The anticipation for video games has reached a new peak in pop culture, with social media becoming a significant player in enhancing the rollout of a game’s release. Along with the heightened coverage of gaming, video game trailers have become even more of a necessity, with fans eagerly anticipating every aspect of a trailer, searching for easter eggs and innovative features.
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A common element of many trailers is the use of commercial songs to enhance the promotion of a game, with music becoming an essential piece in soundtracking new releases. In the history of video game trailers, several songs have amplified a trailer’s content, with many songs becoming iconic through their association with specific video game franchises.
8 Kanye West – Power: Saints Row 3
Hip-Hop Epic Acts As The Soundtrack To Awesome And Action Packed Warfare
- Trailer Release Date: June 1, 2011
Saints Row 3 was the most hyped title in the franchise, with the game coming off the success of Saints Row 2, which received much praise for its wacky and chaotic world. For the release of Saints Row 3, the developers, Volition, chose Kanye West’s hip-hop extravaganza “Power” to soundtrack their opening trailer. In the trailer, Power accompanies a visual spectacle featuring a crime-ridden city decimated by violence and turf wars, all shown in slow motion.
The epicness and grandeur of Power only add to the trailer, with Steelport being depicted as a city full of excitement and chaos as the song enhances the scale by fitting with the game’s identity.
7 Blood Cultures – Set It on Fire: Skate Story
Joyful Song That Encapsulates The Vibes Of Skating
- Trailer Release Date: June 9, 2022
For the indie game Skate Story, Blood Cultures’ song “Set It on Fire” perfectly encapsulates the feeling of skateboarding, with the song bringing a joyful presence to a skating game where the main playable character operates as a demon.
The use of Set It on Fire in its teaser, paired with the game’s content, capitalizes on recent trends in pop culture. The combination of a joyful song and a unique art style is reminiscent of the art style and soundtrack of movies and shows such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Invincible. Despite Skate Story not yet being released, its second trailer has undoubtedly succeeded, with its visuals and audio fitting seamlessly together to create a mesmerizing teaser.
6 Hyper – Spoiler: Cyberpunk 2077
Electronic Overload That Paints The Picture Of Night City
- Trailer Release Date: June 10, 2018
With the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 on the horizon, CD Projekt Red’s E3 trailer for the game brought forth a futuristic utopia, with the song “Spoiler” by Hyper being the soundtrack to Night City. Spoiler is an aggressive electronic anthem that perfectly encapsulates the crime-ridden utopia shown in Night City during the trailer.
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Spoiler’s inclusion in the trailer brings a manic feel, with the audiovisual experience piquing the interest of many, as Cyberpunk 2077 went on to become one of the most notorious games of the last decade.
5 Stevie Wonder – Skeletons: Grand Theft Auto 5
Groovy Tune That Depicts The Sunshine Of Los Santos
- Trailer Release Date: November 14, 2012
Grand Theft Auto 5 marked the start of Rockstar’s total dominance in the game industry, with its second trailer giving audiences a glimpse into the bright and sunny lights of Los Santos, GTA’s version of Los Angeles. Using Stevie Wonder’s classic song, “Skeletons”, the trailer emphasizes the high life and the American dream that the GTA franchise epitomizes.
Skeleton’s soulful and groovy vibe is the perfect soundtrack for the franchise’s first foray into Los Angeles, a city famed for its flavorful culture, bright lights, and criminal endeavors.
4 Woodkid – Iron: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Triumphant Song Which Scores Intense Cinematic Starring Assassins
- Trailer Release Date: June 6, 2011
The fourth installment of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, marked the end of the Ezio Auditore saga, with its E3 trailer becoming famed for its cutting-edge cinematics starring the assassin. Accompanying the ahead-of-its-time cinematic is Woodkid’s song “Iron”, which gives off an epic audio experience to pair with the stunning visuals of Ezio and his assassin journey.
The song’s drums create a triumphant feel, reminiscent of a war cry, with Ezio set to have one final hurrah as the beloved face of the storied franchise.
3 Nero – Doomsday: Borderlands 2
Dubstep Classic Enhances The Chaos Of Borderlands
- Trailer Release Date: February 21, 2012
Following the success of the first game, Borderlands 2 was a much-anticipated title that further explored the world of Pandora. In the Borderlands 2 Doomsday trailer, Nero’s “Doomsday” plays as the theme of Borderlands’ new era, with the song’s wild style meshing with the chaos and action of the trailer.
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Released in 2012, Gearbox and 2K embraced the dubstep phenomenon that was sweeping music at the time. In the trailer, the ferocious sound was utilized as the soundtrack to a game that epitomized much of the genre in being outrageous and explosive.
2 Tom Petty – Love Is A Long Road: Grand Theft Auto 6
Return To Vice City Sees Rock Legend Voice The Soundtrack
- Trailer Release Date: December 4, 2023
In one of the most popular video game trailers to date, the introduction of Grand Theft Auto 6 in late 2023 brought social media and pop culture to a standstill, with the iconic franchise introducing its biggest title yet. Returning to Vice City, GTA 6 uses Tom Petty’s “Love Is A Long Road” to reintroduce the wild world based on Florida to the masses.
Love Is A Long Road’s rock ‘n’ roll sound gives the game a summertime feel, perfect for the location of Vice City and GTA’s next installment.
1 Gary Jules – Mad World: Gears of War
Chilling Song Provides Backdrop For Popular Franchise’s Beginnings
- Trailer Release Date: October 25, 2006
Gears of War has become a household name in gaming, with the series’ first game having a cinematic trailer that single-handedly changed how video game trailers are perceived, revolutionizing the industry in the process. Using Gary Jules’ song “Mad World,” the Gears of War trailer has a chilling and ominous feel, with Mad World’s somber instrumental and vocals only adding to the carnage Marcus Fenix finds himself in.
Directed by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, Gears of War: Mad World introduced the game to audiences in a unique and cinematic way, with Mad World being a vital aspect of the trailer’s commercial success.
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