7 dystopian games that sound like the end, from 'Cyberpunk 2077' to 'Death Stranding'

No, not all dystopian games have blaring techno beats from yesteryear that drown out the story.

In fact, many titles have music that goes where the story does, carrying you to worlds that are fascinating to imagine, but horrifying to live in.

Here are seven dystopian games that give you a sense of the game's world, even when you listen without playing them:

Cyberpunk 2077

One of the most recognisable dystopian games of all time is CD Projekt Red's take on the IP, in which Keanu Reeves' role as punk rocker Johnny Silverhand earned praise. Despite the game's technical flaws, it is the snazzy, chaotic techno soundtrack that truly saves it, apart from the plot.

Apart from the in-game songs sung by a real-life band, you also get an incredible mix of music from various cultures, mirroring how Night City is itself a massive melting pot of cultures stuck in a dystopian 2013.

Death Stranding

If there's one thing that endures as much as Sam Bridges' tale in this Hideo Kojima classic, it is the minimalist soundtrack from the game, that feels both calm and intense at the same time.

Heavily inspired by the scores from the Blade Runner films, the game uses deep synths to give you the feeling of a beast's guttural roar within as they get progressively more chaotic, with a few that convey the idea of staying hopeful in the face of impending doom.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Michael McCann’s score for the third installment of the Deus Ex series is the definition of brooding: it combines darkwave synths with electronic beats and sampled voices, adding to the slow burn of Adam Jensen eventually learning more about Sarif Industries and the darker reasons behind the Tyrants’ attack on it.

It is neither melodramatic nor character-oriented, but lurks in the background and grips you in the same way that conspiracy theories pull people who believe in them. The careful use of distorted guitar and scratchy vocals also adds to the blend.

Bioshock Infinite

Garry Schyman’s clever soundtrack for the game has three things at once: it has the pulsing beats of an action game, a sense of wonder, and a deep melancholy.

Apart from the score beautifully lifting Booker’s quest to find Elizabeth in a steampunk version of Columbia, there is also the clever use of anachronistic songs, like Tears for Fears’ Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, which are distorted, but add to the game's narrative power.

Stellar Blade

Imagine a ruined, desolate Earth. What would that sound like? A stylish, futuristic dubstep-like beat, according to the composers of Stellar Blade. 

Despite being a bit repetitive at times, this soundtrack funks up Eve’s battle against the Naytibas to retake a forsaken Earth, often mixing hard rock and choral vocals to create a potent set of tracks over 10 hours in length.

Half-Life 2

Kelly Bailey's industrial electronic score for Half-Life 2 is a force to be reckoned with because she uses silences just as effectively as she does the music to give you a feel for the harsh version of the Earth that Gordon Freeman has to fight The Combine in.

Comprising 43 tracks, all of which are actually different from each other, Bailey uses most of them to carefully mirror plot development, and convey not just the hopelessness of the world Gordon was thrust into (after his stasis), but also a sense of action and terror.

Horizon Zero Dawn

This game is one of the finest examples of a group project in soundtrack design gone right—four sets of people take on scoring Aloy's journey to the Forbidden West to uncover her origins. The score is divided into the music of the machines, tribes, and nature.

Dutch composer Joris de Man scores the emotional centre of the game, aided by rich, luxuriant vocals, setting the base for an organic, anti-blockbuster score. You then have composer duo The Flight, who have worked on Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, and take on the ambient electronic sequences. Niels van der Leest brings in his thumping percussion beats for the tribal parts, while Jonathan Williams finishes the soundtrack off with choral bits that are a treat.