Summary
The best video game soundtrack of the year will be decided for the third time at the67th annual Grammy Awards, and the Recording Academy of the United States has released its list of five nominees up for the prize. The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on Jul 10, 2025, in Los Angeles, and the award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media is being contested by a variety of three new games, one DLC, and one remake of a classic 1981 roleplaying game.
The Grammy Awards, named after the gramophone that sits prominently on each awards statue, was first held in 1959 to recognize outstanding achievements in the music industry. The 2025 awards show will include 94 categories, including one honoring thebest music in video games, which saw its introduction in 2023.
This year’sofficial list of Grammy nomineesincludes three AAA games:Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, composed by Pinar Toprak;Marvel’s Spider-Man2, composed by John Paesano, andStar Wars Outlaws, composed by Wilbert Roget II. Also making this year’s list of nominees is theValhallaDLC forGod of War Ragnarok,composed by Bear McCreary. Rounding off the list of nominees is theremake of the classic 1981 computer-based RPGWizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, composed by Winifred Phillips, which was recreated in a 3D format by publisher/developer Digital Eclipse and released on Steam in May.
2025 Grammy Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media Award Nominees
According to information posted on the official awards website, an amendment has been made for this year’s nominations to allow a piece of previously existing media to be considered if more than half of its musical content was released during the specified nomination year. The official explanation of the amendment states that this new content can be derived from new episodes or programming, and it specifically points out that downloadable content and seasonal expansions fall into this category. As all other games on this list saw their original releases during the nomination period, the only entries to possibly be affected by this change are theGod of War RagnarokValhallaDLCand the remake ofWizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.
Additionally, theValhallaDLC’s inclusion makescomposer Bear McCrearythe first-ever three-time nominee in the category. He has been featured on the nominees list every year since the category’s inception, receiving nods at the 2024 awards show for the base game ofGod of War Ragnarokand in 2023 forCall of Duty: Vanguard.However, he has yet to actually win the award, as those years' shows awarded the prize to Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab forStar Wars Jedi: Survivorand Stephanie Economou forAssassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok, respectively.
God of War Ragnarok
WHERE TO PLAY
Embark on an epic and heartfelt journey as Kratos and Atreus struggle with holding on and letting goFrom Santa Monica Studio comes the sequel to the critically acclaimed God of War (2018). Fimbulwinter is well underway. Kratos and Atreus must journey to each of the Nine Realms in search of answers as Asgardian forces prepare for a prophesied battle that will end the world. Along the way they will explore stunning, mythical landscapes, and face fearsome enemies in the form of Norse gods and monsters. The threat of Ragnarök grows ever closer. Kratos and Atreus must choose between their own safety and the safety of the realms.
