Ah, video game music, how I love thee. I’m not the slightest bit ashamed to admit that most the music I listen to are from video game soundtracks. As such, naming my favorite video game soundtrack of any given year is one of my favorite awards. There was certainly no shortage of quality video game music in 2016, so this was a hard pick, but in the end, I had to pick something.

Winner: Dark Souls III

Let’s get this out of the way, all of the Souls games have exceptional music, and Dark Souls III may just boast the best soundtrack in the series. Every menacing boss has an equally menacing themes to go with them, every environment is filled with atmospheric tunes, and every breathtaking, controller-throwing moment is made into something more thanks to the phenomenal soundtrack that accompanies each and every last one of them.

In a year that also saw such great soundtracks as Stardew Valley and Paper Mario: Color Splash, Dark Souls III stands as the most audibly triumphant title of 2016.

Runner-up: Stardew Valley