Secret endings have become common in several types of games. For some titles, they’re even expected by players who know there’s always a shocking twist or different conclusion right around the corner.
Whether they provide an alternative to the original ending, reveal more about the lore, or even leave players with a cliffhanger, the best secret endings always make fans feel as if they’ve uncovered an important part of the game. Gamers often have to play a certain way or unlock specific achievements to see these hidden conclusions. If the secret ending is worth it, it gives players a sense of accomplishment and the feeling that they’ve truly finished the game.
The Developers’ Room (Chrono Trigger)
The classic SNES game Chrono Trigger takes players on an epic adventure with time travel, knights, and magic. It has several endings depending on which routes players choose to take, with one of these conclusions often considered the most bizarre and satisfying to find.
The ending is hidden in the early stages of the game when Crono and his crew first encounter the final boss. They’re meant to lose the battle at that stage since they don’t have any of the equipment or experience necessary to defeat Lavos yet. However, players who somehow successfully beat the boss are teleported to a hidden room where they meet the developers. They commend them for their impressive victory and congratulate them for finishing the game.
Dog Ending (Silent Hill 2)
The terrifying settings, narratives, and monsters of the Silent Hill games inspired countless horror titles and gave fans nightmares long after they were done playing. In Silent Hill 2, the same tense atmosphere and survival horror mechanics serve as a stark contrast to one of the franchise’s strangest secret endings.
Often referred to as the "Dog Ending," players must complete the game thrice and retrieve a key from a dog house to unlock the Observation Room. Here, a VHS tape shows a dog expertly handling a control board, implying that it was responsible for the game’s events the entire time. It’s a jarringly hilarious ending for a survival horror game, and it shows the developers know how to land a good joke.
A 15-Minute Wait (Far Cry 4)
Pagan Min is one of the most iconic antagonists in the Far Cry franchise. The erratic tyrannical king appears in Far Cry 4, where the protagonist, Ajay Ghale, ultimately overthrows him. Instead of getting caught in the middle of a civil war, players can actually skip all of the violence and complete the game in 15 minutes.
After Ajay arrives in Kyrat to spread his mother’s ashes, Pagan invites him to his headquarters. He excuses himself and apologizes, saying he has some unfinished business to deal with, but that he should be back in a few minutes. If players wait for Pagan to return instead of leaving the building, the villain comes back and helps Ajay spread his mother’s ashes, effectively ending the game. It’s a delightfully funny secret ending for a franchise that often deals with serious topics.
Mind Control (Inside)
Inside’s complex story deals with themes of death and control, taking players from farms with parasitic worms to cities with zombie-like humans. Its original ending is just as complicated as the rest of the game and leaves players with more questions than answers. Inside’s secret ending, however, is far more satisfying.
As fans might expect, unlocking the secret ending is not easy. There’s an odd series of steps to follow involving a cave, a VHS machine, and a specific tone sequence. It’s all worth it in the end, as the game shows the protagonist removing his helmet (used for mind control) and walking away. It’s a meta-statement that suggests the protagonist is finally free from the player’s control, making his struggles throughout the entire game worth it.
Go It Alone (Cyberpunk 2077)
When players reach the end game stage of Cyberpunk 2077, they aren’t presented with the most attractive options. To take down the megacorporation Arasaka, they must choose a friend to go with them. In most scenarios, the friend dies… but they don’t have to.
If players build their relationship with Johnny Silverhand throughout the game, they have the option to raid Arasaka on their own. They just have to wait a few minutes for Johnny to raise that question, then simply accept it and go on the hardest quest in the game completely alone. This means no one has to sacrifice themselves for V’s cause and she gets to show off all her skills in the exhilarating final battle.
The Epilogue (Hades)
Hades gave players one of the best roguelite mechanics and narratives in recent years, including a number of endings. Something most players never discover in Hades is its epilogue, as it's easy to assume that bringing Persephone home to the Underworld as the credits rolled was all there was to it.
To find the true ending, players must raise their affinity with key characters and achieve Heat Level 8. This will trigger new dialogue with Persephone, who invites the Olympians to the "Family Reunion" where she repairs bonds and ties up loose ends. It’s a fulfilling conclusion that shows the results of Zagreus’ several escape attempts.
A Long Drive (Returnal)
Selene’s misadventures on the planet of Atropos ended in a puzzling way. Returnal’s original ending sheds light on the protagonist’s past and shows her driving with her child, and then crashing after an astronaut appears in the middle of the road. The secret ending shows the same scene, but this time from the perspective of the astronaut who turns out to also be Selene.
It’s a cutscene that raises more questions about the story. If Selene is also the astronaut, was she the one who shot down her own spaceship? How was she standing on the road while also driving the car? It makes players reconsider the true nature of Atropos and Selene’s story.
An Unmasked Ally (Days Gone)
After surviving the zombie-like Freakers and reuniting with his friends, Deacon St. John had little left to do in Days Gone except enjoy his happy ending. It’s only the players who took the extra steps to complete all of the NERO quests who discovered that there’s a darker conclusion to this story.
O’Brien, the scientist who has been working with Deacon, meets the protagonist in a field where he removes the mask that he’s been wearing throughout the game. He reveals that he’s a more stable version of a Freaker and that NERO knew everything about the virus from the start. Fans can only hope that there will be a sequel to explore this riveting new development.
The Ultimate Sacrifice (NieR: Automata)
NieR: Automata’s most memorable ending gave players the strangest final boss and an even more surprising secret ending. While shooting down The Credits, players are given an option to accept help from a stranger. If they say yes, they end up unlocking one of the most moving secret endings in gaming history.
A ship flies up next to them and helps them overcome the barrage of Credits. The game then reveals that the ship belongs to a real player who sacrificed their saved data to help a complete stranger. It asks if they want to do the same, and if they say yes, a cutscene shows a pointer deleting their saved data one by one, all so that they can help other players in the same way.
Nuclear Disarmament (Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain)
The best Metal Gear Solid games are known not just for their stealth-based gameplay and well-written characters, but also for their secret endings that are often difficult to achieve. This is especially evident in the most ambitious secret ending in the franchise, and perhaps in gaming history. In Metal Gear Solid V’s multiplayer mode, there’s a secret ending that can only be unlocked once all of the game’s nukes have been disarmed or dismantled.
It took years for players to comb through thousands of bases and convince other fans to disarm their personal nukes. When they achieved the seemingly impossible task, a cutscene showed the Big Boss and his team proudly declaring that they’ve accomplished nuclear disarmament. The entire process of unlocking the secret ending and the work that so many players put into it sends a profound message about war and cooperation.