Video game music is some of the best beginner piano material out there — memorable melodies, often built on repeating chord loops, and written to sound rich without being technically brutal. Great starting points include the “Super Mario Bros.” theme, “Zelda’s Lullaby,” “Gerudo Valley,” the “Undertale” and “Minecraft” tracks, and “Megalovania” once you’re ready. Here’s what to learn first and why these pieces are so friendly.
Why game music works so well for beginners
Composers like Koji Kondo (Mario, Zelda) and C418 (Minecraft) wrote for looping playback, so the melodies are catchy and the harmony repeats. That repetition is your friend: learn eight bars and you’ve often learned half the piece. Many tracks also sit in comfortable keys and stay within an octave or two, so you’re not leaping across the keyboard. And because you already know how they sound, your ear catches mistakes instantly — which speeds up learning more than any exercise.
The best starter tracks, roughly by difficulty
- “Minecraft” – Sweden / Wet Hands (C418) — slow, sparse, and built on gentle broken chords. Wet Hands is one of the easiest genuinely pretty pieces you can learn.
- “Zelda’s Lullaby” — a short, flowing melody in a comfortable range; great for phrasing.
- “Super Mario Bros.” theme — instantly recognizable; the tricky part is the syncopated rhythm, not the notes.
- “Undertale” main theme / “Once Upon a Time” — lyrical and forgiving at a slow tempo.
- “Gerudo Valley” — a step up, with a driving left hand that’s worth the effort.
- “Megalovania” — the internet’s favorite flex; save it until your hands are independent and fast.
If you’re brand new and want a broader on-ramp, pair these with our list of easy piano songs that actually sound impressive — same principle, different genres.
How to learn a track from a game
The reliable method is hands-separate, small chunks, slow tempo. Learn the right-hand melody of the first phrase until it’s automatic, then the left hand alone, then combine them at half speed with a metronome before pushing tempo. The Mario theme in particular trips people up because the rhythm is syncopated — counting “1-and-2-and” out loud fixes it faster than staring at the page. Our guide to learning a new song step by step lays out this exact workflow, and if timing is your weak spot, using a metronome is the single highest-return habit.
A lot of game tracks are actually chord loops with a melody on top, which means a chords-first approach pays off fast. Pianoforall teaches you to read chord symbols and build accompaniment patterns, so once you spot that “Wet Hands” is really three chords cycling, you can play it by feel instead of memorizing every note.
Finding decent sheet music and tutorials
Quality varies wildly. Look for arrangements labeled “easy” or “beginner” and check the key signature before you commit — a version in five flats will fight you. Synthesia-style falling-note videos are fine for learning where the notes go, but they don’t teach fingering or reading, so treat them as training wheels. If you lean on YouTube, our piece on using YouTube to learn piano without getting lost will save you hours.
One more tip: build a tiny setlist rather than half-learning ten tracks. Pick two pieces you can finish and one stretch goal, and rotate them. Game music is genuinely rewarding to perform for friends because everyone recognizes it, and that little hit of “wait, you can play that?” is exactly the kind of motivation that keeps beginners at the bench. If you ever stall on a piece, our advice on what to do when you feel stuck will get you moving again.
FAQ
What’s the easiest video game song to learn on piano?
“Wet Hands” from Minecraft. It’s slow, uses simple broken chords, and sounds beautiful even at a beginner’s tempo.
Is Megalovania too hard for a beginner?
The full version is, mainly because of its speed and hand independence. A simplified arrangement is doable, but treat the original as a goal for a few months in, not week one.
Do I need to read sheet music to play game music?
No. Many tracks are chord-based and can be learned from chord charts or by ear. Reading helps for note-dense arrangements, but it isn’t required to get started.
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