Video games, as an
interactive medium, allow for a wide variety of outcomes. Especially
nonlinear video games such as
visual novels,
role-playing games and
interactive dramas often feature multiple endings. Multiple endings may increase a game's replay value, encourage customization, or deviate from the story in the form of
easter eggs. As such, these video games often, but not always, feature one or multiple "true" or "good" endings, which are canonized either by the developer or player base, as well as "false" or "bad" endings.
Role-playing video games Multiple endings can be an integral part of many visual novels and role-playing games, as these genres often emphasize customization and individuality. Examples of role-playing games that feature multiple endings: •
Chrono Trigger, which was cited as revolutionary for including multiple endings when it released in 1995. • ''
Baldur's Gate 3'', which features four distinct major endings.
Larian Studios announced that there were 17,000 possible endings ahead of the game's release. •
Cyberpunk 2077, which features four canon endings with one additional one being introduced with the
downloadable content Phantom Liberty. There is one more "false ending" in which the protagonist commits suicide ahead of the finale, and another secret ending which only becomes available after waiting five minutes before choosing a
dialogue option. •
Mass Effect 3's endings were cause for
controversy. Players felt their character choices felt inconsequential and criticized the game's endings for its lack of closure and inconsistencies. • The
Dragon Age series includes a variety of impactful choices the player can make throughout the games, with typically one major one at the end. In
Dragon Age II and
Dragon Age: Inquisition, players are able to import their
save files from previous games to alter the games'
world building,
flavor text for multiple characters and events, and appearances from recurring characters, allowing for a player-specific canon. For the fourth installment in the series,
Dragon Age: The Veilguard, developer
BioWare changed this system so that players could now reflect the previous games' different endings directly in the game's character creator. •
Papers Please includes 20 endings in the game. The player's choices throughout the game, such as if they let EZIC agents get through or if they accept bribes influence which ending they get. The player is not given much indication about what decisions cause which endings.
Choice-driven video games Multiple endings are a common feature in "choice-driven" games in which decisions made by the player serve as the main
gameplay loop. These games are usually
adventure or
storytelling games whose endings or sometimes even entire storylines change depending on the player's active (in the form of
dialogue options) or passive choices, such as games with
moral systems. Examples of choice-driven games that feature multiple endings: •
Life Is Strange, which includes two
canon endings. Players can choose either to save the protagonist's home town from a tornado while sacrificing her implied
love interest or vice versa. •
Life Is Strange 2, which, unlike its predecessor, also takes previous choices the player has made into consideration in the form of a "moral system" for its seven endings. •
Detroit: Become Human,
Heavy Rain,
Beyond: Two Souls and many more games created by
Quantic Dream feature multiple endings depending on the player's choices. •
Until Dawn,
The Quarry and
The Casting of Frank Stone all feature multiple endings for each of their large cast of protagonists, a common trope in
Supermassive Games. •
Telltale Games are known for featuring a variety of different endings in their story-based games such as their
The Walking Dead or
Game of Thrones video game adaptations.
Multiple endings as a gameplay mechanic Some video games revolve their entire story around the concept of multiple endings and utilize them as a gameplay mechanic. This is done either chronologically, whereby the player experiences a game's ending multiple times but through different
points of view, or through "knowledge-gating", in which all endings are achievable from the start but have to be deduced through
trial and error or through experiencing the game's other endings. Examples of video games that feature endings as a gameplay mechanic: •
The Stanley Parable, which features eighteen different endings. •
The Talos Principle and its
sequel. •
Nier and
Nier Automata, which require the player to finish the game multiple times before reaching their "". Each subsequent playthrough unlocks new content in the form of
cutscenes or
playable characters. ==See also==