Sometimes a great game isn’t complete without a great soundtrack to go with it. With literally HUNDREDS of games available, there are bound to be a few games that have bands you know and love.

Here are some Texas bands you may have heard in video games.

Pantera: We’ll start with a group that has appeared in MANY video games (at least 13 so far):

• Walking appeared in Rock Revolution, The Bigs 2, Madden NFL 10, NHL 11
• Cowboys from Hell – 4 Guitar Hero games (Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero Live & Guitar Hero Smash Hits) & Operation Flashpoint: Red River.
• mouth for war – Shaun Palmer’s Pro Skateboarder
• I’m broken – Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock & BandFuse: Legends of Rock
• & The gates of the cemetery – Blacksmith 2014.
• In addition, 5 minutes alone (and some of the aforementioned songs) & the ENTIRE The Great Southern Trend the album was included as DLC for the Rock band series.

Let’s not forget the fact that Pantera was a HUGE inspiration for the creation of the soundtrack of Loss.

Reverend Horton Heat: When you think of Texas rockabilly, Reverend Horton Heat is certainly one of the biggest names in the genre. However, you might know them from a handful of games:

• I can’t surf – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
• The baddest of the bad guys – Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground
• Pride of San Jacinto – Hot Wheels Race Turbo
• Soak – chasing rainbows
• mad mad heart – Far Cry 5
• Psychobilly Freakout – Guitar Hero 2
• & the most popular : Big Love Bed Rocket on MotorStorm, The Sims 3 and Need for Speed: The Run.

Butthole surfers: Another Texas band that is known as a one-hit wonder, Austin’s Butthole surfers appeared on at least 3 different games

• Pepper appears in Saints Row: The Third & World Tour Soccer 2003
• Who was in my room last night was in Guitar Hero 2 (expect a lot of GH/RB entries on this list)

The sword: While it is sad that The sword officially called 2022, we can at least enjoy the songs Austin rockers have given us over the years. Including these soundtrack features:

• iron swan – Tony Hawk’s Project 8,
• Tres Brujas – MX vs. ATV Alive,
• The Black River – Guitar Hero: Metallica,
• Young girl, mother and old – Guitar Hero 5,
• & freya appearing on Burnout Dominator, Guitar Hero 2 and Guitar Hero Smash Hits.

Toads: Ft. Worth Texas’ Hit Wonderland Band, Toads are known for Possum Kingdom. SSo far, they have only appeared in one video game: Guitar Hero 2 (and yes this song appeared in the game). However, they also appeared as DLC for the Rock band series: Outside and Tyler were included with realm of possums.

Overwhelmed: A band that isn’t talked about much, but anyone who’s played NASCAR video games might know the band from Stephenville, TX Overwhelmed.

• Divide the hate – Nascar 2005: Chasing the Cup
• Better to rethink – Nascar The Game: 2011

cover page: The band from Benton, Texas, which formed in 2002, had a slew of hits and blew up Lacey Sturm’s career. You have probably seen cover page appear on quite a few games in the guitar hero/rock band series:

• Still was their most popular video game song, appearing in Tap Tap Revenge 2, Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock, Power Gig: Rise of the Six String. Also appeared later in Rock band in DLC.
• Tina appeared in Guitar Hero III: Legends Like Rock as downloadable content
• New Horizons – Guitar Hero Live,
• Perfect – Guitar Praise,
• Cassie – The Sims 2: Teen Style Stuff,
• and of course you might remember I am so sick on the original Rock band.

At the drive-in: Yes, they are one of the two bands from El Paso that have appeared on the video games. At the drive-in appeared in 4:

• One arm scissors appears in Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 3,
• No wolf like the present – Forza Horizon 4,
• & Cosmonaut – Tony Hawk: Shred

The Volta of Mars: It is logical that if At the drive-in was featured in a video game, then El Paso’s other big name, The Volta of Marswould too.

They have only been featured in 3:

• L’Via L’Viaquez was in Guitar Hero: World Tour (This is the only game that features both El Paso bands but I think there should be more in the GH/RB series),
• The El-P remix of Goliath was used in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue,
• Zed and two dummies in MLB 12: The Show

Spoon: Austin’s alternative/indie rock band, Spoon might be having the most songs from any Texas band included in video game soundtracks (aside from Pantera):

• Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX 2 Featured To take a walk,
• Black-smith – me and the bean,
• MLB 09: The Show – Do you Evah (He would appear on another video game but we’ll get there)
• MLB 15: The Show – rent i pay,
• MLB 17: The Show – Shotgun,
• MLB The Show 22 – Feel good,
• Need for speed: return on investment – pink up,
• Soccer 2023 – Savage,
• Sister Jack would be included as DLC on Guitar Hero 5,
• 4 songs would be included as DLC for Rock band: Ain’t Evah, Got Nuffin, I turn on my camera, & The problem comes running

The dark angels: If you heard The dark angelsyou might think they’re from the 70s but no… the psychedelic band from Austin was formed in 2004. So far they’ve only appeared on 2 games (1 having 2 songs)

• black fat on Grand Theft Auto V,
• The First Vietnam War & bad vibes on Specs Ops: The Line

MDC: One of the oldest bands on this list, the Austin punk rock band MDC was formed in 1979 and they were only included on 1 game:

• John Wayne was a Nazi was featured on GTA V when released on PS4 and Xbox One. The song is said to be on the Channel X radio station and there is another Texas band featured on that same fictional station.

DRI- The Houston Thrash Band DRI (or Dirty Rotten Fools) would also appear on GTA V’s Channel X, but that wouldn’t be the only game DRI appears on:

• I don’t need company to the reissue of GTA V
• Destroy it – Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood,
• Sofa – Tony Hawk’s American Desert,
• under the wheel – Skate 2

white jeans: The last band from Austin on this list, white jeans is a neat mix of jazz, rock, psychedelic with a few video game appearances in their career:

• let’s talk about it – Colin McRae: Dirt 2
• comb your hair – Saints Row: The Third, Tap Tap Revenge 3
• I start to burn will also appear on Tap Tap Revenge 3,
• Burnished – Black-smith
• night in dreams – Gran Turismo 6, Rock Band 4 and Guitar Hero live

High ZZ: And finally we had High ZZ & OF COURSE they have been featured in video games. But how much to be exact?

• Sharp dressed man – Guitar Hero. The Living in Texas version was used in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.
• Give me all your love’ – Amplified SingStar, GH: World Tour (DLC) & GTA V (re-release)
• I just got paid – Skate
• Thug – Grand Theft Auto IV
• I’m bad, I’m national – MLB 08: The Show
• I have to be paid – MLB 13: The Show, Guitar Hero Live
• & Barn -GH III: Legends Of Rock, Guitar Hero: On Tour & Nascar The Game: 2011. The Junkie XL remix would be used in Forza Motorsport.

Honorable Mention 1 – Nothing More: While the San Antonio rockers haven’t appeared in a video game (yet), Nothing more DID got used to the Paladins video game trailer. You can hear a few seconds of Go to war to be used.

Honorable Mention 2 – Damageplan: The band Vinnie & Dimebag formed after Pantera, Damageplan was actually originally intended to be on the Midnight Club 3:DUB Edition soundtrack. But for some reason the 2 songs got cut, but we can blast them both here, why not?

If you’re curious about more video game related content, you can see a list of 10 video games set in Texas.