Top 10 Best Horror Video Game Endings Ever
#10: Ethan’s Transformation
“Condemned: Criminal Origins” (2005) Inspired by movies the likes of “Silence of the Lambs” and “Seven”, Condemned: Criminal Origins centers on Ethan Thomas, a Metro City crime scene investigator, as he searches for the killer who framed him for murder. Upon learning an evil creature known as The Hate is ultimately responsible, Ethan is able to take down the monster and seemingly end the insanity. However, things come to a “creep-tastic” finish when our hero visits a diner restroom. Feeling uneasy, Ethan proceeds to be sick as the lights begin to flicker and ominous images appear in the mirror. Oh yeah, then his face morphs into that of the foul beast. Apparently, madness can’t be killed so easily after all!
#9: The Torture Continues
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“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” (1995) Picture this: a dystopian future where an AI supercomputer known as AM has destroyed all of humanity with the exception of five people. As for the survivors, they’re only kept alive for the sole purpose of being tortured through metaphorical nightmare “adventures”! Can’t get any worse, right? Well, as a matter of fact, yes - yes it can. There are 7 possible conclusions, but almost all of them involve your character being turned into a helpless “jelly thing”. Perhaps the most horrifying scenario, however, sees AM join up with the Soviet and Chinese supercomputers. Together, these menaces plot to revive 750 cryogenically frozen humans on the moon for, yep, even more torture! Talk about a rude awakening.
#8: The Frozen Butterfly Ending
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“Project Zero 2: Wii Edition” (2012) You may know this game better by its original PlayStation 2 name of “Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly”. While the original was already pretty frightening, this remake made its way to Nintendo Wii, where, in addition to upgraded graphics, it got 2 terrifying new endings. The game follows twin sisters, Mio and Mayu, as they encounter evil spirits in an abandoned village. Things get dire, however, when Mio begins to show signs of being possessed. If you fought Sae without using the Fatal Shot, and defeated her in less than 5 minutes, Mio overcomes the evil. Unfortunately, it’s Mayu who then turns wicked, going on to strangle her twin to death! As if that’s not enough, a post-credits scene shows Mayu painting Mio’s lips… on her decapitated head. Ah, sisterly love!
#7: Last Resort
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“Alien: Isolation” (2014) Based on the popular horror/sci-fi franchise, Alien: Isolation takes place 15 years after the events of Ridley Scott’s acclaimed film. The game follows Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, as she sets out to investigate her mom’s disappearance. Much like the movies, Alien:Isolation offers plenty of harrowing moments, the finale being a standout. After narrowly avoiding getting implanted with a chestburster and escaping a space station as it burns up, Amanda is seemingly safe. Unfortunately, we soon learn that she’s not alone aboard the Torrens. Out of options, Amanda ejects the xenomorph, along with herself, into the void of space. Thankfully, in true Hollywood fashion, we get a glimmer of hope when our heroine is awakened by a searchlight. Cue the credits.
#6: Left in the Dark
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“Soma” (2015) As far as bleak fates go, this one’s a doozy! Simon wakes up at a strange underwater facility where he meets Catherine, a biomechanical being. Here, our protagonist learns that he is the result of an uploaded brain scan and that, well, all of humanity has been wiped out. It’s only hope? A digital black box named the ARK containing brain scans and a virtual world. After a successful mission launches said ARK into space, however, Simon discovers Catherine didn’t actually upload their minds to the device, but rather just copied them. Things go from bad to worse when Catherine overloads and dies, leaving Simon alone… in the darkness… forever. At least “ARK Simon” got a happy ending, as shown in the game’s post credits!
#5: Possessed by the Walrider
“Outlast” (2013) Meet Miles Upshur, a freelance journalist who, upon receiving an anonymous tip, begins an investigation into alleged grisly experiments being conducted at an insane asylum. Well, poor Miles gets even more than he bargained for when he learns the horrors at Mount Massive Asylum are the results of a malevolent being known as the Walrider. Luckily, our heroic reporter is able to defeat the being’s host! Unfortunately, the Walrider then sets his sights on him, proceeding to possess our hero’s body. As Miles leaves the institution, he is met with an onslaught of gunfire from the military. And if the desperate screams heard as the screen dips to black are any indication, this monstrosity is far from defeated!
#4: Wendigo Reveal
“Until Dawn” (2015) Until Dawn is packed with terrors, but it saves its most horrific moment for last. The game follows eight people who must survive devastating threats during an unforgiving mountain retreat. The twisty tale features a bloody revenge plot orchestrated by the character Josh, who blames the others for his sister’s presumed death a year earlier. The danger doesn’t end there, however, as a stranger reveals certain fatalities in the area have been caused by vile creatures known as Wendigos, former humans who turned to cannibalism. Yum! So, if Josh survives by the game’s end, a post-credits scene will show him chowing down on the stranger's head and, you guessed it, transforming into one of those Wendigo beasts. Major party foul Josh!
3: Hallucinations and Heartbreak
“Dead Space” (2008) Oh, the things we do for love. In order to learn what happened to his girlfriend Nicole, Isaac fights his way through a spacecraft infested with nasty reanimated corpses. Along the way, we discover the mining crew Nicole belonged to was tasked with retrieving “the Red Marker,” an alien artefact used for experiments on planet Aegis VII. Things went wrong when the Marker caused psychosis and zombie-like transformations. So, guided by love, Isaac sabotages attempts to bring the Marker back to earth. Sadly, it’s revealed our hero’s encounters with Nicole were only hallucinations, created by the Marker to have him return it from where it was taken. After mass destruction on all fronts, Isaac suffers one final hallucination at the game’s close – or was it?
#2: Becoming the Huddle
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“Inside” (2016) Inside, an atmospheric puzzle/adventure game, follows an unnamed boy as he makes his way through a series of dark and foreboding environments. Our young protagonist encounters such things as mind-controlled zombies, strange experimental laboratories, and a giant captive blob! The game’s shocking ending sees the boy, without warning, actually get absorbed into this blob-like creature known as the Huddle. Flailing his humanoid limbs, the bizarre monstrosity rampages his way out of the underground facility, ultimately ending the insanity by rolling down a hill and settling in the sun. Huh. Didn’t see that coming. Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Raccoon City Gets Vaporized “Resident Evil 3: Nemesis” (1999) Long Dead Discovery “The Park” (2015) Everything Was a Delusion “Silent Hill” (1999) A Heart Wrenching Decision “The Walking Dead: Season 1” (2012)
#1: Multiple Killer Truths
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“Silent Hill 2” (2001) Silent Hill 2 sure doesn’t skimp on the endings! This complex story follows James Sunderland as he travels to a mysterious small town where his deceased wife, Mary, is supposedly waiting for him. While there, he navigates all manner of strange circumstances and plenty of mind games. After James watches a video depicting himself euthanizing his sick wife, everything begins crashing down around him. Depending on actions taken throughout, 6 possible endings can occur. They include: James drowning himself alongside his wife’s corpse, James attempting to resurrect Mary, James riding off with Maria – Mary’s manifested “double,” a heartfelt final meeting between James and his wife, an alien abduction, and, well, a dog being discovered as the perpetrator of events. Talk about terrifying options!
