Who says video games can’t be emotional? Granted, a lot of video game stories are utter baloney, but once in a while, we hit upon that golden nugget in the sea of mud.
A good ending can leave a lasting impression in our minds, and a sad ending even more so. A sad one tends to put the events of the story into another context, and it also helps us remember the game and its story in a more positive light. A bad ending can ruin a story, while a good ending can make one. These are video games with the most heartbreaking endings, ranked!
Updated December 23, 2020 by Thomas Bowen: As the prevalence of narrative-driven video games has increased, so too has the depth of their storytelling. Games are no longer limited to long blocks of text and still images, with modern technology providing the tools needed to go far beyond the simple storylines that were so common in gaming’s yesteryear. Through cinematic cutscenes, professional voice acting, orchestral soundtracks and bleeding edge graphics, developers have everything they need to evoke a wide range of emotions. Many still opt to wrap up their games with a happy ending, but some instead choose to explore a darker, harsher path. These games can affect even the most stoic of players through their masterfully woven narratives and have brought more than their fair share of grown many and women to tears.
15 Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons
Brother’s: A Tale of Two Sons tells the story of two siblings as they embark upon a brutal and unforgiving quest to find a cure for their father’s illness. It plays around with some interesting mechanics which at the time of its release were fairly revolutionary. Granted, not all of them worked and even those that did didn’t really have the impact that developer Starbreeze Studios might have been hoping for. It’s an innovative and unique title nonetheless though.
With the boys’ mother already dead, the importance of finding the cure takes on extra significance and drives them forwards even in spite of the many dangers they face. The pair traverse many hostile environments and eventually encounter a young girl who helps them on their quest. As they near the end of their journey, however, she’s revealed to be a gigantic spider that plans to eat them both. Although the two brothers prevail, one of them is mortally wounded and dies immediately after his younger brother procures the cure they had so desperately been searching for. The game ends with the remaining brother and his father standing next to two tombstones; tears trickling down their faces.
14 That Dragon, Cancer
That Dragon, Cancer is a beautifully crafted autobiographical game documenting the experiences of the Green family as they raise their infant son, Joel, who died at the age of five following a long battle with cancer. It’s a heart-wrenching experience from start to finish and, sadly, like so many other stories involving cancer, the ending is far from happy. There’s no sugarcoating to be found here, nor are players likely to make it to the end without shedding a considerable amount of tears.
The game is an incredibly depressing one, but transcends the medium through its immersion and interactivity. It’s difficult to articulate exactly why people should consider playing it as there’s very little enjoyment to be found in the traditional sense. There’s just something about the game that just draws players in though. To have been able to share Ryan, Amy and Joel’s experiences is a privilege, but to do so also serves as a poignant reminder of how fleeting life really is and how lucky most of us are.
13 Link’s Awakening
Although Link’s Awakening conforms to the typical Zelda formula in much of what it does, it is one of the series’ more unique entries. For starters, there’s no Princess Zelda to be found here, nor are there any signs of the Triforce either. Player can however expect to find a fun-filled journey that spreads itself across one of the series’ most interesting and varied locales. The Switch remake obviously does a much better job of showing off all that Koholint Island has to offer, but the Game Boy version still holds up surprisingly well for one that’s fast approaching its thirtieth birthday.
As already alluded to, the game’s narrative chooses to ignore the more traditional good versus evil storyline and instead focuses on Link’s quest to return home to Hyrule. As events begin to unfold though, players start to realize that Link’s plan to wake the Windfish will have a catastrophic impact on the island and its inhabitants; many of whom Link (and by extension, the player) has grown incredibly close too. Unperturbed by the consequences, Link continues on with his plan which causes all of the island’s inhabitants to slowly fade away. It’s technically possible to ‘save’ Marin by completing the game without dying, but she is just one of many who called the island of Koholint their home.
12 Ori And The Blind Forest
Ori and The Blind Forest is a beautifully presented game with an incredibly compelling narrative, although it’s book-ended by some tear-jerking scenes. The game begins with the death of the titular character’s adoptive mother after a cataclysmic event decimates the forest that they call home. Given the game’s primary themes include loss and acceptance, this was something of a necessity and, to the writers’ credit, it sets up the remainder of the story perfectly. That doesn’t make it any less distressing though.
Alone in the world and without a sense of purpose, Ori teams up with a light-based being called Sein to restore life to the forest. While on their journey, the pair encounter a giant owl named Kuro whose primary aim is to stop Ori. While Kuro is at first painted as little more than a textbook bad guy, it soon becomes clear that she too has experienced great loss and is acting in the best interests of her unborn child. As the game reaches it climax, Kuro sacrifices herself in order to prevent another catastrophe. Life returns to the forest and Kuro’s final egg begins to hatch, but the child will emerge into a world in which it has no one or nothing.
11 Drawn To Life: The Next Chapter
The original ending to Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter was so dark and depressing that subsequent releases featured a completely different conclusion. Given the game’s target audience were primarily children, it’s perhaps understandable why this decision was made. For all intents and purposes, the game is a lighthearted adventure that encourages players to experiment with drawing mechanics. From a gameplay perspective it’s a lot like Scribblenauts, but when it comes to their stories they could not be more different.
The game takes place in a dreamlike world in which the protagonist, Mike, is trying to rescue his sister. Throughout the game, there are several allusions to ‘that night’ and plenty of signs that suggest something is not quite right. As the game nears its climax, the player learns that the protagonist is actually in a coma and that all of the people he’s encountered throughout his journey will disappear when he wakes up. When he finally does so, it’s revealed through a series of still images that Mike and his family were in a fatal car crash that seemingly killed both of his parents and left his sister with serious facial scarring.
10 The Last Of Us
It’s not the ending itself that is so heartbreaking, but the final half-hour or so of the game. Everything goes to hell once you reach the hospital, as you learn of Ellie’s impending death, rush to rescue her, and escort her out of the hospital in a blaze of bullets and morose music. Yes, the ending proper is also very sad, as you can see Ellie’s trust for Joel disintegrate in a second. It’s certainly not as heartbreaking as some of the others on this list, but it’s not very happy, either!
9 Shadow Of The Colossus
We would rank Shadow of the Colossus higher (or lower?), but the story and characters remained relatively elusive and obtuse throughout the game, which didn’t allow us to connect to it or them on a personal level. That said, it is still heartbreaking. And weird. The horse dies (not really, but it was sad at the time), it’s revealed that you were being manipulated the whole time, and Wander is sucked into a pool that turns him into a baby. It certainly leaves an impression!
8 Spec Ops: The Line
War never has a happy ending, and Spec Ops: The Line sees to that. This is essentially the video game version of Heart of Darkness, and it contains just as dark and depressing an ending. For one thing, you come to learn that “Konrad” is actually just a figment of your imagination, a figure you created in your mind to help you rationalize your deadly actions.
You then have the option to allow “Konrad” to kill Walker, which is essentially Walker committing suicide out of grief and guilt. Fun stuff.
7 Halo: Reach
We have to say, we did not expect these kinds of feels from a Halo game. The Halo series always told a good story, but it remained relatively emotionless and impersonal. But that all changed with the brilliant Halo: Reach. You are forced into a dramatic last stand, and it culminates in your eventual defeat and death. The final shot of the game is your helmet sitting on a grassy plain, a painful reminder of the sacrifice you and your character had made. It’s heartbreaking, but also very touching.
6 Conker’s Bad Fur Day
For a humorous game about an alcoholic, foul-mouthed squirrel, Conker’s Bad Fur Day really threw us for a loop with its surprisingly dramatic ending. Once becoming King, Conker sits on his throne with a frustrated and dejected look on his face, furious at himself for not asking the “programmers” to bring Berri back to life. He ruminates on enjoying what you have before it’s gone while the camera slowly pans away, leaving Conker depressed, morose, and guilty. We thought this was a comedy!
5 Grand Theft Auto IV
Speaking of games that threw us for a dramatic loop, let’s talk about GTA IV. All of the previous GTA games were relatively lighthearted affairs full of colorful characters, silly situations, and happy endings. That all changed with the far more morose and realistic GTA IV. The ending sees either Roman or Kate being killed in a drive-by shooting and Niko seeking vengeance against their killer. Either way, Niko laments about the artificiality and fragility of the so-called American Dream before somberly going about his day. Can we ride a jetpack now to ease our sorrow?
4 Life Is Strange
Life Is Strange was one of the surprise hits of 2015, and is now regarded as one of the finest stories in gaming. Realizing that her actions have caused a problem in the space-time continuum, Max must make a fateful decision – either stay with Chloe and cause Arcadia Bay to crumble, or sacrifice Chloe to restore the timeline and save the town.
If you choose to sacrifice Chloe, you return to a fateful encounter between Chloe and Nathan and witness her tragic murder. Yeah, Max saved Arcadia Bay, but she lost a bit of herself in the process.
3 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
The Metal Gear Solid series tends to go off the rails, but it still finds time for more personal and emotional moments. And it doesn’t get more emotional than the ending of Metal Gear Solid 3. EVA reveals that The Boss was not a defector, but a double agent working with the American government. She is killed by Snake and seen as a traitor by her country. Knowing the truth, Snake visits her grave, gives her a bouquet of lilies, and sheds a single tear in her honor. Now that’s patriotic! And heartbreaking. Mostly the latter.
2 Red Dead Redemption II
After a brief respite with Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar returned to the morbidity and maturity with Red Dead Redemption II. This game was full of sorrow and sadness, but the ending is something else entirely. Arthur saves John, lures the Pinkerton agents, and weakly battles Micah on a precipitous mountain overlook. Following that, he succumbs to his injuries and illness and dies while watching a beautiful sunrise. We didn’t think Rockstar would return to the “kill the protagonist” thing after the first Red Dead, but that shows what we know!
1 The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead wasn’t afraid of taking us to some dark places. Shooting kids in the face, squashing a dad’s head with a salt lick, cutting someone’s leg out of a bear trap – it’s all there! But nothing compares to the ending when you can order a young child to shoot you in the head. Of course, you can also tell her to run, but either way, the ending contains one tearful and heartbreaking goodbye, and we just couldn’t handle it.
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