Don’t doubt that video game endings are easy to pull off. Unlike movies and series, players control the protagonist until the end and in some games, there are multiple endings. For one, titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 and its romance, have different endings that depend on your actions throughout the game. At Player.com, we don’t think a bad conclusion can break a game, especially if the build-up has been entertaining.
However, some games have perfected this lost art and our article celebrates them. We’ve rounded up 10 video game endings and the reasons why they’re the best. If you don’t believe us, all you have to do is play the games yourself to experience these endings.
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10 Greatest Endings in Video Games
Oh, the rush that comes with beating a game’s campaign. Games like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End finished explosively, while others like Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriot’s conclusion was serenaded. To that end, here are the top 10 endings in video games that are worth experiencing.
#1: The Last of Us | Supported Platforms: PlayStation and PC
The Last of Us follows the adventures of Joel and Ellie across post-apocalyptic America. You’ll explore ruins like buildings and bridges with makeshift structures. Also, the enemy types are memorable, with fungi-infected creatures roaming the sewers and alleys of major cities. Let’s not forget the various enemy types, whose AI is advanced enough to flank players. This is even more evident in the remastered version of The Last of Us.
Throughout the game, players will have the chance to play around with different weapons like axes, daggers, smoke bombs, assault rifles, sniping guns, Molotov cocktails, and many others. Players will even be able to crack safes, though getting the codes in The Last of Us Part 2 is far more entertaining. However, the game’s ending truly shines because Joel and Ellie aren’t just game characters alone. Ellie was just a package for Joel to deliver but their bond later transitioned into a father-daughter relationship. It’s one of the games with the greatest endings out there.
#2: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End | Supported Platforms: PlayStation and PC
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is a PlayStation exclusive like The Last of Us and it shines because of its protagonist. Drake went from a cocky adventurer to a married man with one daughter and a wife. His responsibilities were accompanied by huge levels of maturity so he’s a lot calmer now. You’ll travel to jungles, markets, churches, and open seas with the goal of finding gold.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is particularly memorable because it concludes Drake’s journey. Also, the tension of abandoning his family is mentally draining on both the gamers and the protagonist. So, the whole affair was intimate, especially as Drake and his brother could have died. We loved it from the start to the end. This is easily one of the titles with the greatest endings you can experience.
#3: Red Dead Redemption 2 | Supported Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, and PC
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a story about a gang of miscreants, sinners, and criminals. There are similar games that you can read about here, but none come close. They’ve killed, pillaged, looted, and fought the authorities all their lives. Whether that be family, the authority, or common folks, their hands weren’t clean. In this game, you control Arthur, one of the gang’s oldest members, who happens to be quite the fighter.
His deeds in the game are evil until he contracts tuberculosis and starts reflecting on his life so far. Arthur doesn’t try to change his fate but he starts doing good for people, even going out of his way to help strangers. Sometimes, you get robbed because of your generosity, but the protagonist is quickly dying. So, you don’t have anything to lose. Players will experience Arthur’s death and even continue as John Marston, Red Dead Redemption’s protagonist. So, the game’s conclusion isn’t only bizarre, foreshadowing death’s inevitability, but it’s also one of the greatest endings out there.
#4: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | Supported Platforms: PlayStation and Nintendo 3DS
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a classic because Snake fights his mentor and best friend. Ultimately, one of them has to die for the other to triumph; The game makes sure that it’s not the protagonist. One could say that no Metal Gear Solid game has a bad ending. Especially as the game’s progress system is always complex, as is the villain’s end goal. So, beating them and thwarting their plan has always been satisfactory.
However, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a nice contrast to this because the conclusion is a form of betrayal. Best friends should never have to fight each other but Snake eventually murders his partner. He paints the flower field red with her blood and throughout the deed, gamers are in control of the game. You’ll be the one to pull the trigger in the end, making this one of the greatest endings you can play.
#5: BioShock Infinite | Supported Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, and PC
BioShock Infinite’s events play out across the multiverse, though the biggest shocker is that Booker is Comstock. There’s always a lighthouse and a man who rescues Elizabeth across different timelines. The duo of Booker and Elizabeth make up the deuteragonists of the game so many questions are unanswered at the end of the game. For one, are you truly the villain or are you just playing out the role of a puppet?
The more you fight your fate in BioShock Infinite, the more you ponder about the greater meaning of all your actions. Also, why are there some constants in the game like deuteragonists? The more answers you find, the more confused you get so it’s like the ending is a cliffhanger. It’s a bold move from the game’s creators; One that teases gamers that they just may have been a hero in another timeline. This alone is why it’s on our list of games with the greatest endings ever.
#6: Silent Hill 2 | Supported Platforms: PlayStation and PC
Silent Hill 2 is a grotesque journey that may have been the result of the machinations of a guilt-ridden man. The game has multiple endings, but In Water is the most profound because James eventually drowns himself to join his wife on the other side. The game’s ending is profound because it handles the theme of suicide with maturity and doesn’t glorify the process. Instead, it told the story of James’ demons and his hidden struggles in the form of monsters.
Every event that leads up to Silent Hill 2’s conclusion suggests that the protagonist is punishing himself for his wife’s death. The other endings of the game are:
- Rebirth Ending: This ending sends James on a wild goose chase to resurrect Mary. However, you need to have finished the game at least once before you’ll be able to get the Rebirth ending.
- Maria Ending: You stick by Maria if you want to get this ending and ultimately, James replaces Mary with her. It turns out that she’s afflicted with the same disease as Mary so history repeats itself.
- Leave Ending: Avoid the memory of Mary and crush your inner demons to escape your guilt. If you speed-run the game, this is most likely the ending you’ll get. You’ll eventually be able to leave Silent Hill with Laura.
#7: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening | Supported Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, and PC
People forgot about The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening after The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released. We didn’t because we were left with more questions than answers after finishing the game. For one, all of Link’s efforts were pointless because Koholint Island is just a figment of his imagination. In fact, he didn’t save anyone because all of the game’s events played out in his dreams. Gamers even theorise that he was dying of thirst after being shipwrecked so his adventures were hallucinations.
Link concludes the game hanging to a wood log while adrift in the ocean so we don’t know if he died. Some people suggest that all the inhabitants of the island have been reincarnated in the real world, but there’s no concrete evidence. It’s also unclear whether the game even has an ending because nothing occurred. At least, there is nothing that Link can hold onto or physically grab. This is a Nintendo exclusive that was released in 1993, but can be played on the Nintendo Switch. So, it deserves its position in our list of games with the greatest endings.
#8: Shadow of the Colossus Remake | Supported Platforms: PlayStation
Shadow of the Colossus Remake is also a PlayStation exclusive that has received plenty of fame and positive feedback over the years. Besides its stunning visuals and enthralling narrative, the ending is bold. The protagonist is turned into a Shadow Beast because of Dormin. You’ll eventually seal away Dormin again and be reborn as a child with horns. We love the solemn conclusion, so it’s one of the greatest endings in games that you must witness.
#9: Portal 2 | Supported Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, and PC
Portal 2 concludes with Chell dragging Wheatley with her to the moon via a portal. GLaDOS eventually rescues Chell, abandoning the corrupt construct, Wheatley, in space. The facility respects Chell and later grants her freedom but things aren’t what they seem to be. The protagonist is given the illusion of freedom in a sandbox where GLaDOS is in total control.
Nevertheless, her escape from her oppressors is satisfying, following the ups and downs she experienced along the way. It’s not over the top like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. However, Chell does get a symphony in honour of earning her freedom from GLaDOS.
#10: SOMA | Supported Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, and PC
SOMA thoroughly humbled the protagonist and, by extension, gamers, with its conclusion. The main character learns that Earth is gone and you’re just a clone of a clone. You’re so far from the originator, your actions and efforts feel hollow by the end of SOMA. This is an intelligent game that plays around with the theory of UI, otherwise known as Uploaded Intelligence in some circles.
The protagonist, before he was cloned, hatched a plan to flee Earth before it was destroyed while uploading all the remaining human consciousness into a spaceship known as the ARK. The end goal is to re-upload the minds into physical bodies that will chart their way across the stars to find a new home. Unfortunately, the clone’s luck is wretched and he’s instead abandoned on Earth with no chance of enjoying the fruits of his labour.
The Greatest Endings in Video Games: PlayStation Games Are Keepers
There are many types of titles out there, including top-notch Marvel games. That said, PlayStation Studios make some of the best games in the industry and yes, they’re exclusive to the platform. Their games boast some of the greatest endings in video games. This is because their games are driven by narratives, rather than a grind-and-win mentality. Heck, players have everything they need to beat the game from the start of Sony’s exclusive games. So their titles are much more intimate than others.
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