It’s surprisingly difficult to create a satisfying ending for a video game. Even games with incredible stories – sometimes better than movies – can disappoint fans if the finale doesn’t deliver. The games below all have endings that people strongly disagree about, but they were undeniably shocking when players first experienced them.
I’m really excited about this ranking! They’re planning to look at games like the newer Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and even classics like Spec Ops: The Line. It’s going to be based on how shocking they were, but also how well those shocking moments actually worked with the story overall. I think that’s a really interesting way to look at things.
There will be spoilers.
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10. Double Dragon
Brother Drama
Double Dragon is a hugely popular arcade and NES game from the 1980s. While the arcade and home console versions have various differences in graphics and how they play, the most surprising part is the game’s ending.
The original arcade game let two players team up as brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee. However, the version for the NES was a single-player experience where Jimmy stayed hidden while Billy took all the action. The big twist? It turned out Jimmy was the mastermind all along – a surprising reveal that changed the game’s story. Later versions adjusted the storyline to address this, but at the time, it was a huge shock, especially for those who had played both the arcade and NES versions.
9. Resident Evil Village
The Love Of A Father
The game Resident Evil Village begins with a shocking event: Ethan Winters’ wife, Mia, is killed and his daughter, Rose, is kidnapped by Chris Redfield’s team. Rose is then lost, and the game’s central goal becomes finding the pieces of Rose – who the villains have broken apart and stored in jars – and putting her back together.
The climactic fight ends with Mother Miranda taking Ethan’s heart, but his connection to the mold network, the Megamycete, allows him to persevere and rescue his daughter, Rose. Ethan ultimately dies, and the story jumps forward in time to show Rose as an adult. While the exact timeline is a little confusing, it’s always surprising when a game’s protagonist doesn’t survive.
8. BioShock Infinite
The Circle CAN Be Broken
In BioShock Infinite, you play as detective Booker DeWitt, tasked with rescuing a young woman named Elizabeth from the floating city of Columbia. Their journey to reunite leads to a surprising revelation.
Zachary Hale Comstock, the game’s villain and leader of Columbia, is surprisingly a version of Booker and Elizabeth combined. Elizabeth, in turn, is another version of Booker’s daughter, lost to the past. To break the cycle of suffering for all versions of Elizabeth and prevent Comstock’s birth, Booker must drown himself, providing a deeply sad ending to the game.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Zelda Is More Than A Damsel In Distress
For years, Princess Zelda has typically been portrayed as someone who needs rescuing in Zelda games, with Link doing most of the work. That’s why the ending of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is so surprising. Throughout the game, players notice a white dragon soaring through the skies. They eventually discover that the Master Sword is sealed within it, but that’s not the whole story.
Zelda transforms into a dragon through magic to travel back in time and protect the Master Sword, ultimately aiding Link in the fight against Ganondorf. This leads to a climactic battle where players ride Zelda in her dragon form to confront Ganondorf’s dragon. Thankfully, Zelda is returned to her original form after Link defeats Ganondorf. This is arguably the most surprising and unusual plot twist – and character arc – in any Zelda game.
6. Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)
The Sacrificial Mark
Experienced players likely suspected a surprise in Shadow of the Colossus. The main character, Wander, is guided by mysterious voices to defeat massive creatures called Colossi. Each victory leaves him unconscious and filled with a strange, dark power. Once all the Colossi are defeated, Wander begins transforming into a god-like being named Dormin, but this transformation is ultimately prevented.
Once the curse is lifted and Dormin is imprisoned again, Wander is mysteriously reborn as an infant, leaving Mono to raise him. The nature of their relationship is unclear, but turning the hero into a child is arguably more tragic than if he had died honorably.
5. The Last Of Us Part 2
All That And For What?
The game The Last of Us Part 2 begins with a surprising event: Joel’s death at the hands of a new character, Abby. Players eventually take control of Abby, experiencing her story alongside Ellie’s. After Ellie and Abby clash, the game returns to Ellie’s perspective for one final task.
Ellie discovers Abby severely injured and traumatized, but even after saving her, they end up fighting. This fight has devastating consequences for Ellie: she loses fingers, ruining her ability to play guitar, and returns home to find she’s lost Dina and their baby. To make matters worse, she doesn’t achieve any satisfaction or revenge against Abby, leaving players feeling frustrated and questioning the purpose of it all.
4. Spec Ops: The Line
Hearing Voices
Thankfully, Spec Ops: The Line isn’t a long game, because you really need to play it twice to get the full experience. The story is told through the eyes of Captain Walker, who isn’t always truthful. Throughout the game, players believe Walker is hearing the voice of the villain, Colonel Konrad, urging him and his team to pursue him.
Everything that happens in the game is actually a product of Walker’s imagination. The horrific events players witness are a result of his deteriorating mental state, exemplified by the devastating white phosphorus attack. Years of combat finally pushed Walker over the edge, causing him to construct an alternate reality as a way to deal with his trauma. Looking back, the things his squadmates say to him reveal they understood he was losing touch with reality.
3. Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Whispers Of The Fandom
Final Fantasy 7 Remake takes a fresh look at the classic Final Fantasy 7, adding new elements like mysterious, ghostly beings called Whispers, making for an unexpected experience. While the original game moves past the city of Midgar with a thrilling motorcycle escape and a robot battle, the Remake changes things up. After a highway fight, the characters find themselves facing the Whispers, who are guiding them toward a strange portal to another world.
The game introduces forms of Sephiroth much earlier than they appear in the original, but in an even more unusual way. These forms strangely resemble characters from the movie Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, namely Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. This suggests that Final Fantasy 7 Remake isn’t simply a retelling of the original game, but rather the start of a new story that continues beyond the events of Final Fantasy 7, functioning as the first part of a planned trilogy.
2. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Mistaken Identity
Ultimately, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain tells the story of Venom Snake, who everyone believes is the new Big Boss, as he hunts down Skull Face and his organization, determined to destroy the world. However, after the world is saved, Venom Snake learns a shocking truth: he isn’t the real Big Boss. He’s actually a soldier who was brainwashed and used as a body and mind double for the original Big Boss.
As a long-time Metal Gear fan, this whole thing really connects back to the original games. There was a fake Big Boss in the very first Metal Gear, so the idea isn’t new. It makes me wonder, if Hideo Kojima hadn’t left Konami, we might have gotten a remake of the original Metal Gear that would have tied everything together nicely with Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. It’s a shame, honestly, because that would have been awesome.
1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
A Perfect Pretty Painting And Nothing More
I’m really getting into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! It’s about this team trying to stop a seriously nasty witch who’s planning to wipe out everyone, starting with the youngest and going up from there. But things get wild when they discover their whole world isn’t real – it’s like a painted illusion! Turns out one of the characters, Maelle, is actually from our world, Paris, and she’s somehow connected to all of it. It’s a total mind-bender!
Later in the game, players finally defeat the main villain, Maelle’s father. They then face a difficult choice: support Maelle and save the painted world, or destroy it with Verso. There isn’t one definitive ending, but choosing to help Maelle is considered a morally questionable act. Opting for Verso means all the characters players have grown to care for will cease to exist, making their entire adventure feel meaningless, though it does offer a peaceful resolution.
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2026-05-05 07:36