There’s plenty of talk about music going viral on TikTok, but another way songs get popular is the multi-billion-dollar video game industry. For those who haven’t picked up a controller in a while, think beyond the primitive synthesizer scores of early Nintendo games. Today, video game music can truly be anything, and the biggest games spare no expense to create the right vibe.

For example, a deep cut off Full Moon Fever, Tom Petty’s “Love Is a Long Road” recently saw an 8,000% bump on streaming platforms after it was featured in a trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI. Grand Theft Auto has introduced gamers to hundreds of songs via its in-game radio stations, and it’s far from the only influential gaming franchise. Music-based games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band are centered around mastering singing and playing along with popular songs, and many other games have soundtracks featuring the biggest stars in music.

Let’s get creative today and pull our favorite songs from video games, past and present, as well as any great songs about gaming.

For today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, which songs either featured in or about video games would you like to hear?

Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

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Songs Played
Tom Petty - Love Is A Long Road
The Heavy - How You Like Me Now?
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Caesars - Jerk It Out
Blur - Song 2
A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (bonus)