Music in LaunchBox and Big Box

Written By Brian Faeran

Last updated 5 months ago

Music is a fun way to bring your collection to life. Both LaunchBox and Big Box support custom game music and background music. This guide walks you through how to set it up, where to place files, and how to control playback.

Game Music

Assigning Music to a Game

Each game in LaunchBox can have its own music track.

  1. Edit a game and go to the Media tab.

  2. In the Game Music field, click Browse and select your music file.

  3. LaunchBox will now associate that track with the game.

Downloading Music with EmuMovies

If you have a paid EmuMovies membership, you do not need to add music manually. LaunchBox integrates directly with EmuMovies, allowing you to download music automatically.

  • In the game edit window, click the Download Media button.

  • Go to the EmuMovies tab and sign in with your paid account.

  • Music will appear as one of the downloadable options.

This also works during bulk imports or when updating metadata and media for multiple games at once.

Using Multiple Music Files with M3U

If you want more than one track for a game, you will need to create an M3U playlist file.

  1. In the folder where your music files are saved, create a plain text file.

  2. List each music file name with its full extension, one per line. For example:

track1.mp3
track2.mp3
track3.mp3

  1. Save the text file, then rename its extension to .m3u.

  2. Set this M3U file in the Game Music field in LaunchBox.

LaunchBox will now recognize all of the listed tracks.

Playing Game Music

In LaunchBox

The way music plays in LaunchBox depends on the theme, but most themes include a music player button.

  • In the default theme, you can find it in the top right corner, next to the notification bell.

  • Clicking the button opens a small player with image sizing options, volume controls, and music playback buttons.

  • If a game has no assigned music, the play button will be grayed out.

You can also set music to play automatically:

  • Go to View > Media > Auto Play Music.

  • When you click on a game, LaunchBox will start playing its music automatically.

  • Note that if you also have Auto Play Videos enabled, videos will always take priority over music.

Important side note: LaunchBox is a game launcher, not a full music player. Features are limited to simple playback and track switching.

  • If you start music manually, it will continue playing when you tab out of LaunchBox.

  • If you rely on auto play, music will pause when you tab out.

In Big Box

Big Box also supports game music, and the options are found under:
System Menu > Options > Sound

Available settings:

  • Auto Play Music in Games List – Plays music when you highlight a game in a list.

  • Auto Play Music in Game Details – Keeps the music going when you enter a game’s detail screen.

  • Auto Play Music for Recent and Favorite Games – Plays music when you select a game in those lists.

  • Prioritize Soundtrack Music over Video Audio – Plays game music instead of the game’s video audio, if both exist.

Other sound options:

  • Shuffle Soundtrack Music – Shuffles through M3U playlists randomly when you land on a game.

  • Enable Music On Screen Display – Shows a small notification in the bottom right corner with the currently playing track. This is themable and may look different depending on your Big Box theme.

  • Music Volume – Controls the volume of game music independently from other Big Box sounds.

Music File Organization

LaunchBox automatically detects music if it is placed in the proper folder structure:

LaunchBox\Music\[Platform]\[Game Title].ext

Examples:

  • LaunchBox\Music\Sony Playstation\Final Fantasy VII.mp3

  • LaunchBox\Music\Sony PSP\Crisis Core_ Final Fantasy VII.mp3

Note: Replace special symbols that cannot be used in filenames with underscores. For example, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII should be saved as Crisis Core_ Final Fantasy VII.mp3.

Background Music in Big Box

In addition to game music, Big Box can also play background music while you browse your collection. This is set up entirely through Windows File Explorer. If the folders below do not exist, you can create them yourself.

  • Global background music
    LaunchBox\Music\Background\
    Place any music files here to play randomly throughout Big Box.

  • Platform category music
    LaunchBox\Music\Background\Platform Categories\[Category Name]\
    Plays when you enter that category.

  • Platform specific music
    LaunchBox\Music\Background\Platforms\[Platform Name]\
    Plays when you enter that platform.

  • Playlist music
    LaunchBox\Music\Background\Playlists\[Playlist Name]\
    Plays when you enter that playlist.

Controlling Background Music in Big Box

These options are also under System Menu > Options > Sound:

  • Enable Background Music – Turns background music on or off globally.

  • Shuffle Background Music – Randomly plays multiple files from a folder.

  • Use Platform Playlist Category Specific Background Music – Uses your custom folder tracks instead of global music.

  • Enable Music On Screen Display – Shows a popup with the current background track.

  • Background Music Volume – Adjusts the volume of background music independently from other sounds.

Wrap Up

With a little setup, you can customize both LaunchBox and Big Box to fill your collection with the music that means the most to you. Whether it is background music while you browse, custom tracks tied to each game, or automatic downloads from EmuMovies, you have plenty of options to bring more life and nostalgia to your library.