The ending is one of the most important parts in any piece of work. The conclusion needs to wrap up the plot threats, give a sense of closure to both the characters and the audience, and potentially leave people eager for a sequel. With video games, it needs to satisfy from a gameplay perspective as well.
Some games have endings have become universally beloved, or at least well-liked. However, not all prove to be so lucky. Whether they fail to offer closure, feel unrewarding, come off as an anticlimax, or simply make little sense, some video game endings prove controversial among players.
Updated 17th of August, by Isaac Williams: Endings remain one of the hardest parts for video game to get right. There's no shortage of video games that end on an underwhelming note. This list has been updated to include a few more infamous endings and to better elaborate why they're so controversial.
12 Elizabeth Drowning Booker In Bioshock Infinite
Bioshock Infinite's story is a complex, confusing, beautifully presented piece about time travel, identity, duality, and more. Even when the game's story is hard to follow, it keeps players hooked with its unusual ideas about quantum physics, time, and the complex relationship between Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth Comstock.
However, Bioshock Infinite's ending comes off disappointing and makes little sense. Booker and Elizabeth defeat both Zachary Comstock and the Vox Populi, only for Elizabeth to take Booker back to the time of his baptism, when some versions of him became Comstock. Elizabeth proceeds to drown him in a process that somehow wipes out Comstock but feels like a nonsensical slap in the players' faces.
11 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty Doesn't Even Pretend To Make Sense
The Metal Gear franchise has never shied away from weirdness or unexpected plot twists, but the series takes things to another level during Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty's notorious third act. It's deliberately convoluted, designed to make a sequel impossible.
After revealing most of Sons of Liberty's events are a lie, Raiden must fight Solidus Snake as part of the Patriots' mysterious plan to take over the world via information and technology manipulation. Wrapping things up, Snake and Otacon prepare to uncover the Patriots' identities, only to find they've all been dead for a century. Even the characters are confused.
10 Borderlands Has An Alien Suddenly Appear
The first Borderlands game is fairly light on plot, relying on its gameplay to keep the player interested. The game establishes the player's a Vault Hunter, looking for an ancient cache of advanced technology. This search takes up much of the game's premise, with the player finding the vault right at the climax.
Rather than a wealth of riches or technology, the vault contains an alien monster known as "The Destroyer," which becomes the final boss. Not only is this twist inconsistent with the rest of the game, but it renders the player's entire quest pointless.
9 Linking The Fire Is Nothing More Than A Temporary Measure
Dark Souls is infamous for its dark world and high difficulty level. Given the punishing process required to reach the Kiln of the First Flame, many players hope for something rewarding at the end, making their hours of trial-and-error deaths worth it.
Instead, the game's main ending, Linking the Fire, proves a downbeat, temporary measure. The player's character spends centuries slowly burning to death just to preserve a dying world, with absolutely no reward for their efforts. This conclusion, coupled with starting an immediate New Game Plus, disappoints many.
8 Fable II's Ending Has A Fake Choice During Dialogue
Fable has earned a reputation for its focus on player choice, attempting to create an open and freeform game where the player's decisions have an impact. This stretches all the way to the game's final battle. The sequel, however, lets many players down in this regard, lacking either a true final battle or an impactful decision at the end.
The confrontation with Fable II's villain Lucien is nothing more than a conversation, where the player has a chance to use their music box to defeat him. If they choose not to, however, Reaver simply does it for them. The game's ending lacks any meaningful decisions, while completely negating the player's build and preferred style of gameplay.
7 Fallout 3's Ending Required A DLC
Fallout 3 is a contentious game among Fallout fans. Although it brought the franchise into the modern era and boosted its popularity, several storytelling choices aggravated fans, including its ending. After all the player fought for, the ending urged the player to enter a radiation-flooded room to save Project Purity, killing them.
This ending failed at being poignant for many reasons, most notably that the player had several radiation-immune companions who refused to do the task for them. The ending became so widely disliked that the game's Broken Steel DLC completely undid it, having the Lone Wanderer wake up weeks later, completely unharmed.
6 Knights Of The Old Republic II Is A Victim Of Rushed Release
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords has an unusual focus for a Star Wars game. Rather than center on the threat the Sith pose to the galaxy, it revolves around learning about the Exile and discovering their companions' backstory. Throughout, the Sith bring the characters together, shining a light on their pasts.
In the original release, the player barely sees their companions during the ending. Once the Ebon Hawk crashes, the conclusion comprises the player character fighting unthreatening enemies and a brief interlude as Bao-Dur's remote. Because the game was rushed for a Christmas release, it features barely finished content and lacks a cohesive ending.
5 Far Cry 2's Fated Confrontation Never Happens
Throughout all of Far Cry 2, the player searches for The Jackal, an arms dealer in an unnamed East African nation. This confrontation is built up throughout the game, implying that an epic battle will take place between the two. However, things to take a surprising turn.
The Jackal gives the player a choice as to how they'll intervene in the humanitarian crisis at the heart of the game's setting. They can either die in an explosion designed to wipe out the military's leaders, or use stolen diamonds to help the refugees' escape, before committing suicide. The game denies the player their final showdown and doesn't let them survive the ending, making the entire thing feel pointless.
4 Half-Life 2's Sudden And Abrupt Ending
Considering Half-Life 2's shining reputation and the impact it's had on first-person shooters, some may assume its ending is an epic final battle, capped off with some relevant plot points. Instead, the last burst of gameplay entails gunplay indistinguishable from the rest of the game and a conversation with the G-Man.
G-Man appears to thank the player for their service, and then the game ends while the entire building collapses. There's no exit and no dangerous fights. The story simply ends in that collapsing building, creating an unsatisfying cliffhanger for Half-Life 2: Episode 1.
3 Dead Space 3 Renders The Trilogy Moot
The Dead Space franchise remains one of the grimmest and darkest in gaming, but its stories always have an undercurrent of success and optimism. Isaac Clarke survives against all odds, escaping with his life and staving off the threat of the Markers. Dead Space 3 changes this by completing the series' transformation into a seemingly unwinnable cosmic horror story.
After Isaac and Carver struggle through both the main game and the Awakening DLC, they return to Earth, only to find it under attack from the near-unbeatable Brethren Moons. Ending on a cliffhanger, the game suggests that the entire trilogy has been in vain, and that humanity will go extinct, anyway.
2 Halo 2 Doesn't End, It Just Stops
Halo 2 is one of the most beloved FPS games of all time, both for its campaign and its multiplayer. Its story gets off to a strong start, beginning with a Covenant assault on Earth that leads both sides to another Halo ring. Here, Master Chief and other protagonist the Arbiter must stop the Covenant from using the rings to wipe out all life.
However, Halo 2's ending has become infamous. Having run out of development time, the game's storyline doesn't come to a natural, satisfying ending. After Tartarus is defeated, all storylines stop and Master Chief simply responds that he's "finishing this fight" offering no elaboration or explanation.
1 Mass Effect 3's Complete Disregard For Prior Choice
The Mass Effect trilogy is an impressive feat of choice-based gaming. Off-the-cuff decisions made in the first game have huge ramifications down the line, and everything feels like it's building up to an epic conclusion that will reward players for every choice they've made.
After an entire trilogy about the player's decisions, nothing came before matters anymore. Mass Effect 3 gives the player four options: wipe out all synthetic life; take control of the Reapers; merge organic and synthetic life; or do nothing and let the Reapers win. Feeling like a massive cop-out, its become on of the most infamous endings in video game history.