It’s All About the Endings
Video game endings can stick with players long after they finish playing. The best ones conclude a game's story in a meaningful, memorable, and emotional way. The worst of them leave players feeling cheated, angry, or lost. So with that in mind, here are the worst and best video game endings.
1. Crysis
In Crysis, you play as a person with futuristic weapons who is targeting alien creatures on a remote island. You keep attacking aliens and eventually you beat them all, and the game ends. But then the game tells you that it's not over yet, and you have to keep going after aliens. So even after everything, you're just back at the beginning.
Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
2. Halo 2
Halo 2 allows the player to take part in the story through two different protagonists, Master Chief and the Arbiter. The player is put through a tremendous amount of buildup over the course of the game. As the stage is set for the final battle, the game cuts off on one of the largest cliffhangers in video game history. The ending is a major player frustration because it doesn't provide closure, leaving a key part of the story hanging.
3. Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is a post-apocalyptic RPG in which you must wander the Wasteland in search of your lost father and try to get through conspiracies. The end allows you to make a choice that is apparently important, but no matter which you choose, it ends with a gigantic nuclear explosion. Gamers think it is one of the worst endings because it ends all side quests and exploration and renders all your progress for nothing.
4. Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect 3 is the final game in Commander Shepard's galaxy-spanning battle against the Reaper race. In its original ending, there are three options to choose from, but each one features the same climactic light display with Shepard's death and very little exposition. The ending is cited by fans as one of the worst due to the poor emotional and character payoff, reducing the finale to a simple spectacle.
Alex from Calgary, Canada on Wikimedia
5. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 is a tactical shooter game that allows the player to create a custom playable character who participates in intense fights with intelligent AI opponents. The game's finale deals with the passing of protagonist Gabriel Nowak. The dénouement is unsatisfactory, as most plot points remain unexplained.
6. Prince of Persia
Ubisoft's Prince of Persia reboot has fluid platforming and dynamic combat set within a gorgeously rendered world. But the ending ties up the story in less than ten minutes, undoing much of the buildup. Fans hated it because the satisfying gameplay throughout the game is undone by an anticlimactic end.
7. Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 is an open-world shooter about hunting the legendary arms dealer The Jackal during a civil war in Central Africa. No matter what you do at the end, whether you blow up hundreds of explosives or save hundreds of refugees, your character dies. The ending is a dark and unsatisfying one because no matter what you choose, nothing can go right.
8. Rage
Rage is a post-apocalyptic shooter with a focus on fast-paced gunplay and open-world traversal. The game ends rather weakly, with no real resolution to the story or events that took place throughout the game. Many players felt let down by the ending as it was extremely anticlimactic to the high-octane experience.
9. Alan Wake
Alan Wake is a psychological action-adventure horror investigation game where the player hunts for the writer's missing wife. The ending is bad because Alan must self-sacrifice to release Alice from a dark creature, leaving him trapped in the lake, and the depressing, lonely ending ruins a heroic act.
10. Dark Souls
Dark Souls is a punishingly difficult action RPG set in a detailed fantasy world. The game can end by either rekindling the fire or by letting darkness reign, but in either case, you simply restart the game. The ending is one of the most infuriating parts of the game because, after hours of difficult gameplay, the result of all your effort is completely nebulous and somewhat pointless.
Now that we’ve talked about some of the most disappointing video game endings, here are 10 games that blew us away with fantastic conclusions.
Pikawil from Laval, Canada on Wikimedia
1. The Last of Us
The Last of Us is a game about Joel and Ellie's harrowing journey through a post-apocalyptic world. The game's ending is memorable as Joel decides to save Ellie from the Fireflies, sacrificing the chance of a cure for humanity. This is impactful as it leaves the player questioning the moral ambiguity of Joel's choice, balancing personal love against the greater good.
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End follows treasure hunter Nathan Drake as he experiences globe-trotting escapades filled with action, puzzles, and friendship. The ending has Nate and Elena retiring their wild treasure hunting ways, as they live a peaceful life with their daughter Cassie in a quaint beachside house. This is one of the best endings because it gives audiences a satisfying, emotional sendoff for its popular characters while setting up a new generation, allowing for fanfare and a hopeful look at the future.
Tim Bartel from Cologne, Germany on Wikimedia
3. Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption is an open-world Western where players control John Marston in a life of crime, family, and redemption. The ending lets players enjoy time with John's family before an unavoidable final confrontation, then an epilogue where you control his son seeking revenge. This is one of the best endings because it offers narrative closure, emotional depth, and interactive storytelling that makes the heartbreak and triumph feel personal.
4. Portal 2
Portal 2 is a puzzle-platformer with humorous, irreverent, and darkly comic storytelling that unifies innovative puzzle-platform mechanics with strong world building, memorable character moments, and an engaging mystery. The ending to Portal 2, which sees insane AI Wheatley launched to the moon while Chell escapes into the surface, followed by a gag where operatic turrets accompany a singing GLaDOS on "Want You Gone," is considered by fans one of the best examples of perfect closure.
5. Metal Gear Solid 3
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater places the player in the midst of Cold War espionage, controlling a character named Naked Snake. The ending, where the player must beat The Boss in a field of white flowers after she sacrifices herself to show her loyalty to Snake, is highly regarded. It is often considered one of the best because of its blend of cinematic storytelling, player choice, and emotional depth.
- EMR - from Chicago, USA on Wikimedia
6. The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an action RPG that follows the monster hunter Geralt of Rivia as he deals with politics, the supernatural, and the search for his adoptive daughter Ciri. The Witcher ending has Ciri surviving the main events of the game, which allows her to leave with Geralt on the open road and fulfill her dream of being a Witcher. This ending works well because it grants a sense of closure and thematic resolution, providing players with an emotionally satisfying conclusion to the character's arcs.
7. SOMA
SOMA is a sci-fi horror adventure video game about consciousness, identity, and survival in a post-apocalyptic underwater facility. In the ending of SOMA, the player character's consciousness is not successfully transferred to safety and is left alone in a world that is going to end regardless of their heroic actions. This ending is unique in that it offers a haunting and thought-provoking conclusion.
Yannis Papanastasopoulos on Unsplash
8. God of War
God of War places Kratos into Norse mythology, now with his son Atreus by his side, as they travel to a place where they can scatter the ashes of Atreus' mother. The ending sees Kratos and Atreus at the tallest peak in the realm of Jötunheim, where they can see a mural that depicts their entire journey as well as their relationship. This is one of the best endings because it shows that God of War had an epic story with mythological gods but was still able to make the story personal to the characters in it.
9. BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite is a story about Booker DeWitt, who ventures to Columbia to save Elizabeth and uncover the city's mysteries. The ending explains the multiverse connections, including Booker being Comstock, which reframes the player's actions and choices. It is among the best endings due to its mind-bending twists, philosophical depth, and emotional resonance.
10. Batman: Arkham City
In Batman: Arkham City, you play as Batman in a 100% crime-filled super-prison. The game ends with the Joker passing by blowing up his own cure. This ending is strong due to its emotional impact, tragic elements, and resonance with Batman's moral values.
