A Tribute to Radios in Open-World Games

Open-world games tend to have a lot of polish and attention-to-detail, but I think one of the most underrated aspects of them is the inclusion of comprehensive radio stations whenever you pop into a car. As the following games lack an established fast-travel system, having something to accompany the player while they maneuver from point A to B crafts a memorable experience and can even influence the music tastes for years to come as it did for me.

Saints Row series

I cannot attest to how many hours I have spent playing this series and one of my favorite parts of it is the radios. From the original game to IV, developer Volition really pulled out all the stops to have some of the hottest tracks on their radio stations. 2‘s 106.6 The Krunch had Opeth, As I Lay Dying, Chimaira, and more. The Third amps it up with After the Burial, Miss May I, and many returning artists chock full of bangers.

Aside from metal, all the genre bases were covered with Classical, Hip-Hop, Techno, and more in each game. There was an Adult Swim channel in 3 and hilarious commercials to add some variety to the mix. Saints Row will always be fondly recalled for having some of the best radios in gaming.

Grand Theft Auto series

Winning out in popularity over Saints Row is the radios in Grand Theft Auto games. Rockstar has had huge budgets and didn’t skimp out on their song lists for each game in the prolific series. Vice City, set in the 80s, has appropriate-for-the-time mainstays like “Africa” and “I Ran (So Far Away).”

Noteworthy is having a station dedicated to a fake personality by the name of Lazlow Jones. Appearing since Vice City, his cowardly/antagonistic demeanor on the airwaves makes for some great laughs in each game. On the musical front, I’m head over heels for Blonded Radio in V, hosted by legendary musician Frank Ocean. You’re getting a world-class soundtrack no matter which GTA you play.

Sleeping Dogs

A criminally-overlooked game in the scheme of things, Sleeping Dogs went all-out with their radios, meeting the caliber of the previous two series in its first entry. With wild breadth, this title has classic Rock, Metal, Rap in-line with the setting, and more. In addition, musical publication Kerrang! and label Ninjatune get their own radios within the game. It’s clear Square Enix wanted Sleeping Dogs to be a new flagship franchise and I wonder who would have shown up in the canceled sequel.

Honorable mention goes out to the EA Sports series, who always manage to grab songs to pump the player up ahead of their sporting adventures. While these radios make these games a bit more costly to remaster due to licensing, they’re a vital addition to virtual car stereos everywhere. With streamers getting DMCA’d left and right though, I have to wonder about the viability of including these in the future. At least we can look back on these games and remember the awesome tracks we grew up with.