PlayStation games with a perfect ending

Endings are hard to nail in any medium. Sometimes they can be satisfying, other times they can be cryptic to set up a sequel, and more often than not they can be disappointing for several reasons. Reaching the end of a video game is seemingly harder because games are longer than any other medium.

How can the developers summarize a story that lasted dozens of hours for players? Let's take a look at the history of the PlayStation to see what its kindred developers have done to mesmerize fans for over thirty years. Across different consoles and genres, these games still have surprising endings that are satisfying in their own way.

This list contains spoilers!

The last of us

What any father would do

The last of us is a journey across the United States for protagonists Joel and Ellie to reach Seattle so that Ellie can be researched and turned into a cure for humanity in this mushroom-zombie world. When they get there, Joel learns that Ellie has to die for it to work, so he kills the entire hospital staff and takes Ellie away. When she wakes up, Joel lies about the research not working and leaves things in a cryptic note, whether Ellie believes him or not. This ambiguity helped to leave things open for the sequel and was good in a way as both heroes survived an otherwise dangerous world.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

To New Horizons

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End has a warmer ending from the same developer as The last of usnaughty dog The whole game sets up the hero Nathan Drake as his last Indiana Jones-like adventure with his friends and family. Seemingly true to his word, Nathan gives up the hunt as the end nears his daughter Cassie, who awaits the return of her parents. It's a sweet ending that could set Cassie up as a future lead, or it could just be the end for the Drake family, who settled down and chose handcuffs over treasure.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

VERY Kojima

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a spectacle that's hard to put into words for those who haven't played it, other than to say it's very Hideo Kojima. Includes Kaiju-like enemies, a large mecha, a guitar battle, a dance, an angel child, and more. The most enjoyable part of this finale is finding out that Tomorrow is actually the grown up version of Lou who was thought to have died at the beginning of the game. The embrace between father and daughter, Lou and Sam, is heartwarming to say the least, and the final icing on the cake is a flash forward with an even older Lou taking over Sam's courier job.

Final Fantasy VII

Aerith returns

Final Fantasy VII is a classic JRPG build in which a chosen party fights through numerous obstacles to save the world from human and mystical forces. In this case, the opponent is Sephiroth, who summons a giant meteor to crush humanity, and is defeated after several long battles.

The final dungeon begins to collapse, and although the heroes escape and Sephiroth is dead, the group witnesses the massive body of the meteor approaching. That is, until the Lifestream rises to destroy the meteor, all thanks to the ghostly form of Aerith, who died earlier in a moment of triumph. It's a happy ending for everyone and also has a fun look ahead to tease a bit that humanity has righted itself.

Marvel's Spider-Man

Breaking Peter

Marvel's Spider-Man luckily, it doesn't start with an origin story, but it's a sort of origin for specific characters. The main antagonist is Doc Ock, with whom Peter develops a relationship over the course of the game, leading to a climactic duel between the two. Even after learning that Peter is Spider-Man, Doc won't back down and Peter has to put him in his place. He sadly loses his father figure and Aunt May dies in the hospital. It's a dark day for Peter, but like everyone else Spider-Man stories, this is a key moment that helps build his character, however sad, because as a hero, his duty to justice drives him forward no matter what.

Ghost Of Tsushima

Get over it, uncle

Ghost of Tsushima'with The main story is the fight for the Japanese people of Tsushima oppressed by the Mongol invaders. In order to win, the protagonist Jin must fight dirty and put aside his samurai pride and honor to win. Although his efforts help save the island, his uncle, Lord Shimura, is displeased with Jin's lack of honor. Ultimately, players must face their uncle in battle and leave their family behind to start over, whether that means giving Lord Shimura an honorable death or leaving him behind in shame and reflecting on his own failures as a samurai.

God of War (2018)

Boy, spread the ashes

2018 God of War the game is a reboot and a sequel, moving the story from Greek mythology to Norse mythology while Kratos starts over. Beyond fighting the pantheon of new gods, the final journey of the game sees Kratos and his son Atreus on their way to a mountain to scatter the ashes. Despite the bombastic showdown, the two make it on their way, embracing and scattering ashes on a mystical vista. As estranged as they are, this journey helped Kratos and Atreus grow closer, and it's a sweet way to end things overall.

Persona 5 Royale

Reworked Lore

Original ending Person 5 was satisfying in a way, but also bittersweet as the main character Ren had to move away from his new friends after defeating a divine evil to save Japan. Persona 5 Royal featured a remixed story with new characters and an ending that is tacked on to rewrite things.

The new ending area and antagonist help make sense of the Mementos dungeon and how the adults gained so much power through the experiment. It's a non-canon addition to the story that isn't necessarily better than the original ending, but it's worth playing through the game a second time.

Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)

Never trust gods

The story of Shadow of the Colossus is simple: young adventurer Wander wants to revive a woman named Mono, presumably his love interest. To revive her, pious entities tell Wander to slay titans roaming the world, and after players go through this grueling process, they are rewarded with a betrayal. Wander is sacrificed to the dark power of the gods, but in return Mono is saved, so it's another bittersweet ending. Also, it's inexplicable, but there's a kid in Wander's place, so he could have been reborn, making it an even more mysterious finale. The ending is the same in both the remake and the original on PS2.

Astro Bot

A nostalgic trip

Astro Botoverall, it's a celebration of PlayStation as a brand. In each level, players can rescue robots themed around thirty years of PlayStation icons from Parappa to Amaterasu to Leon S. Kennedy and more. In the final world, all of these robots join the titular hero Astro Bot in a shooter segment where they use PlayStation consoles and peripherals to fight aliens. For PlayStation fans, it's truly the perfect ending as a triumph for a brand that has celebrated thirty years Astro Botrelease in 2024.