Video games are a great form of storytelling and world-building, and, from that perspective, they have more similarities to books than movies. Yet, because video game franchises are often so dense, with many of them having annual sequels, some parts of the story don’t get wrapped up, either intentionally or otherwise.
The narrative in gaming has become just as important as graphical presentation, and, as a result, video games are becoming much more respected as an art form, leading many writers to favor ambiguity over a linear tale. But, this generally leads to an abundance of questions being asked by perpetually curious gamers.
Updated on July 14, 2023 by Ritwik Mitra: The realm of gaming is rife with many amazing stories and unique moments that other mediums can only dream of replicating. Suffice it to say, players love these experiences and want to try out as many of them as possible, so long as they align with their general interests. After all, video games cover a wide range of genres, and not all of them can appeal to one person.
However, one particular aspect of video games with universal appeal is the idea of a mystery hiding deep in the background of their respective titles that fans still haven't solved to this day. These mysteries attract a ton of attention and attract a community that is solely focused on uncovering these mysteries in some way or the other.
13 The G-Man In Half-Life
Half-Life is one of the most popular sci-fi FPS titles of all time, with each game pushing the boundaries of gaming to new heights. Half-Life: Alyx is the latest game in the series, allowing players to experience the magic of this series via the medium of virtual reality. The end result is a game that will wow players with every interaction that players attempt, with both the combat and the story being truly sublime.
Just like the other games in the series, the mysterious G-Man makes an appearance in this title as well. His presence is felt more acutely in the title, with Alyx going so far as to rescue her while believing that he's Gordon Freeman. While the answers that the G-Man gives are pretty enlightening, there's still a long way to go before the entire truth behind this mysterious entity's existence comes to light.
12 Master Chief's Real Face In Halo
Another sci-fi FPS that is all the rage despite facing its fair share of missteps in modern times is Halo. The amazing lore and storytelling present in these games are quite riveting, with the iconic Master Chief establishing himself as one of the greatest video game characters of all time. This is extremely impressive given the fact that no one knows what this man looks like under his helmet!
While the Halo series did show what Master Chief looked like when he took off his iconic armor, many fans of Halo hated the show for being a blight on the source material. Clearly, that moment doesn't count in their eyes, and the games are still very secretive when it comes to Master Chief's actual face.
11 The Code FF:06:B5 In Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is a game that became hugely controversial upon release, with its unfinished state and broken promises being two of the biggest talking points in this context. Thankfully, CD Projekt Red never gave up on this game and constantly updated it, patching out most of the bugs and allowing players to experience this story without too many problems plaguing their experience.
Over time, the reception to this title has only improved, with die-hard fans combing this game over just enough to find a unique code that is present in four locations across the game world. The code FF:06:B5 has caused a ton of speculation, with many fans wondering what this could possibly mean. It's a great mystery that has left fans puzzled to this day, with many people giving their own theories on the same that are quite plausible in some ways.
10 The Strange Man In Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 might have some of the most pristine graphics in video games, but that doesn’t make some of the plot points any clearer. The Strange Man appears three times in Red Dead 2, appearing in each of the game’s main areas.
Each time The Strange Man is in contact with John Marsten, he is very specific with his words and intentionally vague. The player is actually able to kill The Strange Man, but that means failing the mission. The Strange Man calls John’s gravesite a “fine spot” long before John dies, and he tells John that they “have to stop meeting like this” the last time they ever meet, meaning that he could be anything from a time traveler to John’s self-conscience to the devil in human form.
9 The Desert Rings In Shadow Of The Colossus
For such a detailed world despite being completely desolate, Shadow of the Colossus had fans believing that there was a secret seventeenth colossus in the world even though the developers explained there wasn’t. The remake of the game for the PS4 did include a final secret where players who found 50 gold coins in the game would be rewarded with a bigger sword.
Still, the world itself is full of mystery, and, though it remains unchanged in the remake, fans are still trying to find clues to something bigger. One detail that remains unsolved is the rings in the desert. There are metal plates attached to the rings, and some of them are broken, while others are still fully formed. There must be some connection to the world, but it remains unsolved.
8 Vacationing In Silent Hill 2
Though there are loads of strange and haunting areas in survival horror titles, Silent Hill 2 is particularly notable for its horrifying misty aesthetic. Yet, it’s that mist that raises the question as to why James was ever there in the first place.
In the game, James explains that the town used to be his favorite place to go vacationing, but, as the haunting town has been misty since the 1970s, James would likely have never seen the town in sunlight. This begs the question, how does James know what the town looks like without mist if he never stepped foot in the town before the 70s? There’s even more to James than players learn at the end of the game, but what?
7 Suicidal Tendencies In God Of War
It seems that most plot holes come from characters having a very selective memory. The God of War anti-hero, Kratos, is considering ending his own life at the start of God of War (2018) due to his messed up past, but, as nobody knows the afterlife better than him, he should have known not to do that.
When Kratos wants to end his life owing to his endless pain, it would be no different in the afterlife, as Hades’ realm is anything but an escape from pain. If he killed himself, Kratos would be falling for eternity, or something much worse.
6 “L Is Real” In Super Mario 64
In what remains as one of the most intriguing and unresolved mysteries in video games, Super Mario 64 has had fans questioning themselves for decades. With players confused at the time that Luigi wasn’t a playable character, they were totally convinced that he was unlockable.
At this water bed, the inscription beneath the star monument is believed by fans to say “L Is Real 2401,” which players believe is relating to Luigi and that there are 2401 stars in the game. It is believed that, once Mario has collected all 2041 stars in the game, if he returns to the fountain, Luigi would appear.
5 Bane’s Memory Loss In Batman: Arkham Origins
As Batman’s game world is so fantastically dense, there is no escaping the inevitability of mysteries. Though comic books are being used to course-correct such things, there is one that stands above the others that yields so many questions.
In the prequel, Batman: Arkham Origins, Bane learns of Batman’s true identity, but, in the later Batman: Arkham City, the brawn villain had seemingly forgotten. Sure, there are some thinly veiled explanations fans can concoct, such as memory loss, but it remains a mystery, and, if it wasn’t left unexplained, it might have been listed higher on the list of best Arkham games.
4 Mysterious Timeline In Bioshock
As the Bioshock series is based on intertwining narratives and convoluted timelines, there’s bound to be a mystery or two in its story. Jack crash lands in the sea and finds the underwater city of Rapture, but it is revealed that Jack was abandoned at that very place when he was just two years old, meaning he must have had to fight off the Big Daddies as just an infant.
There is a theory that Jack artificially ages much quicker than human beings, but that still requires suspending disbelief quite a bit.
3 The Mount Chiliad Mural In Grand Theft Auto 5
There may be a lot of fake videos showing a UFO atop Mount Chiliad with YouTubers claiming that they have solved the mystery, but don’t be fooled, as they are just PC mods. It wouldn’t be a GTA game without a mystery that players obsess over, and the Mount Chiliad mural inside the cable car station has led people to comb over every inch of the map, including the ocean bed.
Though almost all of the game’s code has been looked over and it seems the mural is a prank by developers, they insist that there is one more mystery in the game that nobody has figured out yet.
2 Tawna’s Disappearance In Crash Bandicoot
It’s easy to believe that the Coco Bandicoot players see in the series today, with her ponytail, overalls, and laptop, was just a remodel of how she looked in the first entry, with her long flowing hair, short shorts, and tank top, but those were actually different characters! While Coco is Crash’s sister, Tawna was Crash’s girlfriend who he had to save in Neo Cortex’s castle.
Saving her in the penultimate level of Crash Bandicoot led to an alternative ending, but, since then, she has never been seen or mentioned except for being a playable character in Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fuelled.
1 The Borealis In Half-Life/Portal 2
There are many mysteries in the Half-Life series that fans want some proper answers to sooner rather than later. One of these stems from the Aurora Borealis, a boat that carries something important to Freeman in Half-Life 2: Episode 2 that players never really find out about.
Fans were teased in Portal 2 about the carrier ship’s contents, but it still remained a mystery. Though both series are considered to be two of the best gaming has to offer, they are both just as good at keeping secrets. Hopefully, fans won’t have to wait another 13 years to get more information.