(A Riff Report Mega Post)
Metal isn’t just a genre – it’s an attitude, a lifestyle, and in some cases… a full-blown video game experience. Over the years, a handful of games have gone beyond bleeps and bloops to summon the spirit of Slayer, Sabbath, and Sepultura straight into your living room. These are the ones that made us scream, “YESS MUN!” while button-mashing like maniacs.
Let’s dive headfirst into the mosh pit of gaming greatness. 🩸🎸
1. Brütal Legend (2009)
🎤 Developer: Double Fine Productions
🎸 Starring: Jack Black, Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Rob Halford, Lita Ford
If there’s one game that deserves the crown of “most metal,” it’s Brütal Legend. Jack Black voices Eddie Riggs, a roadie who gets sucked into a fantasy world ripped straight off 1980s metal album covers. Imagine if Heavy Metal magazine and a Motörhead tour bus had a love child.
The game throws you into a land of fire, chrome, and riffs. Eddie fights with both a giant axe and his trusty Flying V guitar, which doubles as a lightning cannon. Yes, you can literally melt faces with solos.
The world itself is packed with cameos – Ozzy runs the upgrades shop, Lemmy is your bass-playing healer, Rob Halford plays multiple villains, and Lita Ford helps you fight the forces of darkness.
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
Over 100 licensed tracks from the gods of metal: Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Slayer, and even some underground bands. The soundtrack slaps harder than a mosh pit wall of death.
💀 Metal Rating: 11/10 Skulls
This is the Holy Bible of Metal Gaming. Nothing has ever come close.
2. Doom (1993) & Doom Eternal (2020)
🎤 Developer: id Software
The OG Doom defined metal gaming before “metal gaming” was even a thing. You’re the Doom Slayer: a lone marine with a shotgun who takes a holiday in Hell… by killing everything.
The original’s MIDI soundtrack was heavily inspired by Slayer, Metallica, and Pantera riffs. By the time we got to Doom Eternal, the franchise had gone full blast-beat. Mick Gordon’s soundtrack hired a literal choir of metal vocalists (from bands like Aborted and Cult Leader) to scream in unison, creating guttural soundscapes as you ripped demons apart.
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
Doom Eternal’s OST is legendary: “The Only Thing They Fear Is You” is basically the national anthem of ripping and tearing.
💀 Metal Rating: 10/10 Skulls
You’ve not lived until you’ve chainsawed a demon to death while double-kick drums pound in your ears.
3. Guitar Hero: Metallica (2009)
🎤 Developer: Neversoft
This was the ultimate fan service – an entire Guitar Hero dedicated to Metallica. You could play through their discography, with bonus appearances from Slayer, Machine Head, and Mercyful Fate.
It wasn’t just a tribute; it let you become James Hetfield (without the risk of third-degree pyro burns).
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
Includes Master of Puppets, One, Battery, and even Mercyful Fate’s 11-minute epic “Mercyful Fate” (yes, the whole medley).
💀 Metal Rating: 9/10 Skulls
A rite of passage for teenage metalheads with plastic guitars.
4. Twisted Metal (1995–2012)
🎤 Developer: SingleTrac / Eat Sleep Play
What’s more metal than blowing up cars with mounted machine guns while being chased by a homicidal clown with a flaming head? Twisted Metal is Mad Max cranked to 11.
Sweet Tooth, the ice-cream van clown, is so iconic he got a cameo in Mortal Kombat.
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
Heavy riffs, industrial noise, and carnage – later entries leaned even harder into metal soundscapes.
💀 Metal Rating: 8/10 Skulls
Pure vehicular carnage. Drive safe? Nah, DRIVE ANGRY.
5. Dark Souls Trilogy (2011–2016)
🎤 Developer: FromSoftware
Bleak castles. Monstrous bosses. Eternal suffering. Sounds like a Slayer album, right?
The Dark Souls series is heavy metal in spirit – dark, oppressive, and merciless. Every boss is a walking Cannibal Corpse cover.
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
Huge orchestral choirs, gothic organs, and tension thicker than a Behemoth intro. Not “riffy” metal, but pure atmosphere.
💀 Metal Rating: 9/10 Skulls
“YOU DIED” is basically the video game version of stage-diving into an empty crowd.
6. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
🎤 Developer: Konami
Dracula’s castle. Gothic horror. Leather capes. This is power metal the video game.
Symphony of the Night oozes vampiric grandeur. You play Alucard (the son of Dracula) hacking through monsters while prog-metal style riffs and pipe organs soundtrack your journey.
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
Michiru Yamane blended baroque with shredding guitars. Some tracks could pass for Dream Theater instrumentals.
💀 Metal Rating: 8/10 Skulls
Power metal vibes with extra bats.
7. Slain: Back from Hell (2016)
🎤 Developer: Wolf Brew Games
An indie darling forged in fire. Slain is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash soaked in blood and riffs. Every slash, every kill, every explosion feels synced to the music.
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
Composed by Curt Victor Bryant (ex-Celtic Frost). It’s literally a metal album disguised as a game.
💀 Metal Rating: 10/10 Skulls
This is what happens when a black metal album grows pixels.
8. Mortal Kombat Series
🎤 Developer: Midway / NetherRealm Studios
What’s more metal than ripping someone’s spine out while yelling “FATALITY”?
Mortal Kombat has always been the goriest, nastiest fighter around. It revels in over-the-top violence, which is basically Cannibal Corpse lyrics visualised.
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
The soundtracks flirt with heavy guitars and pounding drums, but the true metal is in the gore.
💀 Metal Rating: 7/10 Skulls
More gore than riffs, but it still belongs here.
9. Killer Instinct (1994 & 2013)
🎤 Developer: Rare / Double Helix
This flashy fighter was always stylish, but the 2013 reboot cranked the guitars. Mick Gordon (yes, Doom’s guy) made an industrial-metal soundtrack with riffs that evolve based on your combos. The better you fight, the heavier it gets.
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
“Riptor Theme” and “Spinal Theme” are absolute shred-fests.
💀 Metal Rating: 8/10 Skulls
A fighting game that literally rewards you with heavier music for not sucking.
10. Quake (1996)
🎤 Developer: id Software
Quake was dark, bloody, and came with a soundtrack written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. That alone makes it legendary.
The nailgun ammo boxes even had the NIN logo. That’s how metal it was.
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
Industrial, moody, crushing. Less “thrash metal” and more “doom drone.”
💀 Metal Rating: 9/10 Skulls
Industrial hellscapes you can frag people to.
11. Devil May Cry 5 (2019)
🎤 Developer: Capcom
Leather coats. Huge swords. Cocky demon slayers. Devil May Cry is like watching a Cradle of Filth video with extra anime.
The music literally gets heavier as your combos improve. Start with some riffs, land an S-rank combo, and suddenly you’re drowning in blast beats.
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
“Devil Trigger” became a modern gaming anthem, blending industrial metal and EDM filth.
💀 Metal Rating: 9/10 Skulls
It’s basically “metalcore the video game.”
12. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Series
🎤 Developer: Neversoft / Vicarious Visions
Ok, not strictly “metal,” but THPS deserves its spot because it educated an entire generation in punk, hardcore, and crossover thrash. Where else could you do a 900 while Guerrilla Radio blasted out of your CRT TV?
🎶 Soundtrack Notes
Suicidal Tendencies (Cyco Vision), Anthrax, Rage Against The Machine, Dead Kennedys. Absolute education.
💀 Metal Rating: 7/10 Skulls
For some, this was their first taste of metal culture. Proper job.
⚡ Encore: Honourable Mentions
- Hexen/Heretic – Doom’s fantasy cousin, drenched in satanic vibes.
- Skyrim (with heavy mods) – Add a metal soundtrack and dragons become even more metal.
- Lollipop Chainsaw – Zombie cheerleaders with rock soundtracks.
🎤 Final Word
From Brütal Legend’s star-studded fantasy world to Doom Eternal’s guttural choir, these games prove that metal isn’t just music – it’s a whole damn universe. Whether you’re ripping demons, ripping solos, or ripping out spines, gaming has always had a place for headbangers.
So plug in your guitar controller, crank your speakers, and remember: save often, play loud, and always keep it metal. 🤘💀🎮
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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