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The nominations list for the 2026 Grammy awards dropped recently, renewing the fierce yearly debates over what should win, what should lose, and what was snubbed entirely. In the gaming space, this is no different, as this year marks the fourth time soundtracks for video games and other interactive media are eligible for their own category. If you haven’t seen the full list yet, here are this year’s nominees.
If you’ve been paying attention to the games industry this year, there are a few elements of this list that feel off. The first is the release dates; three of the five games (namely Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Helldivers 2, and Star Wars Outlaws) fall squarely out of the typical nomination window, which includes releases between August 31, 2024 and August 30, 2025. The catch, however, is that Avatar and Star Wars games got nominations for their DLC packs, which were released more recently – each base game was already nominated last year. As for Helldivers II, a game released in February 2024, my guess is that it’s eligible because of its Xbox port this past August.
These sorts of timeline shenanigans aren’t unheard of with Grammys, even in major categories. For example, Wildflower by Billie Eilish was released on an album in May 2024, but because it was re-released as a single in February 2025, it’s up for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at this year’s awards.
The other way this feels off, however, is the relative impact of each soundtrack across video game culture. Star Wars and Avatar feel out of place in this regard as well, as both games are relatively well-regarded but didn’t have the same impact among gamers, and that sentiment extends to their soundtracks. Neither was nominated for best music at last year’s game awards, for example. But less egregious than their inclusion means the exclusion of other huge games, most notably Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It’s a big enough deal that nominee Austin Wintory called it out on social media, even offering to trade his place for the smash-hit RPG. While we do think it’s an oversight, Wintory’s inclusion is no surprise, as he’s currently tied for the most nominations in the category since its first year. You can read more on his background and approach to composition in this interview from earlier this year.
The other video game-specific news from this year’s Grammy nominations is that The 8-Bit Big Band, a jazz group that does covers of video game music, has been nominated in non-gaming categories for the third year. Its recent album, Orchestra Emulator, is up for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, while the song “Super Mario Praise Break” is up for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella. While it’s very exciting to see video game soundtracks get recognized in a dedicated category, it’s also exciting to see classic game songs break into more mainstream categories.
You can read the full list of nominees for this year’s Grammy Awards here. The ceremony will air on Sunday, February 1, on CBS and Paramount+.
Which soundtracks do you think should have been included in this year’s Grammy Awards? Let us know in the comments!
