Music is an essential part of any video game, from the rudimentary chiptune compositions of titles from the 8-bit era to the fully-orchestrated scores of modern-day epics like Elden Ring. And every now and then, the makers of these games dip into the well of licensed music in a bid to further elevate the experience of playing their games.

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This can come in the form of a curation of period-accurate pop songs like we get on the various radio stations in a GTA game, or songs that have been handpicked to complement individual moments and scenes. Such selections can help set the mood and tone of the game, as well as further immerse the player in the overall believability of the world being depicted. So with all that in mind, here are a few games that make great use of licensed music.

5 Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy

A screenshot showing Peter Quill initiate a huddle in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Not to be outdone by the recent movie adaptations by James Gunn, the developers at Square Enix had sought to populate the soundtrack for their Guardians of the Galaxy game with some recognizable hits from the 1970s and 80s.

And much like it had managed to do in the movies, the music really works to help define the character of Peter Quill, the leader of the group who players take direct control of. The best part is how well the songs have been integrated with the gameplay, as they seem to encourage the ragtag group of heroes to work even better as a team.

4 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

A screenshot showing the Malibu Club in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

It is hard to even think about licensed music in video games without immediately drifting towards the ones on the soundtracks of the various Grand Theft Auto games. Out of all the games we have gotten in the series though, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City makes the best use of its licensed music soundtrack.

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The game is set in the mid-80s, so as you can imagine, its radio stations are chock-full of hit songs from that era of music. And it is those songs that help ground the game in that particular decade, from the first time you get in a vehicle and hear Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" playing on the radio, to those magical moments when "Africa" by Toto just happens to come on in the middle of a rainstorm.

3 Indigo Prophecy

A screenshot showing Lucas Kane playing the guitar in Indigo Prophecy

Released in 2005 under the tile of Fahrenheit outside North America, Indigo Prophecy was a game in which the Canadian rock band, Theory of a Deadman, had contributed four songs to its soundtrack.

The song that immediately stands out from the bunch is "Santa Monica," a rock ballad where lead singer, Tyler Connolly, croons about an ex-girlfriend that had left him for a better life at the well-known LA boulevard. The song can be heard at several key moments throughout the game, including a controversial quick-time event-driven sex scene that didn't make it into the US version of the game.

2 Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne

A screenshot showing Max Payne performing a bullet dodge in Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Max Payne 2 might have received plenty of praise for its film noir aesthetic, as well as its implementation of bullet time mechanics, but it is actually its music that often comes to mind when looking back on the game.

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Much of that can be credited to the inclusion of "Late Goodbye" by Poets of the Fall on its soundtrack, a haunting rock ballad that remains as beautiful today as when the game was released back in 2003. Bits and pieces of the song get teased throughout the game, none of which are enough to prepare you for the full majesty of the track when it can finally be heard playing over the credits.

1 Red Dead Redemption

A screenshot showing John Marsten riding into Mexico in Red Dead Redemption

Few companies are as adept at picking the right licensed music for their games as Rockstar. And when we are thinking of one of the most iconic, song-driven gaming moments in recent memory, we don't need to look any further than Red Dead Redemption.

The moment in question comes about halfway through the game, when John Marston rides into Mexico for the first time, gaining access to an entirely new area of the overall map. The sweeping vistas and the solitary nature of the ride would have been enough to conjure up an emotional response on their own, but then "Far Away" by José González starts to play, and the whole thing suddenly becomes cinematic in scope.

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