Start from the scene, not the genre
List the scenes your game has before you listen to anything: title screen, hub, each level, menus, credits. Then look for one track per scene. A small game needs far fewer songs than you think. Ten good tracks beat a hundred random ones.
Match the energy
Calm music suits exploration, farming, crafting, puzzles and menus. If a scene needs tension or speed, a lofi track will feel wrong. On this site every track has a Quiet, Easy, Steady or Lively label, measured from the audio, so you can find the right energy fast.
Check the length
Full songs run two to four minutes. For a hub that players sit in for ten minutes, queue two or three tracks and crossfade between them, so players never hear the same few bars twice in a row.
Leave room for sound effects and speech
Calm, sparse music leaves space for footsteps, UI clicks and dialogue. Turn the music down to about a quarter to a third of full volume in your mixer, and test with the sound effects on.
Read the licence before you commit
Free does not always mean free to use commercially. These tracks are CC BY 4.0: commercial use is allowed, you credit the music, and you link to the licence. See the Use and credit page for ready-made credit lines.
Keep a record
Save the track title, the page you got it from and the date. The Soundtrack Builder exports a manifest file (soundtrack.json) and CREDITS.txt so you have both.
Quick answers
How many music tracks does a small game need?
Often five to ten: title, one or two hub or level tracks, a menu track and credits. Add more only when a scene feels empty.
Should background music loop?
It can, but full songs have a clear start and end. Queueing several tracks with a crossfade hides the join better than looping one song.
Try it
Open the Soundtrack Builder and give each scene a track, or browse the zones on the map.
