Summary

  • Five games are nominated for the Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games, including a DLC and a remake.
  • Nominees include major titles like Avatar and Spider-Man.
  • An amendment allows old media with new music to be considered, affecting the God of War DLC and Wizardry remake.

The best video game soundtrack of the year will be decided for the third time at the 67th 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 February 2, 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 the best music in video games, which saw its introduction in 2023.

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This year's official list of Grammy nominees includes three AAA games: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, composed by Pinar Toprak; Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, composed by John Paesano, and Star Wars Outlaws, composed by Wilbert Roget II. Also making this year's list of nominees is the Valhalla DLC for God of War Ragnarok, composed by Bear McCreary. Rounding off the list of nominees is the remake of the classic 1981 computer-based RPG Wizardry: 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

  • Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Pinar Toprak, composer
  • God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla – Bear McCreary, composer
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – John Paesano, composer
  • Star Wars Outlaws – Wilbert Roget, II, composer
  • Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord – Winifred Phillips, composer

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 the God of War Ragnarok Valhalla DLC and the remake of Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.

Additionally, the Valhalla DLC's inclusion makes composer Bear McCreary the 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 of God of War Ragnarok and in 2023 for Call 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 for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Stephanie Economou for Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok, respectively.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
God of War: Ragnarok Tag Page Cover Art
10 /10

God of War Ragnarok
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Action
Adventure
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1
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Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
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Released
November 9, 2022
ESRB
M For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Developer(s)
Santa Monica Studio
Publisher(s)
Sony
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God of War Ragnarok the crater region and lightning
6 Images
God of War Ragnarok the crater region and lightning
Intense combat with Kratos wielding fiery Blades of Chaos against a powerful enemy in God of War Ragnarok
Kratos gazing at colossal statues in a mystical, cloudy landscape in God of War Ragnarok
God of War Ragnarok gameplay
Kratos from God of War Ragnarok
Kratos battling a creature with Atreus assisting in the background
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Embark on an epic and heartfelt journey as Kratos and Atreus struggle with holding on and letting go
From 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.

Engine
Proprietary Engine
Franchise
God of War
Genre(s)
Action, Adventure
How Long To Beat
26 Hours
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty