Some games entice players using celebrity skins for the playable characters, others keep players addicted by throwing one lootbox after another on their screens. And then there are those titles that ditch such hollow methods in favor of plot hooks that keep players glued to their screens.
10 Video Games With The Most Alternate Endings
There’s no end to endings.
When a game pulls the rug from underneath the player and completely subverts their expectations, some of the best gaming moments happen. To execute such plot twists, awell-written storylineis needed that has enough substance to keep the player invested, and these titles perform beautifully well on both fronts, leading to some of the best plot twists in video games.
Readers Beware, Spoilers Ahead of Here: Major spoilers for all the entries after this point. Even some of the images contain spoilers.
8Assassin’s Creed 3
Haytham is Not Who You Thought He Was
Assassin’s Creed III
Assassin’s Creed 3opens with players controlling Haytham Kenway, a poised and skilled British assassin, as he infiltrates the Royal Opera House in London. His mission seems clear: retrieve an artifact and expand the Brotherhood’s influence in the American colonies. Everything about his demeanor, his combat skills, and even the opening hours suggest that he’s the protagonist, much like Altair or Ezio before him.
Then comes the twist, one of the biggest curveballs anAssassin’s Creed gamehas ever thrown. Haytham isn’t an Assassin at all. He’s a Templar. And he’s not just any Templar, he’s their Grand Master in the colonies. For the first time in the franchise, the player had unknowingly spent hours playing as the enemy.
This twist completely recontextualizes the early hours of Assassin’s Creed 3, making it clear that the story isn’t what it first appeared to be. It also adds layers to the conflict between the Assassins and Templars, showing that both factions believe they’re fighting for the greater good. And if that wasn’t enough, the reveal paves the way for another surprise, Haytham’s son is none other than the actual protagonist, Connor Kenway.
7God of War
Atreus isn’t Just a Regular Boy
God of War
ThroughoutGod of War, Kratos treats Atreus like any other boy, training him for survival while withholding the truth about his divine lineage. Atreus, believing himself to be nothing more than an ordinary child, struggles with sickness, self-doubt and a desire to prove himself worthy of his father’s expectations.
Everything changes when Kratos and Atreus finally reach Jotunheim and uncover murals left behind by the giants. Atreus isn’t just any boy; his mother, Faye, was a giant, making him part god, part giant and part mortal. But the real bombshell comes when he learns the name the giants had for him: Loki.
The revelation completely shifts Atreus’ understanding of himself, setting up future events in Ragnarok. It also redefines his relationship with Kratos, who suddenly realizes that everything he’s tried to shield his son from—fate, prophecy and the burdens of divinity—was always inevitable.
6Silent Hill 2
James Discovers Who Killed His Wife
Silent Hill 2
James Sunderland arrives inSilent Hillafter receiving a letter from his wife, Mary. But the problem is, Mary has been dead for years. James clings to the idea that she’s somehow alive, lost in the town’s fog, waiting for him to find her. But as the game progresses, Silent Hill itself begins to feel less like a place and more like a manifestation of James’ own mind, with its grotesque creatures reflecting his inner turmoil.
Then, the truth finally emerges. Mary didn’t die of an illness; James killed her. Overwhelmed by grief and exhaustion, he smothered her to end her suffering. Silent Hill isn’t drawing him in to reunite with Mary; it’s forcing him to confront what he did.
This revelation turns the entire game into an exploration of guilt and repression. Every enemy design, every cryptic message and even Pyramid Head himself suddenly make sense as extensions of James’ psyche.
5Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
The Protagonist Reveal
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Hideo Kojimapulled off one of the biggest bait-and-switch moments in gaming history withMetal Gear Solid2. The trailers, promotional material and even the opening mission of MGS 2 made it seem like players would once again control Solid Snake. And for the first hour, that’s exactly what happens. Snake infiltrates a tanker, uncovering a plot involving Metal Gear RAY.
Then, the game jumps forward in time, and suddenly, players are no longer Snake, they’re Raiden, a fresh-faced, inexperienced operative who has none of Snake’s rugged experience. The twist left many players stunned, as it wasn’t just a character switch but a meta-commentary on expectations and the nature of legendary heroes.
By making players step into the shoes of someone who idolizes Snake rather than playing as Snake himself, MGS2 forced them to see the world through a different lens.
4Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Shepherd Shows His True Colors
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
Throughout Modern Warfare 2, General Shepherd presents himself as a battle-hardened leader guiding Task Force 141 through an escalating global conflict. His presence gives the impression that he’s a steadfast ally, someone dedicated to stopping the war.
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Then, in one of the most shocking betrayals in afirst-person shooter,Shepherd executes Ghost and Roach at point-blank range, leaving their bodies to burn. His true goal isn’t peace but revenge, as he wants to manufacture a war to elevate America’s military standing and cement his own legacy.
The moment is brutal, unexpected and permanently burned into the minds of Call of Duty players. Even years later, Shepherd remains one of the most hated villains in gaming.
Would You Kindly?
Andrew Ryan’s Rapture is already a dystopian nightmare, but the biggest shock is the realization that the player has been manipulated all along. Jack, the protagonist, isn’t acting on his own free will. He’s been programmed to obey any command preceded by the phrase “Would you kindly?”
The reveal changes everything. Every mission, every objective, every task given to the player wasn’t a choice but mind control. Even the assassination of Andrew Ryan, a moment that seems to be the player’s decision, is revealed to be nothing more than an illusion of agency.
This twist forces players to reflect on their own role in video games. How many times have they blindly followed orders just because an NPC told them to?
2Spec Ops: The Line
Walker Was Chasing Ghosts
Spec Ops: The Line
From the very beginning, Spec Ops: The Line paints Martin Walker as a soldier trying to do the right thing. He and his squad are sent into a devastated Dubai, hoping to uncover the fate of Colonel Konrad and his missing battalion.
The deeper they go, the more the situation unravels, but the biggest revelation comes when Walker finally confronts Konrad, only to realize he’s been dead all along. The “conversations” Walker had with Konrad were hallucinations, a manifestation of his own guilt and descent into madness.
The twist is gut-wrenching because it recontextualizes every decision the player makes. There were never any good choices, only increasingly terrible ones. And Walker wasn’t a hero, he was the villain of his own story.
John Marston is Betrayed
Red Dead Redemption
John Marston fights tooth and nail to secure freedom for his family, doing the government’s dirty work to bring down his former gang members. After everything, he finally earns what he was promised: a peaceful life on his ranch with his wife and son.
But the government was never going to let him walk away. In one of themost devastating and heartbreaking scenes in the Red Dead Redemption franchise, Federal agents and soldiers surround his home, forcing him into a desperate last stand. He steps out of his barn, facing impossible odds, and goes down in a hail of bullets.
John’s death isn’t just the death of a beloved character, but also the death of the American dream. No matter how hard he tried to escape his past, John was always doomed.
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While the main story of Red Dead Redemption is good, its side quests are on a whole other level, and these 7 should not be missed at all.
