Top 10 Weirdest Video Game Endings of All Time
#10: Epilogue
“The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe” (2022) “The Stanley Parable” has multiple odd endings. The weirdest was seen in the 2022 “Ultra Deluxe” version. To unlock the Epilogue, you’ll first have to complete several different endings that all lead into one another, such as one where the narrator announces a sequel. The Epilogue will drop you into a desert, a stark contrast to the game’s office setting. Eventually, you’ll come across the half-buried Memory Zone that leads to a cavern. Inside, you’ll find giant news articles that chronicle the disappointment and backlash to the would-be sequel. To top it off, you’ll also find a computer where you can speak with the Settings Person to come up with a subtitle for a third game. It’s all a 4th wall-breaking, meta overload.
#9: A Simulation
Top 20 Greatest Video Game Endings of All Time
“Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” (2001) “Metal Gear Solid” might seem like your standard politics-heavy action thriller series. But it’s actually an incredibly strange franchise. “Sons of Liberty” reaches peak weirdness with its ending. Raiden, the character you’ve been playing as, has been on a mission that is really a simulation. Unbeknownst to him, he was being used by the Patriots, a secret organization, to test this simulation, known as the S3 Plan. Basically, the S3 Plan was intended to create a soldier on par with Solid Snake. After finding out that bonkers twist, you then have to fight Solidus Snake (yes, different character), who is also the President of the US. It’s very complicated. And we’re still scratching our heads over it all these years later.
#8: Fourth Wall Breaking and Sorrow Drowning
Top 20 Fourth Wall Breaks In Video Games
“Conker’s Bad Fur Day” (2001) As is fitting of the violent, raunchy storyline, the ending of “Conker’s Bad Fur Day” is completely out there. As Conker faces off against the Xenomorph knock-off final boss, the game freezes just before he meets his end. Conker, surprised the game has locked up, speaks to the developers and promises to keep the little hiccup a secret if they help him finish the alien. After slicing its head off with a katana, Conker is crowned King. The game ends more somberly, with Conker drinking away his sorrows from the death of his girlfriend, Berri, and imparting a lesson to cherish what you have. We wouldn’t expect a game with a poop monster to end on such a poignant note, but there you have it.
#7: Becket’s Assault
“F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin” (2009) In the original “F.E.A.R.,” the powerful psychic spirit Alma Wade appeared to players as a little girl. However, she can change her appearance at will and looks much more adult in the second game. Towards the end of the sequel, the player’s character, Michael Becket, is sealed inside a room called the Telesthetic Attunement Chamber and strapped to a machine that makes him experience visions. While that’s happening, Alma assaults him. That would be disturbingly weird enough. But when Becket comes to, Alma appears to already be pregnant. Placing Becket’s hand on her belly, you hear a child creepily say, “Mommy.” We don’t know what direction we expected this game to go in, but it wasn’t this.
#6: The Real World
The Best Real Time Strategy Game of All Time
“The Witness” (2016) The premise of this first-person puzzler is simple: walk around an island solving increasingly difficult line puzzles. However, you can unlock a secret ending right at the beginning of the game and it is definitely weird. After completing the proper puzzles, you’ll walk on a narrow path surrounded by nothingness. Eventually, you’ll see through the eyes of Jonathan Blow, the game’s director and lead designer. It begins with him waking up next to a jar of urine and removing various medical devices. We watch as he walks around his home, interacting with items in seemingly random ways and even falling down at one point. It ends with him lying down on a bench on his patio, looking at the sky. Color us confused.
#5: A French Music Video
Top 10 Ambiguous Video Game Endings
“MDK” (1997) “MDK” follows janitor Kurt Hectic, who teams up with a mad scientist and a robotic, six-legged dog named Max to stop an alien invasion. So yeah, it was already pretty weird. And yet, the ending still threw us for a loop. After Max and Kurt defeat the final boss and escape, you might expect a scene of celebration for their victory. But after cutting to black, we’re instead treated to a music video. Specifically, it’s a black and white version of French rock group Billy Ze Kick’s “Non Non Rien N'a Changé.” You’ll also see the game’s characters playing along on various instruments as well as footage from the game’s promotional video. Why? Who knows, but at least the song is catchy.
#4: Giant Babies
“Drakengard” (2003) This fantasy action-RPG starts off normally enough: two kingdoms are at war and the prince of the losing side partners with a dragon for vengeance. There are five possible ways to wrap up the story, two of which go in directions no one could have guessed. Both see the incursion of the Watchers, evil beings from an alternate dimension. Only, the Watchers resemble giant babies. There’s nothing quite like seeing massive infants flying around causing chaos. In the fifth ending, protagonist Caim and his dragon pal follow the leader of the Watchers through a portal into modern day Tokyo. If that’s not weird enough for you, Caim then defeats her through a rhythm game before being shot down by the Japanese Air Force.
#3: The King of Limbo
Top 10 Worst Video Game Endings EVER (REDUX)
“Limbo of the Lost” (2007) This notoriously bad point-and-click adventure game follows real-life Captain Benjamin Briggs as he navigates Limbo. It’s now remembered for two things: stealing environments and assets from other games, which naturally led to it being pulled from shelves, and an insanely bizarre ending. Once Captain Briggs’ journey is over, he’s met with a celebration in his honor. Various characters from the game, from humans to monsters, gather to sing a saloon-style song about his adventure. Not only does it come completely out of left field, but it sounds like every character is voiced by the same person. We have a lot of questions about the development of this game, but chief among them is why it ends on a crappy musical number.
#2: The Dog Behind It All
Top 10 Greatest Fake Video Game Endings
“Silent Hill 2” (2001) Of the six possible endings to “Silent Hill 2,” two are meant to be jokes. But the dog ending has far surpassed the UFO one in popularity and peculiarity. This ending is actually a bit difficult to get, as it requires unlocking other endings first. You’ll then be able to find a special key at a dog house, which will let you into the Observation Room at the Lakeview Hotel. Inside, you’ll find a shiba inu with a headset and monitors, pulling different levers. The dog is the one responsible for causing you so much trouble. James breaks down at the realization and the dog lovingly licks his face. The credits roll, set to a goofy song with dog barks. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
To The Moon, “Portal 2” (2011)
Top 10 Most Satisfying Video Game Endings Ever
After Banishing Wheatley to the Moon, Turrets Sing You A Song
You’re A Virus in a Computer Simulation, “Star Ocean: Till the End of Time” (2003)
The Otherworldly Enemies Attacking Your Dimension Are Anti-Virus Programs
A Noble Sacrifice, “NieR: Automata” (2017)
Ending E Asks You to Delete Your Data to Aid Other Players
#1: Internet Beings
Top 10 Video Game Moments That Broke the Internet
“Indigo Prophecy” (2005) Also known as “Fahrenheit,” “Indigo Prophecy” follows Lucas Kane, who murders someone while possessed. With two detectives on the case, the majority of the game is a mystery you’re trying to unravel. But when it’s time for the climax, all of that goes out the window. As it turns out, a Mayan Oracle was responsible for the murder, and several others, in an attempt to locate a prophetic child that can grant unlimited power. The oracle works with the Orange Clan, a secret world-controlling organization. They’re not the only ones looking for the child; there’s also the Purple Clan, AI beings from the internet who want to freeze the world. There are different endings, but they all branch from this insanity.
