There once was a time when video games weren't considered a genuine art form. Popular movie critic Roger Ebert famously (or perhaps infamously) held the opinion that video games could NEVER be art. Unfortunately, he passed away right around the time when video games started to be taken seriously.
It's not rare to see a video game today with a fantastic story. And those that stick the landing remain indelibly ingrained in our brains. An ending can make or break a story, and these endings certainly made their respective tales. These are ten video games with the most satisfying endings, ranked.
10 Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
We never expected a Call of Duty game to make us feel, but hey, Call of Duty 4 was full of surprises. The ending to this game is simply fantastic, as you are forced into a dramatic last stand once the bridge is blown up.
You are forced to watch all your friends and colleagues die (many of whom you've grown close to), the Loyalists save the day in dramatic fashion, you kill Zakhaev in a moment of desperation and heroism, and you are airlifted to safety while the screen slowly fades to white and the music swells. We're getting chills just talking about it.
9 Bloodborne
Bloodborne is probably one of the coolest video games of all time. After all, the entire story concerns you, a mere hunter, destroying these ageless Eldritch aliens with a mere saw sword. And the endings are just as impressive.
You may wake up from "the dream," ignorant of the events that befell you and then become a Gehrman-like figure who oversees the next generation of hunters. Alternatively, and this is our favorite, you are turned into a baby squid thing that is presumed to be an Eldritch alien who will lead humanity into safety and comfort. We don't know what it all means but we love it.
8 Journey
Journey took everyone by surprise in 2012, and it helped usher in the age of the independent video game. Its story remained relatively elusive throughout its runtime, but the ending is truly brilliant.
After collapsing in the snow, the traveler is given energy by the mysterious robed figures, reaches the summit of the mountain, and changes into a shooting star before being placed back at the beginning of the game. It's a great rumination on death, the afterlife, reincarnation, and the possibility of a cyclical life.
7 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Uncharted 4 brought the Uncharted series to a very happy and surprisingly wholesome conclusion. Sam gives Elena some gold, allowing her to purchase the business and give her and Nate a legitimate form of income. Sam and Sully go off on their own adventures. And Nate and Elena have a child, who has seemingly inherited the curious and adventurous Drake gene.
It's not an ending filled with tragedy or amazing revelations - it's just a happy slice of life that we were more than happy to see.
6 Grand Theft Auto IV
The Grand Theft Auto series was once known for being wacky and relatively lighthearted. Incredibly violent, yes, but lighthearted in tone. That all changed with Grand Theft Auto IV.
Either your cousin or your girlfriend dies, and after seeking a meaningless vengeance, Niko ruminates on the artificiality of the American Dream. It was a surprisingly heavy thematic point, especially for a Grand Theft Auto game, and it left us all feeling a little morose and contemplative. That's not why we play GTA. It was great, however, bringing depth and consequence to the game.
5 God Of War
Speaking of games with surprisingly heavy themes, let's talk about God of War.
2018's God of War served as a major departure from the rest of the series, as Kratos was far more introspective, and it told a mature story that dealt with far more than just "kill Gods in cool ways." The ending was not only touching, with Kratos and Loki scattering Faye's ashes on the mountain, but it also promises intriguing possibilities for a sequel. Ragnarok can't come soon enough.
4 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Let's be honest - the Metal Gear Solid story is a complete mess. But once in a while, it struck a nugget of gold, and the ending of Metal Gear Solid 3 is that nugget of gold.
After killing The Boss, Snake learns that she was not a defector as he previously thought, but a double agent still working for the American government. Realizing the truth, he visits her grave and gives her some lilies before shedding a single tear in respect and admiration. Only he knows the truth (well, him and a handful of people), and it is heartbreaking to consider.
3 The Last Of Us
The Last of Us nailed the ambiguous ending. Many stories try it, few are successful. This game left us with a ton of interesting questions that fans are still pondering to this day. Is Joel a bad person for doing what he did? Does Ellie know he's lying about the "cure"? If she does know, does she accept his lie, or is their relationship permanently affected? What does her "Ok" represent?
We suppose we'll just have to wait for The Last of Us Part II for all these answers, thankfully it won't be much longer now.
2 The Walking Dead
Poor Telltale. The Walking Dead was just so good that all their other games were in many ways bound to underwhelm and fail in comparison.
As you should expect from a grim zombie story, this game didn't exactly have a happy ending. Mostly everyone dies in painful ways, Lee is bitten and infected, and in the end, you are forced to make the decision to either have Clem kill you or turn around and run away. Either way, you die, Clem is left alone, and the world carries on misery. Fun stuff.
1 Red Dead Redemption II
Rockstar returned to the misery well with Red Dead Redemption II. After being diagnosed with TB, you are forced to watch Arthur slowly wither away into a pale and sick man throughout the latter half of the game. And in the end, he dies from both his injuries and his illness while laying on a mountain outcrop and watching the sunrise.
We figured that Arthur would die, seeing as how that is a Red Dead tradition, but man, we didn't think it would hit that hard. We miss you!