10 Shocking Video Game Finales NOBODY Understands

Don't even try to comprehend Hideo Kojima's mind.

metal gear solid 5 the phantom pain
Konami

A video game ending is a vital element to the lasting satisfaction, or dissatisfaction, you’ll feel when wrapping up your experience. Sometimes you’ve got options, sometimes there are plot holes, and sometimes we get Mass Effect 3. Don’t worry, I didn’t include that one in this video.

In the case of the games this list we were left with ‘Wow’ but also ‘Excuse me, what?’ Whether it was because of a crappy cliffhanger, a ridiculous completion requirement, or a talking dog, these games both awed and confused us.

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10. No Man’s Sky

no mans sky
Hello Games

I really hate to pile on and I can’t emphasise how glad I am that No Man’s Sky nabbed best ongoing game at The Game Awards last year, but we’ve got to talk about the game’s original ending.

There’s an argument to be made that this game doesn’t have an ending, which would be fine, but for those who thought the main narrative path to the centre of the galaxy was going somewhere, boy would you have been disappointed. After spending countless hours on frustratingly similar busywork in an effort to arrive at the centre of the universe, you do eventually make it and there’s, well, nothing.

Well not nothing, nothing, you get a thank you message and you get sent back to the beginning, as in lose all your stuff New Game+ esque beginning.

There’s an argument to be made that the ending which seems to confirm that you’re living in a simulation is indeed shocking, as is the fact that Hello Games wouldn’t put anything worthwhile in the centre of the universe, but I doubt that’ll make you feel better.

Guess that’s why it’s winning best ongoing game awards and not best games that end in a satisfying way awards.

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Contributor
Contributor

Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.