10 Video Game Moments that Truly Felt Like the Grand Finale for an Entire Generation

For those of us who grew up playing video games, there are countless experiences that stand out in our memories, irreplaceable in their iconic status.

It might be a boss that left a lasting impression because of how difficult it was to defeat, a puzzle that had you scratching your head for weeks, or a song that altered your brain chemistry, but we all have those junctures where video games evolved into something more.

In this process of elevation, there are specific titles with such pivotal instances that, instead of simply marking a single person, they have become unanimously recognized highlights of their generations and franchises.

Therefore, in the spirit of taking another trip down memory lane and celebrating the adventures that have given us so much, I invite you to read this list of ten video game moments that truly felt like the end of an era for an entire generation.

10

Metro Exodus

Artyom Achieves Freedom

The Metro trilogy has become one of the most consistent and beloved over time, even despite never breaking into the mainstream. Metro Exodus ultimately stood as a masterful conclusion to Artyom’s story.

After 10 years accompanying the silent Ranger through the series’ subterranean and immersive post-apocalyptic world, enduring as many misfortunes and losses as humanly possible, seeing him find peace, far from the radiation, is sensational.

Metro Exodus‘ entire journey feels like a farewell in progress, which eventually culminates in a rebuilt Spartan Order, with a new leader who, despite all the sacrifices, stands tall alongside Anna to continue facing life’s hardships, always as a community.

It’s a phenomenal conclusion to one of the past decade’s most remarkable FPS franchises, and that specific moment when Miller’s funeral takes place, given it’s a character who has been with us since Metro 2033, is as emotional as it is relevant to conclude this heartbreaking journey.

9

BioShock Infinite

There’s Always a Lighthouse

Another major franchise born in the seventh generation of consoles was BioShock, with its first installment completely changing the video game industry and, in turn, all of us who played it as youngsters.

While BioShock Infinite didn’t reach the same level of quality and impact, it was consistently hailed as a masterful title, both for its atmosphere and its convoluted story (despite some inconsistencies) that gave us countless memorable moments.

However, the final revelation steals the show, as the campaign’s last sequence has us revisiting the locations we explored throughout the three entries to reveal, with the iconic “there’s always a lighthouse”, that there are an infinite number of timelines within its world.

Exploring Rapture with Elizabeth, knowing she’s our daughter, the identity of Comstock, and our past actions, carries such a profound emotional weight for both the protagonist and the player that it’s impossible not to be forever changed.

Over time, I feel the game has aged fairly badly, though it’s impossible to think about that walk without getting goosebumps, as it features one of the most unforgettable plot twists in video game history.

8

Assassin’s Creed 3

Desmond Miles’ Death

Ubisoft rose meteorically during the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 era thanks to the incredible quality of every game they released, and while Assassin’s Creed 3 isn’t exactly a prime example, it did deliver a pivotal moment that brought an impressive storyline to a close.

Between 2007 and 2012, the French developer released five main installments in the series, each one better than the last, allowing us to delve deeper into the story of Desmond Miles and his predecessors, taking us through magnificently recreated historical landscapes and an even more historical struggle between Assassins and Templars.

We watched the character grow in real life, we witnessed his development and his growing hatred for Abstergo, we explored the lives of his ancestors alongside him, until we finally saw his demise in an ending that, while hated by many, became impossible to forget.

Those were brief but intense years, where each year brought a new Assassin’s Creed without sacrificing quality. Ubisoft’s run was generational, and although it’s now a distant memory, it marked the end of one of the century’s most beloved storylines.

7

Red Dead Redemption 2

American Venom

Red Dead Redemption 2 arrived to answer questions that had lingered for a decade among fans of the franchise’s first game, doing so with such a heightened level of quality that it even elevated the already high regard for John Marston’s adventure.

During the epilogue, the point in the campaign where the two titles connect narratively, we see a poignant sequence where a broken but determined outlaw tries to rebuild his life and ensure Arthur Morgan’s death wasn’t in vain, demonstrating his renewed desire to provide for his family honestly.

Nevertheless, as Rockstar has accustomed us to up to this point, peace remains an impossible dream for our protagonists, leading Marston to a duel with Micah and a final encounter with Dutch that truly solidifies their dynamic in Red Dead Redemption.

While the order is inverted, Red Dead Redemption 2 filled in the gaps left by its predecessor, allowing us to understand everything more fully. Marston’s relationship with the gang, Edgar Ross’s relentless pursuit, the repeated cycle of death through Jack… American Venom encapsulates everything the IP is, and it’s majestic.

6

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine

Geralt of Rivia Retires

When each of its installments takes hundreds of hours to complete, it’s inevitable to feel like you’ve accompanied a character for a lifetime, and this is precisely the feeling you get when playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Those of us who played the previous games saw Geralt of Rivia as a friend we knew inside and out, and by the time the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions arrived, you already felt like he was a brother, someone you knew better than he knew himself.

You’ve lived alongside him through his problems, crises, frustrations, longings, and joys, so finally witnessing him settling down at the Corvo Bianco vineyard in Toussaint with Yennefer, enjoying the peace of knowing Ciri is free and capable, is truly priceless.

And it’s not an epic cinematic, nor a detailed subplot, but a simple dialogue between a powerful couple who feel at home, finally unburdened from conversations about the end of the world or being stalked by supernatural forces. It’s the magic of normality, and no one deserved it more than Geralt.

5

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Nathan Drake Settles Down

For two generations, Nathan Drake has stood among the greatest icons of PlayStation and the medium as a whole, making Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End an even more symbolic masterpiece.

It not only feels like one of the last times in the video game industry that a franchise took a significant leap in quality, rarely seen in the decade following its release, but also like Naughty Dog’s most heartfelt farewell to its iconic protagonist.

The entire final installment of the IP revolves around Drake’s struggle to finally settle down and leave behind his life of adventure to live peacefully with Elena, and after experiencing the most demanding sequences of his entire career, the epilogue with their daughter becomes even more satisfactory.

It’s a well-deserved rest, and an idyllic ending for a franchise that gave all to the third-person shooter and action-adventure genres, especially considering it spans 10 years during which players were able to grow up alongside it.

4

Devil May Cry 5

Dante and Vergil are Reunited

Sibling rivalries are among the most enjoyable tropes in entertainment, though few come close to the one between Dante and Vergil until Devil May Cry 5.

Although it was especially clear in the latest entry, Capcom invested years of work creating an iconic relationship between two characters who are memorable on their own, but together they form a magnificent duo that works perfectly thanks to their contrasts and similarities.

After numerous installments where they were estranged due to the circumstances, always unable to be on the same side except out of momentary necessity, seeing Nero act as a catalyst in their relationship so that they finally find common ground on which to work together is almost tear-jerking.

And not because they are prodigiously written or because the situation itself has a complexity worthy of a novel, but because it’s practically 20 years of disputes that, finally and memorably, find a resolution so that the Sparda brothers can defend their parents’ legacy together.

3

Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City

Fighting Gael at the End of the World

While it’s obvious Hidetaka Miyazaki didn’t intend for Dark Souls to be a trilogy, Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City is an unparalleled conclusion, ranking among the best expansions of all time.

If the base game’s campaign already feels like a love letter to the fans who journeyed through Lordran and Drangleic, the final DLC is even more emphatic in its attempts to convincingly close the undead curse’s cycle.

Fighting Gael in the wasteland after shattering the gods’ deception (again) is a highlight in video game history, not only because he’s a virtually unmatchable boss in terms of quality, design, balance, and lore, but also because of everything the context represents for the franchise.

We started from the ashes and returned to them thanks to The Ringed City, which knows its goal is to bring among the century’s most influential trilogies. The expansion not only achieves this, but far exceeds the expectations of even the most hopeful, and that says everything about its greatness.

2

God of War 3

Kratos Finally Kills Zeus

Kratos is a clear contender for the most outstanding and memorable character in video game history, and much of that is due to the events that unfold in God of War 3.

Besides being a prodigious hack-and-slash title, it excels at finally bringing the Ghost of Sparta’s vengeance to a close, as he traverses a pseudo-boss rush across Mount Olympus in the most epic, unforgettable, and visceral way possible.

Hunting down the gods one by one, witnessing the growing frustration among their ranks at the true god of war’s unstoppable arrival, is simply fantastic, and the fight against Zeus at the mountain’s summit is nothing short of unbeatable.

From its multiple phases and attempts to persuade Kratos, to the mythical and bloody QTE where you pummel him until his face is deformed, satisfaction and emptiness converge in a fight that has few competitors within the genre.

Eventually, Kratos would return reformed in 2018, but God of War 3 as a whole felt like a final act with no turning back, and I think all things considered, we would have understood if, indeed, the saga ended there.

Players’ Inherit Big Boss Will

Metal Gear Solid has been a series with highs and lows for various reasons, and although Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain stings many players, it undeniably has one of the most impactful climaxes ever conceived.

I understand those who consider these twists to exist purely for shock value, but exposing that Big Boss is actually Venom Snake, and that Venom Snake embodies all the players worldwide who inherited his will, is a revelation I can’t stop thinking about.

It’s perfectly clear that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the franchise’s true end, and it also feels like it, though there’s something special about that final cinematic in The Phantom Pain because Hideo Kojima speaks and thanks the players themselves for so many years of support.

In the end, this release isn’t just a farewell to its characters but also to its creator, who, as we know, has since distanced himself from the IP, marking the end of a historic IP that, for 30 years, became an indelible part of internet culture and the lives of millions of people worldwide.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is an unfinished title with many design flaws, but the weight of its story is immense, especially because it actively acknowledges the importance of its players and includes them in its legacy.