Disclaimer: these tiers are fairly subjective; my personal listening experience and enjoyment weigh heavily into it. Additionally, I am not a musician nor do I have a background in music, but I have always loved video game music.

In Civ V, I personally enjoy a lot of the “grand” and “epic” themes that build intensity and have strong crescendos. I especially enjoy the “layered” songs that have a “loop” that builds upon itself. That said, I also enjoy many of the more traditional “peaceful” themes that are more subdued.

So these are some of my main criteria:

-my personal enjoyment

-atmosphere (epic, peaceful,grand, etc)

-crescendo/loop strength

-how well it “fits” the civ (weighted a bit less sometimes)

Tier list:

S+ Tier

England

Spain

Huns

Mongols

⸻

S Tier

Persia

Arabia

Poland

Shoshone

Assyria

⸻

S− Tier

Portugal

India

America

Ethiopia

⸻

A+ Tier

Celts

Sweden

Byzantium

Russia

Ottomans

⸻

A Tier

China

Venice

Carthage

Japan

Polynesia

⸻

A− Tier

Greece

Netherlands

Indonesia

Babylon

Zulu

⸻

B+ Tier

Rome

Egypt

France

Inca

Korea

⸻

B Tier

Germany

Austria

Maya

Brazil

⸻

B− Tier

Songhai

Morocco

⸻

C Tier

Aztec

Siam

Denmark

Iroquois

As you notice, there are no tiers below C because I don’t believe any of the songs are truly poor. The S and A tiers are very long because there are so many songs I love.

Let me know your thoughts! What are your favorite peace themes? Any controversial placements? I’d also love to explain any particular reasonings behind certain song placements.

Best exploration- DS1

Best level design- DS1

Most memorable play through - DS1

Most challenging for me- DS1

Best atmosphere- DS1 (DS2 close)

Best hub level- DS2

Most fun to grind- DS2

Best combat- DS3

Best bosses- DS3

best art style- DS3

Best graphics:- DS3

Best soundtrack- DS3

Best level up and equipment system- DS3

Most enjoyable to play - DS3

My overall personal ranking is probably DS1>DS3>DS2. I enjoyed all of them but DS1 was definitely the most impactful for me, DS3 was most fun and polished, and DS2 was cool but not on the same level for me. I enjoyed its experimentation and atmosphere for sure though, I definitely wouldn’t say it was bad.