Retro Games Music
Retro-looking game music can take many forms, styles, and genres.
Usually, what makes it feel “retro” or “vintage” is not so much the genre itself, but the sound palette. In general, these can be grouped into four main styles:
pure 8-bit/chiptune, 16-bit (SNES era), PSX (90s), and indie hybrid.
8-bit / Chiptune → Uses the authentic limitations of early consoles, meaning only a handful of simple waveforms (square, triangle, noise) with very restricted polyphony. It’s raw, minimal, and instantly nostalgic 👾
16-bit (SNES era) → A step forward, with more variety of sampled sounds and richer textures. This era allowed more expressive melodies and a wider sonic palette 🕹️
PSX (90s) → Based on the PlayStation 1 era, where audio moved to early digital samples and lo-fi recordings, often gritty but with more depth and atmosphere 🎮
Indie Hybrid → A mix of all the above, often blending chiptune aesthetics with modern production. It may hide its modernity behind filters or retro-style instruments, but still brings in new techniques and sound design 💻