2026 Grammy Nominations Announce Video Game Soundtrack Contenders
The 2026 Grammy nominations were announced today, revealing the five video game soundtracks vying for the Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media award.
Nominees include Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Secrets of the Spires (Pinar Toprak), Helldivers 2 (Wilbert Roget), Indiana Jones And The Great Circle (Gordy Haab), Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate’s Fortune (Cody Matthew Johnson & Wilbert Roget, II), and Sword of the Sea (Austin Wintory). Helldivers 2’s inclusion is notable as the game launched prior to the eligibility window of August 2024 – 2025, but its soundtrack release qualified it for consideration.
A significant omission from the list is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which topped the Billboard Classical charts for ten weeks and recently earned composer Lorien Testard a WSA Game Music Award. Publisher Kepler submitted the title for consideration in two categories, but it did not receive a nomination. This award recognizes the growing artistic and technical achievements within video game music, a field increasingly celebrated for its complexity and emotional depth.
This marks the third year for the Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media category, debuting at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Previous winners include Stephanie Economou for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök (2023), Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2024), and Winifred Phillips for Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (2025). The Recording Academy states the award “recognizes excellence in score soundtrack albums comprised predominantly of original scores and created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current video game or other interactive media released within the qualification period.”
Voting is now open for Recording Academy members, with winners to be announced at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in February 2026.
