Top 20 Saddest Video Game Deaths Ever

“Conker’s Bad Fur Day” (2001) We don’t get much of Berri in “Conker’s Bad Fur Day,” but her death is still surprisingly heartbreaking for the raunchy adventure. After being enlisted to help rob a bank, Conker and Berri are betrayed and delivered to the villainous Panther King. Only wanting Conker, he orders Berri gunned down right in front of you. Though we’d seen death treated with humor throughout the game, Berri’s final gasps in Conker’s arms were much more upsetting. What was even more upsetting was that Conker utilized a major 4th wall break to defeat the final boss. And he realized he could’ve revived her with it only moments too late.

“Wolfenstein: The New Order” (2014) At the beginning of “The New Order,” protagonist BJ Blazkowicz and his allies infiltrate the fortress of high ranking Nazi scientist, Deathshead. Unfortunately, you’re all captured. The game then forces you to choose who will die between your two closest compatriots: the sarcastic Fergus Reid or the wholesome Probst Wyatt. Each choice is an early gut punch in the game, but this isn’t their final moment. Deathshead will have kept your ally’s brain alive for over a decade, placing it inside a robot to fight you at the end. No matter your choice, having to mercy kill your friend after they’ve lived such a life for years is downright devastating.

#18: Eli Vance

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“Half-life 2: Episode Two” (2007) Eli Vance ingratiated himself with players everywhere in the “Half-life” series. The brilliant scientist was kind in a world where that was in short supply. Plus, he created the awesome Gravity Gun, so we’d love him regardless. However, in “Half-life 2’s” second episodic follow-up, our friendship came to a tragic end. With things going well and Eli sharing loving moments with both you and his daughter, Alyx, we probably should’ve seen his death coming. As the three headed into a hangar, they were attacked by two Advisors. Although Dog showed up to save Gordon and Alyx, it was too late for Eli. The episode sadly ended with a weeping Alyx clutching her father’s body.

#17: The Boss

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“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004) For most of “Metal Gear Solid 3,” you believe that The Boss, your former mentor and superior, is evil. She betrays you at the onset, leaving you for dead and joining forces with the villains. And she is quite convincing. However, this is a game about spycraft, and you find out that she was only following orders in service of the US. By the time you find this out, though, it’s too late. You’re forced to fight and kill her with the reveal that she was always good and knew her fate coming later. It’s a heartbreaking last twist, leading to one of the saddest funeral scenes in gaming.

“Horizon Forbidden West” (2022) The world of “Horizon” is a dangerous one with deadly machines and, in the case of the sequel, immortal humans with highly advanced weaponry. The Far Zeniths, members of the Old Ones who fled the dying Earth, returned to wipe out life and start anew. Naturally, Aloy and her allies took issue with this. On a mission to deal a heavy blow to the Zenith cause, Varl met an awful fate at the hands of Erik. Varl had grown to be a wonderful friend across both games, treating most with respect and kindness. What hurts even more than losing him is finding out that Zo was pregnant with his child afterwards.

“Grand Theft Auto IV” (2008) Like “Wolfenstein,” which of these deaths happens depends on your choice. However, you probably won’t know you’re making it. Towards the end of the game, Niko will be given the choice to make a deal with Dimitri, the man who betrayed him, or get his revenge. If you choose to make the deal, Dimitri will betray Niko again. He’ll send an assassin to his cousin Roman’s wedding, where a stray bullet will leave Roman’s new wife a widow. If you choose to get revenge, another mob boss will try to kill Niko in a drive-by-shooting, but his love interest Kate will be slain. Either way, Niko is left to mourn someone he deeply cares for.

“Persona 4” (2008) The “Persona” series has a lot of great characters, but it’s impossible not to like Nanako. Having lost her mother at an early age and forced to grow up too quickly, we cared for her immensely. Plus, she was just so cute and kind, though this of course made her a perfect target for villainy. After being trapped in an alternate realm for too long, Nanako ended up in the hospital with an unknown but fatal illness. All we could do was sit there and listen to her final words, with her father being just a moment too late to say goodbye. It was an utterly heart-wrenching scene, and it might place higher if it wasn’t possible to revive her depending on your decisions.

“Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons” (2013) Though it doesn’t have the budget and writing of bigger games, the emotional moments in “Brothers” can still hit like a truck. It follows two sons, Naia and Naiee, as they journey to the mystical Tree of Life, whose water can cure their sick father. After braving plenty of challenges, older brother Naia is wounded by a giant spider. While they make it to the Tree of Life, he dies before Naiee makes it back with the water that could’ve saved him. The score and Naiee’s sobs make it a tough scene to watch. However, controls for each brother are split across one controller. So you feel the loss of Naia both thematically and literally.

#12: The Auditore Family

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“Assassin’s Creed II” (2009) This sequel improved on the first in multiple ways, including story and characterization. Players were immediately invested in Ezio’s story, partially due to the betrayal and execution of half his family. After being framed for treason, Ezio’s father and two brothers are imprisoned. Ezio even finds proof of their innocence, but he puts his trust in the wrong man: the vile, traitorous Umberto Alberti. Alberti sentences them to death via public hanging, a fate we’re powerless to stop. We don’t even have time to sit in the grief; Ezio is forced to flee lest he suffer the same. But it was a shocking, dreadful moment that fueled Ezio’s development through the rest of the game.

#11: 2B

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“NieR: Automata” (2017) In an endless war between androids and machines, there’s plenty of death to go around. However, we assumed the character we started with, the android 2B, would be there at the end. At a certain point, 2B is infected by the logic virus, which causes androids to grow increasingly violent and lash out at their allies. As the virus spreads, 2B’s system starts to shut down. The screen and audio distorts heavily, sparks fly from her body, and she limps until she no longer can. Although A2 shows up for aid, it’s too late; 2B requests a mercy kill, which A2 obliges. But not before 9S shows up and assumes the worst.

“The Witcher III: Wild Hunt” (2015) It’s a tough life, being a Witcher. One minute your friends are there, the next they’re being cut down by some horrific creature or powerful being. With the Wild Hunt hot on her trail, Ciri relies on the help from Geralt and the other Witchers to make a stand against them. But there’s a reason so many people fear them. After King Eredin gains the upper hand and captures Vesemir, Ciri gives herself up. Vesemir isn’t about to let her though, and stabs his captor before getting his own neck snapped. Vesemir was a father figure to many, including Ciri and Geralt. His death and funeral are appropriately sorrowful, instilling a strong desire for vengeance.

“Mass Effect 3” (2012) We love a tormented character atoning for past sins, and so we love Mordin Solus. The respected geneticist played a part in the creation of genophage, a biological weapon used to make the violent Krogans sterile. He holds that guilt close to him across the trilogy, dedicating his life and intelligence to helping others. As the trilogy reaches its climax, Mordin works to create a cure for genophage. As Shepherd, you can choose to shoot him, though we certainly never would. If you let him continue, he’ll die in an explosion, but not before dispensing the cure at the Shroud Tower. Thane Krios’ death is also pretty sad, but this noble sacrifice is just too heartbreaking.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” (2009) Characterization isn’t usually a major focus in a “Call of Duty” game. But you’d be hard pressed to find characters more beloved by fans than those in the “Modern Warfare” series. One of the most popular is Ghost, codenamed for his balaclava and well-liked for his British quips. Towards the end of “Modern Warfare 2,” he and player character Roach are sent to infiltrate a safehouse of the main villain. Though successful, they’re betrayed by their ally General Shepherd and shot at point blank range. It was a completely shocking twist. As the emotional music swelled and bodies of the heroes were burned, we struggled to pick our jaws up off the floor.

#7: Dom Santiago

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“Gears of War 3” (2011) Pretty much everyone in “Gears of War” has a rough go of it, but our hearts endlessly ache for Dom. As Marcus’ best friend, we grew to always rely on Dom in tough spots. How he managed to keep fighting after having to mercy kill his own wife in “Gears of War 2,” we’ll never know. In “Gears of War 3,” with his team being overrun by enemies, Dom didn’t think twice about what had to be done. While calling out to his wife, he bravely drove a fuel truck into the horde, buying his team time to escape. Marcus’ screams for his friend and an instrumental version of Gary Jules’ “Mad World” made the scene especially upsetting.

“Halo: Reach” (2010) Though we may have guessed the outcome of this prequel, that didn’t make it any easier to watch. As the human world Reach gets attacked by the Covenant, it’s up to the Noble Team to make sure Cortana gets off safely. The entire climax sees each member tragically perish. And while we’re sad to see them all go, it’s player character Six that’s the saddest. In a post-credits sequence, we fight with all our might against invading forces. No matter how hard you try though, Six is destined to die. We watch through his cracked helmet as enemies swarm him. And it’s made all the sadder considering how their sacrifice helped humanity win.

#5: John Marston

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“Red Dead Redemption” (2010) Rockstar’s tale across the Old West has been praised for its story among many other things. And that story rips your heart out by the end. As ex-outlaw John Marston, you’re forced to bring members of your former gang to justice by any means necessary. If you don’t, it will be your wife and son who pay the price. John does what’s required of him, but is betrayed by Edgar Ross and gunned down by his men. The violent end stunned players worldwide, and subsequently wrecked them when John’s wife and child came across his body. Sure, John’s son gets revenge in the prologue. But it was a miserable end to a protagonist we’d grown to care dearly for.

“Marvel’s Spider-Man” (2018) Before “No Way Home” ripped our hearts out a second time, we were emotionally ruined by Aunt May’s death here. Although she became infected by the lethal Devil’s Breath, May Parker never stopped helping those in need as war waged in NYC. She was just as admirable, loving, and strong in the face of fear as we’d always known her to be. So when Peter gained a single antidote, but had to use it to develop a vaccine instead of curing her, we were cursing our PlayStations through the tears. As if that wasn’t bad enough, her final moment was used to tell Peter how proud she was of him.

#3: Sarah Miller

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“The Last of Us” (2013) It’s never easy to watch a child die, no matter the art form. And while the opening section of “The Last of Us” is well known these days, it still never fails to annihilate us. Taking place twenty years before most of the story, we witness the onset of a deadly outbreak. Before the terror hits, however, we instantly become attached to Sarah, a loving daughter more excited for her dad’s birthday than he is. As the infected begin to tear down the world, Joel rushes Sarah to any form of safety. They almost make it too, but one soldier’s orders takes Sarah away. It isn’t a quick death, and it sets the brutal tone for the narrative that follows.

#2: Aerith

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“Final Fantasy VII” (1997) There aren’t many deaths in video games that can match Aerith’s from “Final Fantasy VII.” With her bubbly demeanor, her compassion for others, and her incredibly useful healing capabilities, Aerith quickly became a fan favorite character. Her last act was even a prayer to the planet for help, which was cut short when Sephiroth stabbed her in the back. In 1997, something like this was entirely unexpected and downright sorrowful. Players were so impacted by the death of the cheerful character that rumors of ways to save her spread like wildfire. We hate to think of a fully remastered version of this scene, if Square Enix decides to recreate it.

#1: Lee Everett

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“The Walking Dead” (2012) We know no one is safe during a zombie apocalypse, yet Lee’s death shook us to our core. The relationship built up between him and Clementine was astounding. As other characters perished, we told ourselves nothing could possibly harm this child…and to be fair, we kept that promise. However, by the end of the game, Lee was bitten by a walker and we faced the tough choice of telling Clementine what to do. Players could either have her shoot Lee so that he wouldn’t turn or simply leave him behind. Either way, it was a scene masterfully crafted and voice-acted, ensuring there was no way we’d soon forget it.