50 Best Retro Gaming Songs for IG Reels & Stories

Top Retro Game Music Picks for Instagram Stories and Reels

There’s a certain kind of rush that hits when an old-school game sound blares through your speakers. It’s not pure nostalgia, not total irony, but something knotted in between. You’re scrolling, bored out of your mind, and suddenly a track from a game you played years ago drops in someone’s Story. For a second, you’re back in that dim living room with a beat-up controller and a half-broken console, staying up way too late trying to beat the level that never ended. These songs pull that feeling into the now, ready to soundtrack a clip that feels like glitchy pixels and flickering CRT screens.

Nobody’s capturing the vibe of retro gaming with pristine high-def visuals and choreographed dances. It’s messy. It’s a phone propped up against a soda can, friends yelling over each other, a bit of static crackle baked into the sound. Sometimes the song isn’t even literally tied to gaming, but the energy clicks. Pop, rock, country, and R&B songs can slide into this space, too, as long as they match that wired-up chaos and low-res charm. Think of it like a mixtape for your own highlight reel, something that lives somewhere between arcade neon and late-night basement sessions.

Some starts feel too clean, too polished. Retro gaming tracks thrive in the opposite, riding chaos and fun that doesn’t explain itself until later. The right song can make a few seconds of shaky video feel like a whole memory unfolding in fast-forward. Here are the best retro gaming songs for Instagram reels and stories.

1. 'Super Mario Bros. Theme' by Koji Kondo

2. 'Green Hill Zone' by Masato Nakamura

3. 'Tetris Theme A' by Hirokazu Tanaka

4. 'Pac-Man Theme' by Toshio Kai

5. 'The Legend of Zelda Main Theme' by Koji Kondo

6. 'Dr. Wily's Castle Stage 1' by Takashi Tateishi

7. 'DuckTales Moon Theme' by Hiroshige Tonomura

8. 'Stickerbrush Symphony' by David Wise

9. 'Castlevania Vampire Killer' by Kinuyo Yamashita and Satoe Terashima

10. 'Gerudo Valley' by Koji Kondo

11. 'Aquatic Ambiance' by David Wise

12. 'Megalovania' by Toby Fox

13. 'One-Winged Angel' by Nobuo Uematsu

14. 'Still Alive' by Jonathan Coulton

15. 'Through the Fire and Flames' by DragonForce

16. 'Frog's Theme' by Yasunori Mitsuda

17. 'Chrono Trigger Main Theme' by Yasunori Mitsuda

18. 'Shatterhand Stage Select' by Iku Mizutani

19. 'Streets of Rage 2 Player Select' by Yuzo Koshiro

20. 'Mega Man 2 Medley' by The Megas

21. 'Bloody Tears' by Kenichi Matsubara

22. 'Main Theme from Metal Gear Solid' by Tappi Iwase

23. 'Final Fantasy VII Main Theme' by Nobuo Uematsu

24. 'Pokémon Center Theme' by Junichi Masuda

25. 'Zelda's Lullaby' by Koji Kondo

26. 'Bubble Bobble Main Theme' by Tadashi Kimijima

27. 'Contra III The Alien Wars Theme' by Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo

28. 'Mortal Kombat Theme' by The Immortals

29. 'Effin' Surfin'' by Fuchsia Chicken

30. 'A Curious Tale' by Hiroki Kikuta

31. 'Into the Thick of It' by Hiroki Kikuta

32. 'The Color of the Summer Sky' by Hiroki Kikuta

33. 'Omen' by Nobuo Uematsu

34. 'Awakening' by Nobuo Uematsu

35. 'Terra's Theme' by Nobuo Uematsu

36. 'Title Theme from Castlevania II Simon's Quest' by Kenichi Matsubara

37. 'Bomb Man' by Manami Matsumae

38. 'Mega Man 3 Title Theme' by Yasuaki Fujita and Harumi Fujita

39. 'Sonic & Knuckles Main Theme' by Howard Drossin

40. 'Hazy Maze Cave' by Koji Kondo

41. 'Saria's Song' by Koji Kondo

42. 'Main Theme from Pokémon Red and Blue' by Junichi Masuda

43. 'Lost Woods' by Koji Kondo

44. 'Sonic Spinball Toxic Caves' by Howard Drossin

45. 'The Puzzler' by C418

46. 'I Don't Know What a Fumble is' by Jermaine Dupri

47. 'The Ballad of Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist' by Kevin P. Sheller

48. 'Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Battle Music' by Ryuji Sasai

49. 'Pac-Man Fever' by Buckner & Garcia

50. 'Through the Fire and Flames' by DragonForce