Top 20 HARDEST Video Game Endings To Get

VOICE OVER: Callum Janes WRITTEN BY: Johnny Reynolds

Reaching these endings in video games is going to be a major challenge. For this list, we'll be looking at video game conclusions that are difficult to reach, whether they're the canon ending or an optional one. Obviously, we'll be getting into some major spoiler territory. Our countdown of the hardest endings to get in gaming includes Becoming An Old One from “Bloodborne” (2015), Ending A from “Valkyrie Profile” (1999), Endings F-Z from “Nier: Automata” (2017), Tidus Returns from “Final Fantasy X-2” (2003), and more!

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Hardest Endings to Get in Gaming. For this list, we’ll be looking at video game conclusions that are difficult to reach, whether they’re the canon ending or an optional one. However, we won’t be including the ‘Disarmament Ending’ of “Metal Gear Solid V,” as that was proved impossible to get without hacking. Obviously, we’ll be getting into some major spoiler territory. Which of these endings was a struggle for you? Let us know in the comments!

#20: Marin’s Happy Ending

“The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening” (1993) There’s usually only one ending to reach in a “Zelda” game. But “Link’s Awakening” gives you a nice bonus for extra effort. After washing up on the strange Koholint Island, the first character Link makes friends with is Marin. She later tells him she wishes she could turn into a seagull so that she could explore the wider world. At the end, when the island disappears due to it being part of the Wind Fish’s dream, she goes with it. But if you beat the game without dying, you’ll get a nod that Marin’s wish came true. “Link’s Awakening” isn’t an overly difficult game. But not dying once is still a challenge.

#19: The Good Ending

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#18: Full Purity

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“Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising” (2010) Some games force the player to forgo certain gameplay features to reach a certain ending. In “Chaos Rising,” a new feature to the “Warhammer” series is Corruption. It keeps track of how willing your characters are to going down a path of chaos. Some items add to your Corruption levels, but also come with really useful perks to give you the edge in combat. To unlock the Full Purity ending, though, you won’t be able to indulge in any of these items. Of the game’s five endings, this is definitely the hardest one to reach. It isn’t as if your Corruption level can be low; it has to be non-existent.

#17: Grim Reaper

“Way of the Samurai 3” (2009) Some games feature one ending; others, a handful. But “Way of the Samurai 3” has 22 different conclusions, which is just absurd. Moreover, the hardest one to get is far from worth it. The Grim Reaper ending is only unlocked if you’ve killed every NPC you can come across. However, since some characters are only introduced through others, you have to kill them in a specific order. Your reward is a text crawl a mere three sentences long over a still image recounting your legacy as a demon. That’s a whole lot of effort for basically nothing other than some bragging rights.

#16: Endings F-Z

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#15: Knightfall Protocol

“Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015) This is an extra ending that actually makes a lot of sense. As the Dark Knight, you'd absolutely wanna make sure that the streets of Gotham were safe, which means knocking out all of those Most Wanted side quests before you remove your cape and cowl. The good news? There's only fourteen of them, DLC excluded. The bad news? You're gonna have a hell of a time getting through all of them. On top of having to stop some pretty tough contenders, your investigation skills will be put to the test because, you guessed it, you gotta find all of those damn Riddler Trophies. Truly, you are the gamer that Gotham deserves.

#14: Mona Sax Lives

“Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne” (2003) In the original “Max Payne,” Mona Sax was an assassin who refused to take the detective’s life. Though it was a small part, she was much more prominent in the sequel, where she acted as a romantic interest for Max as well as a playable secondary protagonist. For most players, she tragically died in the end. But for those willing to put in much more effort, you could save her life. All you had to do was beat it on the hardest difficulty, ‘Dead on Arrival.’ Unfortunately, it wasn’t just that all enemy AI was raised to be stronger and smarter. You also had a limited amount of saves to use throughout. Trying to be resourceful could mean replaying big chunks of game.

#13: Saving Everyone

“Mass Effect 2” (2010) One of the most memorable aspects from “Mass Effect 2” is its harrowing suicide mission during the climax. Depending on how you interact with Shepard’s crew members and what quests you complete, they can all theoretically live or die on the mission. It’s fairly likely that at least one of them will perish, but making sure none of them do is quite the accomplishment. It means getting every ship upgrade both offensive and defensive, beating every loyalty mission, as well as delegating to your crew correctly on certain missions. Only after the laundry list of requirements is completed should you feel safe enough to head into the finale. Otherwise, part of your crew won’t be making it out alive.

#12: Purification

“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019) We really shouldn’t be surprised that getting the “good” ending in a FromSoftware game is a challenge. In “Sekiro,” players control a ninja seeking retribution against a clan that kidnapped his lord, the young Kuro. In the regular ending, Kuro dies. But the ending in which you sacrifice yourself to save him is much harder to obtain. You have to have gathered certain items, gone through all dialogue and eavesdrop options with Kuro, chosen to betray the man who brought you up, and many other optional and easily missed choices. The game is difficult enough as is without having to worry about a checklist of obscure details just to accomplish our goal.

#11: The Last Story

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#10: Tidus Returns

“Final Fantasy X-2” (2003) At the end of “Final Fantasy X,” protagonist Tidus vanished. But in its sequel, it was possible to have him come back in a happy ending. It was just very, very tough to unlock. To do so, you’d have to complete certain events or missions at specific points, some of which wouldn’t be made aware to you. In fact, you could miss out on some if you happened to choose the wrong faction. That lack of clarity made reaching this ending extremely rare, but it isn’t even the hardest ending to obtain. 100% completion gave you the Perfect Ending, which came with the myriad of annoyances as the previous one, plus more work, and only for one extra scene.

#9: Ending A

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“Valkyrie Profile” (1999) In “Valkyrie Profile,” you play as one of the winged ferrywomen of the dead, guiding souls of fallen warriors. In-game, the points of your Seal Value represent how loyal your are to Odin and fluctuate as you complete certain quests or actions. To get the best ending, not only do you have a checklist of things you must accomplish. But you must also make sure the points in your Seal Value are at the right levels at the right times. In 1999, there was no way to know this. Even playing today, you’d have to follow a strict guide on what to do and when to do it for it to be a guarantee.

#8: Secret Endings

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#7: Hellish Abyss Ending

“Fatal Frame 2” (2003) ProTip: don't follow red butterflies into the woods, they'll lead you to ghost infested towns where your only means of defense is a camera. The Xbox version of this paranormal investigator's nightmare added an extra ending, but it's not the most difficult one to get. That honor goes to the one with the word hellish in it. First, beat the game on Hard, then Nightmare -- which gets you the Xbox exclusive ending -- then beat Fatal Mode, the Xbox exclusive difficulty where most of the ghosts can kill you in one hit. The kicker? The PS2 Version lets you get this ending by beating the game on Hard Mode. Clearly Tecmo hated Xbox fans

#6: Extra Endings

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” Series (2014-) Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, the source of nightmares for an entire generation of Let's Players. In "Jumpscares: The Game," you are sorely overworked and beyond underpaid as you try to survive each night before you're mauled by the group of animatronics who wander the halls. If you're feeling particularly brave -- or foolish -- you can attempt to unlock the game's extra endings by working additional nights. This can mean one of two things: 1) setting ALL of the crazed mascot characters to their max difficulty and surviving the night, or 2) finding the game's secrets and glitching your way through them. Bottom line: quit the pizza shack and find another job.

#5: Pacifist & Genocide Endings

“Undertale” (2015) An instant charmer to the RPG genre, a game full of unique characters, challenging gameplay, and the ability to MURDER EVERYONE YOU COME ACROSS. Or you can save them all, that too. Spoiler: play the game like normal first, then tackle the pacifist run, and if your heart is made of ice: the genocide run. The difficulty comes with sticking to your convictions. Either you don't kill anyone -- which makes battles much harder since you're trying to avoid attacks -- or you kill everyone -- which makes your opponents try their best to stop your murderous rampage. Oh, and it unlocks a boss who will, undoubtedly, dunk on you.