When you think about games with perfect endings, there are probably several factors that come to mind. Maybe you prefer an emotional ending, like the one in Persona 3 Reload, or something somewhat happy and conclusive, like Undertale. Regardless of what type of ending truly speaks to you, the most important thing is whether the ending feels right for that particular story.
This article contains major ending spoilers for several games. Proceed with caution and skip entries for titles you don’t want spoiled.
Unfortunately, it’s rather impossible to rank endings against each other since everyone’s experience and satisfaction will be altogether different. However, what can be discussed is whether an individual game’s ending was the best way to conclude the story it set up. Keeping in mind that this is not all-inclusive, here are some games that I believe had perfect endings.
Transistor’s Heartfelt Ending Is Unforgettable
“I’m Still With You, But I’m Not Getting Out Of Here.”
Unlike Hades — Supergiant Games’ more well-known title — Transistor follows a rather dark cyberpunk path that offers a much more conclusive ending. Transistor follows the story of Red, a silenced singer with a powerful sword that she uses to stop the Process from destroying the city of Cloudbank. Throughout the story, Red is guided by her lover, who was taken from her and trapped within the Transistor along with her voice.
To make a long and complicated story short, Red ultimately succeeds and begins repairing the city, but was this actually her goal, or was it yours? We assume this is what she wanted the whole time, and so does her lover, but she can’t speak and reveal that all she really wants is what was taken from her. So, after realizing that her companion cannot be released from the Transistor, she unexpectedly opts to join him inside it, getting what she truly wanted all along.
SOMA’s Ending Left Me Haunted
“Simon And Catherine Are Both Safe On The ARK. Be Happy For Them”
Strangely, I almost want to consider SOMA‘s ending happy, but at the same time, it’s kind of my worst nightmare. After working to scan yourself into the ARK and launch it, you are ultimately met with the terrifying realization that while a version of you did make it, this version did not.
That’s right, only a copy of you — and Catherine — will exist within the ARK. Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, a post-credits scene shows copies of both you and Catherine waking up in the ARK, believing you’ve succeeded, having no idea that you are yet another copy of yourself, and that the other version of you remains trapped and alone.
Although it’s not exactly the outcome I may have wanted initially, the haunting feeling that I can’t quite shake is exactly what a game like this should leave me with.
Marvel’s Spider-Man’s Ending Was Spider-Man In His Truest Form
“You Knew?”
Sometimes being the hero isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and the ending of Marvel’s Spider-Man is a prime example of that. Peter Parker, who has done everything he can to save the city, is ultimately faced with the decision in which he must decide whether to sacrifice the most important person to him, Aunt May, to save everyone else or take the selfish route and save her instead.
Being the hero he is, he makes the obvious decision to save everyone else, but not before Aunt May reveals that she knew it was him the whole time and encourages him to be the hero she knows he is. Spider-Man finally ends with Miles helping Peter move into that classic tiny NY apartment, where he’ll start all over. It may not be anything spectacular, but there’s no denying that this ending is quintessential Spider-Man and was the perfect way to wrap up the first game.
Subnautica’s Ending Flips The Narrative
“Now You Go Among The Stars, And I Fall Among The Sand”
At times, Subnautica seems to toe the line of an intriguing undersea survival game and outright horror, but all that changes when you reach the end of the game and meet the Sea Emperor Leviathan and help its children. After doing so, you are finally offered what you need for the cure and can finally return home, where the Sea Emperor Leviathan bids you one last mental farewell among the stars.
It’s hard to pinpoint what it is exactly about this ending that makes me so emotional, other than it’s simply beautiful. You spend most of the game scared and looking for an escape, only to be offered a way out just as you finally come to realize how beautiful this place really is. It was overall just a perfect conclusion, even if you are trillions of dollars in debt by the end.
Persona 3 Reload Lets You Be The One To Bring Things To A Close
“I’ve Finally Found A Reason To Live”
Ultimately, the true ending of Persona 3 Reload revolves around stopping the end of the world by facing Ryoji — and by extension — Nyx, which, as you can anticipate, is no easy task. Despite the struggle, SEES comes out victorious, and things seem to come to a peaceful ending as everyone intends to keep their promise about meeting up on the roof of the school as a final celebration.
Unfortunately, it becomes apparent that you’re not going to make it long enough to see that as the weight of everything that happened hits you, and so, as everyone is racing to the roof, you pass on in the arms of Aegis, with a smile. Topping this with the fact that your last choice in the game, as the player, is to close your eyes for good, I still can’t help but get choked up thinking about it.
The Last Of Us Part I Showcases What’s Important
“Okay.”
There are debates over the ending of The Last of Us Part I, as some players felt that it was too abrupt; however, those who think that way may be looking at things on a surface level. Even though you have no choice in the matter, you, as the player, are still forced to carry out Joel’s decisions yourself through gameplay, almost mirroring the helplessness that Joel feels about the situation.
Following that, Joel is ultimately forced to lie to Ellie as he can’t bring himself to tell her the truth. From there, you’re eventually confronted by Ellie again, just before the credits roll, where she asks you to swear that everything you’ve said is true. When you do just that, Ellie seems to accept this. That being said, it’s obvious that both Joel and Ellie know the truth, but choose to ignore it for the sake of their understanding and love for each other.
Undertale Perfectly Summed Up How We All Felt
“Despite Everything, It’s Still You”
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Undertale has several endings depending on your choices, but the True Pacifist Route is canonically considered to be the best ending. In this ending, you have gone out of your way to befriend and avoid killing any monsters, which ultimately leads to a happy ending for everyone, in which the monsters get to live on the surface among humans.
There’s a lot that could be said here, but to sum it all up, the ending of Undertale is simply good for the sole fact that it is good. So often, the ends of games are these long journeys met with tragic ends, but not this. Everything and almost everyone ends up happy, and you, despite everything you’ve been through, are still you. Which is something we all need to hear from time to time.
Kingdom Hearts 2 Brought Us Home
“We’re Back”
After what is undeniably one of the best boss fights in Kingdom Hearts, Sora and Riku become trapped in the realm of darkness, where, not long after, a letter from Kairi shows up, creating a portal of light that takes them home. It might not seem like much on the surface, but finally getting Riku back and getting to go home is a moment that you can’t help but get emotional about.
Everything from the iconic duo fight with Xemnas to seeing Mickey, Donald, and Goofy embrace Sora and Riku makes me think Kingdom Hearts as a series might have just been better wrapping things up here. Of course, not everything is as pleasantly concluded as it seems — but just for this moment, it is.
Red Dead Redemption’s End Was Unfair, But Destined
“Keep Riding And Don’t Look Back”
Unfortunately, you may have started to see early on in Red Dead Redemption that life was generally unfair to John Marston. However, despite his early life being filled with violence, he is eventually offered what seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get everything he wants: a quiet life with his wife and son.
After completing your end of a too-good-to-be-true deal, you get to see a small glimpse of that happy ending you may have never believed was really coming, and, in a way, you were right. Not long after John Marston settles into his peaceful ending, he is backstabbed and gunned down. It’s incredibly unfair, and the only solace you have is getting to make a last stand, but as horrible as it is, it overall feels like a fitting conclusion to the poor hand John was dealt.
Halo: Reach Lets You Make One Last Stand
“It Didn’t Take Long For Reach To Fall”
Maybe you knew what to expect going into Halo: Reach, and maybe you didn’t, but there’s no denying that when you see that last objective read “survive,” it hits you like a ton of bricks. You’ve been left behind, and all that’s expected is that you will give the Covenant hell one last time.
Even knowing Halo: Reach can’t end well, there’s something about watching those final moments unfold where the glass on your helmet begins to crack, and your health is dropping, that fills you with a sense of pride. The game could’ve immediately ended, but instead, you get to make your final stand. It’s a bittersweet end that had no better alternative, and you can’t help but be in awe once it concludes.
Persona 3 Reload
9/10
- Released
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February 2, 2024
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence