Many music fans don't realize it, but video game soundtracks have been home to some of the most beloved music of the past few decades. From the early 1980s until today, the creators of everything from racing classics like Mario Kart 64 to open-world epics like The Last of Us have drawn upon the work of talented musicians to produce unforgettable soundtracks that are almost as well known as the games themselves.

Record labels and journalists have devoted extensive vinyl reissues and numerous in-depth essays to highlighting this rich, if overlooked, corner of music, which was largely shaped by musicians from Japan. For musicians around the world, including countless pianists, video game soundtracks ignited a lifelong love of music, whether with the lo-fi, 8-bit bleeps of Sonic the Hedgehog and Motocross Maniacs or the expansive, orchestral sounds of Final Fantasy. 

Pianists have been putting their take on video game classics for years. Piano renditions of music from games like Skyrim, Super Mario, and Assassin's Creed generate millions of views online, as pianists combine their (and our!) favorite instrument with their passion for video games.

We've rounded up the best video game soundtracks for pianists.

1. Super Mario Theme

The Koji Kondo classic that stays stuck in your head for days

Video game soundtracks don't come more recognizable than this 1985 classic from Koji Kondo. The Japanese Nintendo employee said he was given very little direction from Super Mario's creators, and that his aim with the composition was to increase the tension the user felt as they progressed through the game.

The piano version certainly keeps that tension, with the kind of melody that gets stuck in your head for days.

2. The Last of Us – Main Theme

A dark, textural favorite from composer maestro Gustavo Santaolalla

Before it was a popular HBO series, The Last of Us was a critically acclaimed video game, praised for its exceptional design and heartbreaking storyline. 

The haunting score by Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla brings players even deeper into this survival story and is widely considered among the greatest video game music of all time. In Grounded: The Making of The Last of Us, Santaolalla says that he needed to "go into some more dark places, more textural and not necessarily melodic," while composing the piece, traits that come through on the piano, too. 

3. Tetris – Russian Traditional

A nineteenth-century classic updated for modern ears

Unlike the rest of the songs on this list, the original Tetris theme wasn't crafted by an Oscar-winning composer or electronic producer hunched over a synthesizer in a Tokyo studio. Instead, "Korobeiniki" ("The Peddlers" in English) is an old Russian folk song based on a nineteenth-century poem of the same name by Nikolay Nekrasov. 

Japanese musician Hirokazu Tanaka rearranged the song for the new Nintendo Game Boy version of Tetris in 1989, which is the version best known today. The piece is a blast to play on piano, but a word of warning: it's a total earworm.

4. The Legend of Zelda – Saria's Song

Lose yourself in this upbeat melody

"Saria's Song" usually plays when The Legend of Zelda's protagonist, Link, finds himself near forests or woods. In the game itself, the player must learn to play the song from Saria herself before progressing.

You can also learn to play a piano version of this song with flowkey. But rather than learning in a magic forest, you're free to learn at home, your friend's place, or anywhere else you like to play the piano.

5. Final Fantasy XV – Noctis

Yoko Shimomura's seeping, emotional masterpiece

The composer Yoko Shimomura hoped the calm, soothing sound of this piece would reflect the personality of Noctis Lucis Caelum, Final Fantasy XV's main character. The piece unfolds slowly, tugging at your heartstrings for what seems like forever. "I really went for something where you feel that emotional resonance in there, seeping in slowly," Shimomura said about the piece at a live performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2016.

Whether you’re the listener or playing this on the piano yourself, you’ll likely feel the same way.

6. Skyrim – Ancient Stones

Soaring melodies from Jeremy Soule to get you inspired

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open-world game known for its vast, impressive settings high in the mountains, where ancient forts and ruins litter the landscape. The soundtrack, full of epic pieces like "Ancient Stones," is a fitting match, with soaring melodies synced perfectly to snowy mountain peaks and sky-high cliff faces.

There are hints of that grandiosity in the piano version. Play, and get inspired.

7. Assassin's Creed – Ezio's Family

Jesper Kyd's slow-building fan favorite

Assassin's Creed is one of modern gaming's most popular series. It travels through a range of regions and eras, from Ancient Egypt to nineteenth-century London to pirate-infested seas in the Caribbean. 

"Ezio's Family," from Assassin's Creed 2, stands out in a series full of excellent music, having been watched more than thirty million times on YouTube alone. It's easy to see the appeal on piano, too, with a slow-building tension and delicate melody. This song was also matched with Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a master assassin from Florentine and the most popular character from the Assassin's Creed series. Fans describe Ezio as loyal, hotheaded and playful—traits that shine through this expansive piece. 

This is one of the beginner-friendly piano songs on this list, but even at a beginner level, "Ezio's Family" is striking. 

8. Mass Effect 2: Suicide Mission/End Run

The soaring soundtrack to a doomed, desperate attack

This famous piece from the second installment in the intergalactic series set one century into the future blends steely electronics with a full-blown orchestra. The result is as mighty as that sounds, and the perfect accompaniment to the game's final mission, where protagonist Commander Shepard leads a desperate attack deep into alien territory.

There's a hint of melancholy in the piano arrangement, which builds into a stunning, soaring climax before suddenly falling away. Will our Mass Effect heroes make it? Even if they don't, at least they got a great musical send-off.

9. Dark Souls – Gwyn, Lord of Cinder

A made-for-piano beauty played only on the white key

We had to include this one, as it's one of the rare video game soundtracks composed only for piano. It's heart-wrenching, powerful, and beautiful at once. And interestingly, it's played only with the white keys. Fans say this white-keys-only decision was made to reflect one character's rejection of the coming era of darkness. Whatever the reason, this song needs to be high on every piano-playing gamer’s list.