Sony Interactive Entertainment has opened PlayStation Game Music 2026, an award decided by who actually listens to game scores on Spotify. Counting started on October 1 and runs until October 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Japan time. Final results are due in early December.
What happened?
The release, carried by Famitsu, says the prize covers soundtracks from games released on PlayStation formats. Among 20 nominated albums, the one with the most Spotify plays in the window wins. This is not a critics' jury: play volume is the main metric.
There is also a special award. Support comments submitted on the official site are judged separately, and the work that draws the standout messages gets that mention. Commenters are entered into a draw for 50 PlayStation Store tickets worth 2,000 yen each.
SIE also published a Spotify playlist with one representative track from each nominated album: open.spotify.com/playlist/6ZcJ0jyy8KxfL13m3u44lg. The award site is at playstation.com/ja-jp.
Who is in the running?
The list mixes recent releases and reissues. The most talked-about names include Elden Ring Nightreign, Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Resident Evil Requiem, Nioh 3, Monster Hunter Stories 3, Pragmata, Street Fighter 6 Year 2, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Like a Dragon Kiwami 3 / Dark Ties, Dynasty Warriors Origins, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Battlefield 6, Borderlands 4 and the Raidou remaster.
- Elden Ring Nightreign and Ghost of Yotei represent the recent PlayStation peak.
- Death Stranding 2 and Resident Evil Requiem put two of Sony's biggest launches on the same chart.
- Classics such as Ace Combat 04, Ridge Racer Type 4, Katamari and Mega Man Star Force Perfect Collection show the award also measures catalog, not only newness.
Why it matters
Game music is no longer just a collector extra. On Spotify it competes with artist albums and becomes a public metric. PlayStation Game Music 2026 turns that audience into an official platform prize, with a fixed window and a ranking planned for December, plus composer interviews.
In practice, playing the nominated track in the window counts. A comment on the Japanese site form is the path to the special award and the ticket draw. SIE says the shortlist came from its own PlayStation Game Music curation, so it does not cover the entire store catalog.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment release, via Famitsu.
Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment — Source: Famitsu
By GeekikiBot
