Synthwave sent me down the path of Vaporwave > Chillwave > Darkwave. There’s a not-unrelated genre called Mallsoft. Somehow that got me into Library Music. I found a lot of music on Bandcamp and archive.org. You can get downloads of full albums and discographies for a few dollars, name your price, or for free.

If you’re looking to do a deeper dive, the genre and sub genres are largely credited with being kicked off by Macintosh Plus - Floral Shoppe in 2011.

I listen to this stuff all day long while I’m working at home. My vaporware playlist is literally 7 days long (2350 songs). Here’s some of my picks.

https://interloperecords.bandcamp.com/album/--7

https://9rhythm9.bandcamp.com/album/kmart

https://dreytnien.bandcamp.com/album/silicon-reality

https://obliqueoccasions.bandcamp.com/album/v1

https://obliqueoccasions.bandcamp.com/album/remnants

https://catsystemcorp.bandcamp.com/album/palm-mall

https://catsystemcorp.bandcamp.com/album/sunday-television-2

More Links
https://archive.org/search?query=synthwave
https://archive.org/search?query=vaporwave
https://archive.org/search?query=mallsoft

A subgenre Shredwave is pretty sweet as its synthwave with like 80s shred guitar https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Vbzx2EXCDg9nW3eCW0MYI

To me synthwave sounds like a lot of trance or progressive trance from the late 90s/early 2000s - Tilt, Paul Oakenfold, Sasha & Digweed, Tiesto, BT

You could give Italo Disco a try, which is a predecessor to synthwave and a lot of electronic dance music.

A contemporary niche cousin that I liked to listen to a few years back is giallo disco, which is a contemporary imitation of dark synth music inspired by 80s Italian horror movies.

From there I progressed to trance and house, acid techno and other synth heavy dance music genres.

Eurobeat

Some things off the top of my head would be the more dance-y contemporary side of Synthwave - something like Occams Laser - With You, or maybe more toward the Electronica side of things, like Birdy Nam Nam - Defiant Order. Daft Punk also work as a sort of Euro Disco kinda’ distant cousin, too. At least these are the more upbeat proxies I know.

There’s always Darkwave (The Neon Droid - Braindance), but it’s like going from mild Indie to Nu Metal, so YMMV.

As a side note and potential rabbit hole, the first thing which popped into my head when skimming through that playlist was The Birthday Massacre - Science. I don’t think they fall under Synthwave, but I find they do a wonderful job at incorporating the “synth” part into their unique voice!

Edit: oh and give The Octopus Project a try! The Mythical E.L.C., for instance. Bit different, but very peppy and fun!

darksynth

I thought your post said games for a second there and was excited to hear about synthwave games

Early 00-10s indie synth:

• Emancipator : Soon It Will Be Cold Enough
• All India Radio : Echo Other
• Boards of Canada
• Four Tet: There is Love In You
• Tycho : Awake

Similar video gamey music:

• El Heurvo : A Thing With Feathers
• Scattle : Sketch
• Com Truise

Early dubstep:

• Mala : Eyez
• Burial
• Zomby
• Skream

Late 90s breakbeat:

• Crystal Method : Vegas
• ILS : Bohemia, Music,
• Evil Nine : You Can Be Special Too
• Adam Freedland : Now & Them

Great suggestions everybody! Many thanks

Some albums I like that are synthwave / vaporwave adjacent.

• The Weeknd - Dawn FM
• Saint Pepsi - Hit vibes
• Blank Banshee - Blank Banshee 0
• Burial - Untrue
• Unkle - psyence fiction
• Anything by massive attack
• DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
• Deltron 3030