For many years, those who had never touched a game console held the belief that video games were all about violence and crime. It should go without saying today that this isn't the case, as the industry is so diverse and varied that the cliché line "there's a little something for everyone" is truly applicable.
In fact, gaming is home to some of the most relaxing, thought-provoking, and intellectually challenging forms of media today, thanks to the rise in popularity of games that focus on exploration and puzzles. Most games today have their own soundtracks, though there are still times when players would rather turn the volume down and listen to their own music.
For those who want a quiet evening in with some Mozart or Beethoven, here are a few great games that are complemented by classical music.
5 Myst
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Myst was first released in 1993 on macOS before coming to virtually every system under the sun since. The game's numerous ports should come as no surprise, as up until the release of The Sims in February 2000, Myst was the best-selling PC game in history.
Myst differentiated itself from other puzzle games at the time by giving players large areas to freely explore and environmental puzzles to solve. The game is notoriously difficult, as not only do players need to figure out how to solve the many puzzles, but they also need to figure out where to go first and in what order to solve them.
Classical music is a perfect accompaniment for Myst as the game lets players explore the island at a leisurely pace. Plus, the frustration of getting stuck in the same area for over an hour can be eased with soothing instruments.
4 The Witness
The Witness is one of the many puzzle games that was significantly influenced by Myst. Like Myst, The Witness strands players on an island that they are free to explore without initially telling them what to do or where to go. The Witness solely contains line puzzles, which may make the game sound one-dimensional, though its puzzle designers did a fantastic job of implementing tons of variety into the tricky puzzles to ensure that they don't get stale.
The designers also deserve a ton of credit as, believe it or not, there are hundreds of puzzles hidden in plain sight around the open world that many players will never spot. These environmental puzzles can be found in clouds, between shadows, on the water's surface, and just about everywhere else on the map to the point where players will soon realize that The Witness has puzzles to find at almost every turn.
Wandering through The Witness' open world looking for puzzles is a wonderfully relaxing experience and one that is enhanced with classical music, as the game predominantly only features ambient noise. The Witness was designed by Jonathan Blow, who is a respected name in the puzzle genre for his work on the highly-influential indie game Braid.
3 Braid
Speaking of Braid, the puzzle game is another great option for classical music fans.
Braid is one of the most important releases of the last couple of decades, as it was one of the first indie games that many people played, and it showed that indie games could be just as enjoyable as AAA titles, which dominated the gaming industry at the time. Jonathan Blow's game implements time manipulation mechanics, which are brilliantly used to create puzzles that appear to be simple when first approaching them but will have players scratching their heads for far longer than they'd like to admit.
Along with the excellent puzzle gameplay, Braid is fondly remembered for its twist ending that challenged traditional gaming stereotypes.
2 The Talos Principle
The Talos Principle is yet another game on this list that is shrouded in mystery and gives players numerous open areas to explore. Unlike most of the other games on this list, however, The Talos Principle is story-driven, which is uncommon for the puzzle genre. The game's philosophical storyline is unapologetically detailed and text-heavy, which may put some people off, though others will find it utterly engrossing.
As for the puzzles themselves, The Talos Principle lulls players into a false sense of security as the puzzles start off very easy, to the point where some players may question if the game is too simple for them. Such people will soon be eating their words, though, as the game gradually increases in difficulty to the point where it becomes one of the hardest puzzle games of the last decade by the end.
1 Chess Ultra
Chess Ultra is an obvious choice for this list, as Chess and classical music have gone hand in hand for centuries.
2017's Chess Ultra doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, offering traditional chess gameplay with online capabilities. Along with standard games of Chess, the game also lets players try to solve a huge range of puzzles and gives players the chance to step into the shoes of some of the game's best-ever players by tasking them with recreating classical games.
Chess Ultra's soundtrack is full of classical music, though the song variety is limited, so most players will soon want to turn the game's volume off and put their own playlist on instead.