Alternate endings are a big thing in video games. They increase replay value and help players feel like they have more power over a narrative. Some endings go a bit extreme, however, making gamers go through ridiculous trials just to access a little cutscene.
While many of these can be easily seen by doing a quick YouTube search, sometimes one wants the satisfaction of earning it themselves. Also, some of these came out before internet video streaming was a thing. Whether one wants to achieve the following ten endings themselves or just look them up on the internet, they have to admit they are all ridiculous in one way or another.
10 Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is chock full of endings, many of which vary greatly from each other. One hidden ending is not only hard to access but even harder to beat. Be nice to Johnny Silver throughout the duration of the campaign and then during a final choice on a rooftop just wait and look back and forth between Johnny and a gun to access this hidden option. The combat encounters afterward are brutally difficult, and dying once triggers the ending.
9 Far Cry 4 And 5
Far Cry often takes place in deadly serious environments, but the game still likes to have fun, as proven by the two secret endings gamers can access in Far Cry 4 and 5 shortly into the respective campaigns. In the fourth game, simply wait fifteen minutes for the antagonist to return to trigger the ending. In the fifth game, just wait in the opening cutscene when you are supposed to apprehend Joseph Seed. They are easy to see, as long as one knows the endings exist.
8 Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain's hidden ending is well-documented, if impossible to fairly achieve, but the prior entry, the PSP title Peace Walker, also has a hidden ending. By completing every single operation in the game, players unlock a final tape from Kaz Miller which reveals some shocking details about the character. While the requirements seem simple, some of the final optional missions are incredibly difficult, especially when done solo.
7 Chrono Trigger
This classic SNES RPG from Square is notable for many endings. One of the wildest of these occurs if the player is able to beat Lavos during the first encounter with the villain, a point where Crono and the party are supposed to lose. Best this particularly tough bout and a non-canon ending takes place where the player walks around and talks to the developers. Another way to earn this ending is to go into the right telepod in the beginning of the game at the carnival. Also, this has to be done on New Game Plus.
6 Nier: Automata
Knowing Yoko Taro, there is no way one of his games does not make it on this list. While Nier: Automata makes the cut, this entry can represent just about all of the creator's games.
During the title's final ending, players are presented with a choice to undo all of their actions, as if the character never existed. Choosing this will erase the player's save data, crossing the themes over into the real world. The original Nier does something similar.
5 Max Payne 2
A linear shooter like Max Payne 2 typically would not be expected to have an alternate ending, but Remedy games managed to sneak one in there. Beating the game on the hardest difficulty, which limits the amount of available saves, unlocks a happier conclusion than the depressing conclusions for which the series is known. Max Payne 3 all but confirms this ending as non-canon, however. The 2003 shooter is so good that one would be encouraged to try this ending out just for more replay value.
4 Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy X-2 is not the most beloved entry in the franchise, despite having a more open nature with side quests. Even those who do adore it are hard-pressed to go for the secret ending, which requires a one hundred percent completion to access. This is not as simple as checking activities off a menu, either, and it is not so easy to keep track of. It is the happiest of all the endings, but it also does not make sense.
3 Hotline Miami
Trying to make sense of all the carnage in Hotline Miami is not exactly the point of the game, but a secret ending puts meaning to the madness. Unlocking it requires some heavy puzzle solving. By finding letters in several missions, the antagonists goading the characters on their killing sprees reveal the purpose behind their phone calls. The game is fully satisfactory even without this revelation, however.
2 Bloodborne
As if going through a FromSoftware game once is not hard enough, unlocking the final ending to Bloodborne requires going through it at least three times, collecting a piece of an umbilical chord on each playthrough. Only then does the true last boss reveal itself and the final battle commence. Beating this unlocks the ending, which is equally as ambiguous as the other conclusions, true to the developer's reputation.
1 Silent Hill 2
One has to respect a deadly serious game like Silent Hill 2 including such an inane ending like the famous dog ending. After already getting several different endings, players receive a key which unlocks a dog house in the town, which reveals that the game's events have been orchestrated by the puppy James Sunderland finds in this area. The credits roll over a cheery jingle while the dog sings over it.