Why JRPG Soundtracks Are 2026's Most Underrated Storytelling Tool
The music created for JRPGs has hit an emotional core that many other video game soundtracks haven’t done. Their music has been built into many legacies that, with the support of upcoming video game soundtracks and remastered versions, will continue to build for many years to come. With meager international releases for the CDs of the soundtracks, listeners utilized gray area downloads and illegal CD copies to illegally obtain and listen to the music. Access to these long-awaited soundtracks is finally here after having major JRPG video game soundtracks for sale on Apple Music and Spotify for the last two years.
The following soundtracks include JRPGs with streaming soundtracks that released on gaming consoles and PCs within the last two years, with the oldest soundtrack being that of Chrono Trigger. Over the years, the emotional core that the soundtracks built have branched off of amazing narrative cores of the games and have real built upon the already great stories. JRPG soundtracks have always remained head and shoulders above Western game music.
The Rankings below are based on our editors' opinions of each soundtrack's enduring cultural significance and the ease of access to its streaming services. Some entries merit ranking due to the technical advancements, some due to the composer’s credentials, while others simply due to the enduring popularity of the tunes that continue to encapsulate what JRPG music can accomplish. For each entry, we have provided composer info, citations of notable tracks, and the streaming service info. This is to assist readers in discovering more than what is available in the headline themes.
#10 — Zero Parades for Dead Spies (2026)
In May 2026, ZA/UM released The Soundtrack for Zero Parades on Apple Music, followed by other streaming services later that month. The album has 33 tracks, with contributions from artists such as Fernando Cabrera, Nuclear Dudes, Black Fox Leash, and Ella Norte. The composition style leans into the atmospheric noirs that characterize ZA/UM’s previous works for the Disco Elysium soundtrack but contains more prominent electronic and brass orchestration which is appropriate for the spy thriller genre. For followers of new releases, this is the most outre OST drop in the genre for 2026.
#9 — Trails through Daybreak (2026)
The Trail series maintains its trademark mix of jazz, prog rock, and orchestral music, as seen in Nihon Falcom Sound Team JDK's production for Trails through Daybreak. The English streaming release in 2026 will come two years after the 2024 Japanese release, and will allow Western audiences to experience one of the most consistently great JRPG composer collectives for the first time. Tracks like Calvard Republic main theme and the combat layered track "Reborn from Ashes" substantiates that Falcom soundtracks have garnered a loyal following beyond JRPGs.
#8 — Sea of Stars (2023, still streaming)
The primary composer for Sabotage Studio's Sea of Stars, Eric W. Brown, is joined by legendary Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Xenoblade). With Mitsuda attached to the score, Sea of Stars will have a contribution that echoes the classic 16-bit JRPGs, with Brown's being more modern indie. The soundtrack is available on Apple Music and Spotify. "Wheels" and Mitsuda's "Yomi" are some of the best tracks in indie JRPG soundtracks.
#7 — Bravely Default II (2021, streaming)
Revo is recognized for his Sound Horizon project and for having composed some of the music for Bravely Default II. His composed music provides rich orchestration that enhances the medieval fantasy aesthetic of the game. The streamed version contains both the vocal tracks and the instrumentals, meaning that the audience can enjoy the full arrangement without the distracting vocals. The opening theme, “Ancient Promise”, is a staple of all JRPG composer review videos.
#6 — Octopath Traveler II (2023, streaming)
The music for Octopath Traveler II, composed by Yasunori Nishiki, also expands upon the HD-2D sound design first used with the original game. Nishiki has 105 tracks streaming on the OST. These tracks include four theme songs for each protagonist, eight endings for each chapter, and intricate battle themes that vary based on what characters are in your party. Streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify have both a standard version and an arranged version. Nishiki's work continues the Square Enix trend of making soundtracks foreground scoring rather than the conventional background scoring.
#5 — NieR: Automata (2017, streaming)
Keiichi Okabe composed one of the best soundtracks of the decade for JRPGs in NieR: Automata. It includes some of the best vocal pieces in a made up language by Keiichi Okabe that contributes to the post apocalyptic feeling of the game. The songs "Weight of the World" and the dynamic "Bipolar Nightmare" showcase Okabe's ingenuity for the way he constructed music to fit the level of intensity with combat and the emotional peaks of the story. Also on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.
#4 — Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (2022, streaming)
For the 10-hour soundtrack to Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Monolith Soft brought together four composers: Yasunori Mitsuda, Manami Kiyota, Kenji Hiramatsu, and ACE. The streaming version includes the entire main score along with some alternate versions. With Mitsuda's signature warmth, reminiscent of his contributions to Chrono Trigger, the range and versatility of Mitsuda and his co-composers covers everything from lyrical character themes to epic orchestral writing for battle. Available on Apple Music and Spotify.
#3 — Chrono Trigger (1995, eternal streaming)
Two legends in the business of video game music composition, Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu, composed the music for \"Chrono Trigger\" 1995. Nearly three decades later, it continues to be considered one of the best, most influential video game music scores of all time, especially in the world of JRPGs. On offer in the Pixel Remaster edition, the score is streamed with updated audio quality so that listeners can experience the score the way the composers intended. Thanks to the enduring popularity of tracks such as \"Frog's Theme,\" \"Robo's Theme,\" and \"Schala's Theme\", the music score is still popular enough to be performed at concerts all over the world. The score is also one of the very few video game scores to be featured on editorial and streaming site lists of \"best game music\".
#2 — Persona 5 Royal (2020, streaming)
Shoji Meguro's work for Persona 5 Royal represents the acid jazz fusion style by building off the acid jazz used in JRPGs for earlier Persona titles such as Persona 3 and Persona 4, and adds further complexity in terms of arrangements. With the new Royal tracks including vocals from Lyn Inaizumi, the soundtrack has become a collection of cultural phenomena of the Persona franchise and expanded the audience of the soundtrack well beyond the regular JRPG listeners. The original Persona 5 soundtrack along with its Royal additions and other collections are available on streaming services. Other notable songs include the Royal exclusive track “I Believe” (Maruki’s confidant theme), “Beneath the Mask” (the romantic exploration theme), “Last Surprise” (the battle theme that went viral on Tik Tok), and “Dancing in Starlight” (the battle theme song). The Persona 5 collection stands out from its competitors because the acid jazz fusion genre is characterized by a heavy bass, layered and polyrhythmic drum patterns, and synthesized organ flourishes. The video series ranking every Persona game from the original title in 1996 to Royal, available on Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Spotify, provides more analysis on this franchise.
#1 — Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024, streaming)
Of the many soundtracks being released in 2024, the one that stands out the most is that of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which is, bar none, the most ambitious soundtrack for the JRPG genre. Coming in at over 400 tracks, it breaks the record for most ambitious JRPG soundtracks. With a variety of new tracks as well as remastered versions of Nobuo Uematsu's 1997 compositions spread across multiple discs, there is a lot to enjoy in this massive collection of music. The soundtracks also feature arrangements by Masashi Hamauzu, Mitsuto Suzuki, and Loren Balfe. With an EP’s worth of material for the Gold Saucer minigames, an orchestral rendition of Aerith’s Theme that many have shed tears over, and a battle theme titled Heir of Glory that brings in a techno sound to elevate the stakes of the trilogy, along with a piano version of Hollow Skies, Square Enix is showing their faith and ambition for the JRPG genre. Streaming soundtracks over actually playing the games is common. The music of this soundtrack can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music, along with some select songs. There are also plenty of franchise- and era-specific playlists made for the Final Fantasy series, which is over three decades old.
2026 JRPG Soundtrack Outlook
As we move into the latter half of 2026, we can expect upcoming JRPG soundtracks to become more readily available for streaming. Remixed tracks may also be included with the PC release of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, as well as some remastered tracks, which are yet to stream. Some Falcom soundtracks that have not been streamed in the West and Remastered editions of Trail games, which players in Japan have been enjoying for years, may also be releasing. We may be seeing a teaser for Persona 6 at the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027, which will reveal the direction of Atlus' sound team. It has been speculated that Composer Shoji Meguro will be contributing to the sounds of the game, however, it is predicted that his work in Soul Hackers 2 transitioned him from pure acid jazz fusion.
If the JRPGs of 2027 interest you, particularly with the music for Final Fantasy VII Part 3 and Persona 6, we are tracking the new audio prospects for the upcoming JRPGs. We can also expect the continued work of Falcom Sound Team JDK to stream Trails through Daybreak III in the West by 2027. For the context of older JRPGs, we have covered the history of JRPGs where we explore the genre and its accompanying music. 2026 will be a landmark year for new and remastered soundtracks, with the most streaming access to JRPGs available in the history of the genre.
If you want even more context on particular franchises, our coverage includes best Square Enix JRPGs for the Square Enix catalogue including most of this list, and best RPGs of all time encompasses the wider genre conversation that these soundtracks have helped shape over three decades.