    All three NES Mario games on the same list! It seems like Mario is always spitting out greatness. This was probably the hardest Mario game on the NES. The soundtrack would rank higher if it weren't for the horrible game ending.

  20. Bubble Bobble

  21. Rod Land

    As a later NES game, it's not surprising that this arcade conversion pushes the NES's sound capabilities, creating beautiful echoes and warbly effects that add an appropriate sense of wonder to a fairy-themed game.

  22. Double Dragon

    Totally underrated. The second level song may be the best NES song ever.

  23. Silver Surfer

    As weird as it sounds, I think it should be higher.

    Terrible game, but awesome soundtrack!

  24. The Ultimate Stuntman

    The game may not be very good, but the music knows what the story is - a by-the-numbers, over-the-top 80's action movie plot, sci-fi or not - and has a lot of fun with it. The first level's theme sounds like the soundtrack constantly playing inside Strong Bad's head.

  25. Metroid

    This soundtrack was just so spacey! And that was what Metroid was all about. It had sort of an eerie feeling to it, which later Metroid games also had. Every NES fan knows the Brinstar theme.

  26. Kid Icarus

  27. Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones

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