Sometimes after we reach the end credits of a video game we feel a mix of emotions; accomplishment, sadness, joy, anger and usually we don’t want it to end. In recent years, narrative games have dominated the triple-A landscape and are considered masterpieces of storytelling and genuine pieces of art. 2022 saw some of these standouts in storytelling that truly stuck the landing after hundreds of hours of gaming. Here are among the best video game endings of all time.
*** Spoilers ahead
God of War Ragnarök
A sequel to the groundbreaking title, God of War (2018), Kratos and Atreus continue their journey through the nine realms based on Norse mythology. In God of War Ragnarök, Kratos becomes more accepting of his son’s differences and allows himself to “open his heart” to the suffering of others. At the very end, after a brutal fight against Odin, we see Kratos reveal the final prophecy, that he becomes a god that people worship and love rather than the all-feared god killer he thought he could only be. A fitting end to the series, as Santa Monica Studios revealed it will not continue Krato’s story.
Elden Ring
One of the most anticipated games of all time from one of the most respected game studios ever made, Elden Ring had the help of acclaimed writer and storyteller, George R. R. Martin to flesh out a unique world within the “Lands Between.” Like many of From Software’s games, the ending of Elden Ring can take various forms depending on if the player committed to a series of not-so-obvious steps involving one of the many NPCs. These choices can take on vastly different consequences, including forcing an immortal death curse on the land, burning the world in a frenzied flame, creating a perfect order free of conflict, or simply ending the cycle of Elden Lords and freeing the people of the Golden order, among a handful of others. All of which require a great deal of exploration within the incredibly diverse world.
Prey
Set on an abandoned space station during an outbreak of shapeshifting aliens, Prey focuses on the essence of humanity and the choices that define good versus evil. The entire story of escaping from the station and defeating the Typhon invaders changes in tone once the player discovers that they were a Typhon all along, and the main characters from the story are testing whether or not the Typhon is capable of human empathy. Suddenly whole swathes of story beats take on different notes and depending on the player’s actions within the game, the researchers can decide whether or not they are worthy of living, or whether to start the experiment all over again.
The Witcher 3
Following the witcher, Geralt, based on the fantasy series written by Andrzej Sapkowski, we continue the story following across five novels, two short story collections, and two game titles. Among the countless side questing, exploration, monster hunting contracts and encounters with mythical creatures, we follow Geralt as he searches for his lost surrogate daughter with the help of new and returning characters from across the whole series. After many hours of gameplay, across multiple DLC expansions which only embellish the main story with even more detail, Geralt finds Ciri, and the player’s actions throughout the story determine whether she ultimately lives or dies after the defeat of the Wild Hunt. Even for fans brand new to the story, enough context clues, journal notes, and dialogue cues can help anyone understand the important relationships and what is at stake.
The Last of Us Part I
Despite being another zombie game coming out when a time when they were exploding from the woodwork, The Last of Us blows every other infected story out of the water with an excruciating tale of loss and sacrifice between Ellie and her caretaker, Joel. Aside from the heartbreaking ending, where Joel makes the selfish decision of saving Ellie despite a chance to save the human race with her sacrifice, there are intense moments scattered throughout the story that will have you clenching your buttcheeks while stifling sobs. Earning a full overhaul with The Last of Us Part I, the original now looks and feels as impressive as its sequel title, The Last of Us Part II, which completes Ellie’s story.
Have any questions or comments? Tell us on Twitter.
Matthew has been a lifelong lover of video games since he could first hold a controller, and among his favorites are narrative-heavy, singleplayer games like; Divinity: Original Sin 2, Elden Ring, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Hollow Knight. Matthew also plays tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder and Call of Cthulu. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s in Sociology and minored in English.
