A few years ago, if you told someone you collected video game soundtracks on vinyl, you’d get a polite nod and a quick change of subject. Now? Labels are pressing them faster than collectors can keep up, Record Store Day has an entire gaming category, and a Chrono Trigger LP box set just sold out in days.
Video game music on vinyl isn’t a curiosity anymore. It’s one of the fastest-growing corners of the collecting world.
What Just Happened
The last week of March alone delivered some heavy hitters. Square Enix released the CHRONO TRIGGER Original Soundtrack Vinyl LP Box on March 25 — a four-LP set spanning 64 tracks of Yasunori Mitsuda’s iconic score, with record jackets featuring original Akira Toriyama artwork. Priced at 17,600 yen (roughly £90 / $115), it includes a download code for MP3s and, for early Amazon Japan buyers, a set of collectible “Mega Jacket” prints. The Amazon allocation sold out almost immediately.
Meanwhile, Slay the Spire — the roguelike deckbuilder that helped define an entire genre — announced its soundtrack is getting a vinyl release from composer Clark Aboud. And that’s before we even get to Record Store Day.
RSD 2026: Gaming Gets Its Own Section
Record Store Day on April 18 features three video game music releases, all from the Materia Music family of labels:
Undertale 10th Anniversary Remix Album — A special remix collection celebrating a decade of Toby Fox’s beloved soundtrack, released by Monstercat and Firaga Records. It’s an “RSD First” title limited to 1,000 copies, though a wider release is expected later this year (timed with Undertale’s confirmed 2026 orchestral world tour).
Cyberpunk 2077: Ronin — Angel Of Man’s love letter to Night City, originally released on streaming last year, gets its first vinyl pressing with a previously unreleased bonus track. Think high-octane synth anthems and reflective neon-soaked soundscapes.
Video Game LoFi: Sleepy Pokémon Beats — For the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, Curaga Records put together 15 lo-fi remixes of classic franchise melodies. Tape-saturated drums, jazzy undertones, chill vibes. It’s the kind of record that’ll live on your turntable during study sessions.
Why VGM Vinyl Took Off
The short answer: nostalgia meets quality. Game soundtracks carry the same emotional weight as film scores, but they’re tied to experiences people spent dozens (or hundreds) of hours immersed in. Hearing “Corridors of Time” from Chrono Trigger or “Sweden” from Minecraft on vinyl isn’t just pleasant — it’s a direct line back to a specific time in your life.
The longer answer involves the labels. Companies like iam8bit, Black Screen Records, Data Discs, and Materia Music have spent years building VGM vinyl into something serious. The pressings are often gorgeous — coloured vinyl, gatefold sleeves, original artwork commissions. They treat game music with the same reverence that audiophile labels give to jazz or classical.
The collector demand matches. Limited runs sell out in hours. The secondary market for titles like the Persona 5 or Dark Souls pressings regularly hits multiples of retail price.
What to Actually Collect
If you’re new to VGM vinyl, a few pointers:
Start with what you love. This sounds obvious, but the temptation to buy every limited drop is real. If you’ve never played Undertale, don’t buy the RSD release just because it’s limited. Buy the games that meant something to you.
Check the label reputation. iam8bit, Data Discs, and Fangamer consistently deliver quality pressings. Some smaller labels cut corners on mastering — you want a pressing that was properly mastered for vinyl, not just the digital files dumped onto wax.
Watch for pre-orders. Most VGM vinyl sells out during pre-order and never gets restocked. Follow labels on social media or sign up for their newsletters. By the time you see it in a Reddit post, it’s probably gone.
Don’t sleep on Japanese releases. Square Enix’s vinyl output has been exceptional — the Final Fantasy series, NieR: Automata, and now Chrono Trigger. They tend to be pricier to import, but the quality is consistently high.
Where This Is Going
The pipeline keeps growing. Beyond the immediate RSD releases, there’s a Scott Pilgrim EX soundtrack pressing (sky blue and hot pink blend vinyl, expected August 2026), more Square Enix releases on the horizon, and labels like Black Screen Records steadily working through catalogues from Elden Ring to Risk of Rain.
The orchestral concert circuit is feeding into it too. Undertale’s 2026 world tour and the ongoing Final Fantasy concert series create demand that flows directly back to vinyl. People attend the concert, fall in love with hearing the music live, and want a physical copy to take home.
For collectors who’ve been in the VGM vinyl space for a while, the challenge is shifting from finding releases to deciding which ones to skip. For everyone else? There’s never been a better time to start.
The Chrono Trigger box set alone is proof that game music on vinyl has earned its place alongside any other genre on your shelf.
