The Grammy Awards, one of the most prestigious honors in the music industry, celebrate the best in various categories each year. In recent years, video game music has gained increasing recognition, solidifying its place as an art form worthy of critical acclaim.
This year, the Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media category crowned its winner, and it was a surprising yet well-deserved victory.
At the 2025 Grammy Awards, the Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media award went to Winifred Phillips for her outstanding work on Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.
Originally released in 1981, Wizardry was one of the first role-playing games (RPGs), drawing inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons and laying the foundation for modern RPG mechanics.
The game was remade in 2023 by Digital Eclipse, featuring modernized visuals, gameplay improvements, and an all-new soundtrack that has now received Grammy recognition.
The original 1981 version had no music, making this remake’s soundtrack a brand-new addition to the game’s experience.
Winifred Phillips, an accomplished composer known for her work on God of War, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, and LittleBigPlanet 3, composed the Wizardry remake’s immersive soundtrack, which played a major role in bringing the game’s fantasy atmosphere to life.
This Grammy award solidifies her as one of the top composers in the gaming industry.
This year’s nominees in the Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media category included:
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Composer: Pinar Toprak
God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla – Composer: Bear McCreary
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Composer: John Paesano
Star Wars Outlaws – Composer: Wilbert Roget, II
Since the Grammy Awards introduced this dedicated category for video game soundtracks in 2023, gaming music has gained greater recognition in the mainstream music industry.
The victory of Winifred Phillips this year further proves that video game music is just as impactful and artistic as movie soundtracks.
Video game music has evolved from simple 8-bit tunes to cinematic orchestral masterpieces, often rivaling Hollywood movie scores in complexity and emotional depth.
The Grammy Awards finally acknowledged this growing art form in 2023, when they introduced the Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media category.
This move reflects the increasing influence of gaming soundtracks in pop culture, with many game composers receiving critical acclaim and even performing at major concerts worldwide.
Winifred Phillips’ Grammy win for Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord marks another milestone for video game music.
This recognition proves that gaming soundtracks deserve a place among the world’s greatest musical compositions. With the gaming industry continuing to grow, we can expect even more breathtaking video game scores to receive the attention they deserve in the coming years.