If you've been a reader/viewer/listener of RPGFan for awhile now, you've probably seen previous Music of the Year features. 2016's feature marks our fifth such feature, put together with the help of over a dozen contributors. You may also know by now that given how much more subjective music can be than many games, it's harder to assign scores. There's a reason we don't do such in our music reviews, and we follow suit here. So, unlike Games of the Year with clear, categoric winners, Music of the Year is a freeform lovefest, in which we ask anyone on RPGFan — Music staff or otherwise — to write about their favorite sounds of the year.

For 2016, we got lists together from eleven RPGFan Editors, who each talk about 3-5 (or more) albums and songs that really struck their fancy. In the end, we ended up with over 40 albums represented, nearly all of which feature audio samples so you can get a feel for each composer's work yourself. A lot of love went into these albums, as well as everyone's personal write-ups on each. Grab a cup or bottle of your beverage of choice, put on your headphones, and settle in!

One final note before you venture forth: We break from general site tradition ever so slightly in these awards, and commonly refer to albums by their Japanese names. We do this largely to keep the actual album name intact, should you choose to look it up or purchase it. Any significant title changes such as Genei Ibunroku #FE versus Tokyo Mirage Sessions will include the English language version in brackets.