Top 10 Greatest Video Game Endings

It’s very rare that a franchise manages to finish off a trilogy on a high note. When said high note is the greatest game in the franchise and is regarded as the best game of an entire year, you know you’ve got something nothing short of spectacular. Depending on a ludicrous amount of variables throughout the game, the various endings for Geralt, his romantic life, Ciri and the fate of the Northern Kingdoms all vary greatly. However, we’re especially fond of the ending that sees Ciri becoming the new emperor, as it features a touching segment where Geralt and Ciri wander the woods and enjoy their last fleeting moments together.

This sequel more than matched its predecessor in terms of a dark narrative, most of which was due to the superb portrayal of Batman’s greatest foe. While he may have been calling the shots in the madhouse, the Joker was shown to be vulnerable and desperate as he slowly begins to waste away due to the events of Arkham Asylum. His chances for salvation go down the drain when his murderous habits force him to take a stab at the Bat, only to break the cure for his condition instead. As you watch the Clown Prince of Crime laugh away his last breaths, a small part of you can’t help but feel sympathy. R.I.P

Marcus Fenix and company have been to hell and back again in their campaign to destroy the vicious and butt-ugly Locust, and we’ve enjoyed every second of it. After discovering Fenix’s father has found a way to end the threat, the Gears have to endure wave after wave of enemies before the device that can kill them is activated. Even then, it comes at the cost as Adam Fenix’s life. With so many friends and loved ones added to the enormous body count, seeing Marcus drive that knife into the Locust Queen was ever so satisfying. Humanity, as always, finds a way to survive.

The Bioshock franchise has prided itself on exploring the darker side of humanity’s nature. Its latest instalment very much sent players on a wild trip through various timelines, leading to the rather depressing ending where our protagonist must decide who he ultimately wants to be. With so many Booker DeWitt’s scattered across time, some of them even becoming the villainous Comstock, Booker decides that he wants to remain a good man, and allows the various incarnations of Elizabeth to drown him in order to protect her many, many futures. Confusing? Yes. Heart-breaking? Absolutely.

The highlight of this epic space opera definitely came from its second outing. Working with the shady Cerberus organisation and awesome otherworldly characters, Commander Shepard must traverse through the galaxy to defeat the fearsome Collectors, who have a bad habit of kidnapping and liquidising humans. Depending on who you’ve sided with and helped out throughout the course of the game, as well as who you assign to do what during the infamous mission, who lives and dies can vary greatly – including Commander Shepard. By offering a similar-but-still-different ending to everyone who plays, Mass Effect 2 manages to finish off on a surprisingly personal note for those who get to the end.

Throughout this horrifyingly surreal take on conflict and its consequences, Captain Martin Walker is convinced that the atrocities committed in war-torn Dubai were due to a rogue soldier by the name of Konrad. After tracking him down, players were greeted with the harsh truth that Konrad had been a hallucination the entire time, as a way to shift blame for the Walker’s own murderous actions following a mass manslaughter with white phosphorus. A shell of his former self, players were left to decide Walker’s fate – return home as a broken man, take the easy way out, or embrace the monster within.

There hasn’t been a game to date that’s captured the sense of tension and hopelessness quite like this survival-horror. While the thrills of escaping clickers and cannibals definitely kept gamers on the edge of their seat, it was the slow-building relationship between Joel and Ellie that kept us emotionally invested. Then they delivered an ending that left us feeling internally conflicted, as the player is forced to watch Joel sacrifice humanity’s future for the sake of Ellie, all because she’s filled the void left in his life after his daughter’s death. Whether you agree with his actions or not, there’s no denying that it perfectly fits in with the game’s sombre and grieving tone.

In a bid to save his deceased love, Wander seeks out the mysterious Dormin in an attempt to reverse her death. It instructs him that to do so he must kill sixteen Colossi, but there will be a heavy price to pay. Sure enough, after the last Colossus has fallen, it’s revealed that the ritual was just a way for Dormin to resurrect itself with Wander as his new host. It’s not long before the demon ends up getting banished once again, with Wander getting dragged along for the ride. Just to add insult to injury, his beloved is brought back to life just afterwards. Bittersweet doesn’t even come close to describing this one!

In this prequel, we get to see the original Snake set out to kill his traitorous mentor known as The Boss, a legendary soldier and apparent Soviet defector. After sneaking and choking your way through the campaign, it all boils down to an emotional and epic final fight with a painful ending that forces the player to pull the trigger. Of course the real heartbreak comes with the reveal that The Boss never defected, and orchestrated her own death as a way to protect the country she loved. As you can imagine, there wasn’t a single gamer who wasn’t weeping.

Before we reveal our number one pick here are a few honourable mentions.

“Mafia” (2002)
“The Walking Dead” (2012)
“Journey” (2015)
“Chrono Trigger” (1995)
“Portal 2” (2011)

After so many hours watching John Marston battle through various bandits and dodge an endless amount of bullets, we were just happy to see him settle down with his family at the end of it all. We were then greeted to one of the most heart-shattering scenes in gaming. Outnumbered, and in a desperate bid to save his wife and son, all the player can do is try and shoot as many enemies as they can before this happens … (9:35). Luckily the game offered one hell of an epilogue. Players assumed the role of John’s son to hunt down the dirty old codger that had ordered his father’s death. Needless to say, vengeance was sweet!

Do you agree with our list? What do think is the greatest video game ending of all time? With more top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.