PushSquareSotD Red Dead 1

We’re listing the ten best Soundtracks of the Decade. These are the ten PlayStation scores released over the past decade that we believe left the biggest impression on our sonic palettes. Whether it’s Journey's Grammy nominated masterpiece or Destiny’s 8 movement symphony, these are the soundtracks that hit the best notes across the last ten incredible years of gaming. Head here to see the complete series.

Rockstar Games don’t release games terribly often, so when one does launch, it’s quite the event. In the case of a Red Dead Redemption sequel, people were clamouring for it for years and years, and for good reason. Both titles represent some of the most critically acclaimed titles of all time, and each carry a soundtrack Ennio Morricone would be proud of.

In particular, Red Dead Redemption 2 has such a mind-bogglingly robust soundtrack, it’s impossible not to love. The sheer amount of talent that contributed to making this soundtrack a reality is stunning, including huge names like Willie Nelson, Josh Homme, and literally hundreds more. The end result is a soundtrack comprised of two different but equal sounds.

On the one side, you have a collection of folksy vocal tracks that diegetically appear in game, and create relaxing, melancholic moments for Arthur Morgan to listen to. In the particular case of 'Mountain Hymn', we get to hear one of the most beautiful melodies ever created, and that’s just one standout amongst a plethora of other standouts.

Not to be outdone is the main score, primarily tackled by composer Woody Jackson, who scored the first Redemption title as well. This piece of the soundtrack takes it cues from spaghetti westerns of old, chock full of flamenco-flecked guitars, dizzying drum arrangements, and a sense of tension and action that you can only get from a western.

It’s probably no surprise to anyone that Red Dead features on this list, given the quality and amount of talent behind it, but even with expectations as high as that, this soundtrack is truly something special.

And there we go. That's the number three soundtrack of the decade done and dusted. Do you agree? Would you have put it higher? Replaced it with something else? Let us know in the comments.