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Saddest Video Game Moments of All Time
Image via r/Mario

15 Saddest Video Game Moments of All Time

Bring out the tissues, it's time to talk about something somber.

Video games are probably the best type of media at bringing out the entire spectrum of human emotions in us. Sadness, unfortunately, is also one of those emotions. We might not like it, but it’s essential in reminding us that we are still human. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the saddest video game moments of all time.

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The Saddest Video Game Moments of All Time, Ranked

1. Winning in DEFCON

defcon
Image via B.O.F.H.

Winning a match in DEFCON isn’t outwardly sad. It becomes sad once you sit back and think about what you just did. Sure, you might have “won” the game, but that victory came at the cost of snuffing out human civilization. It’s a sad thing to have to grieve for a human life, but when there’s no one left to grieve at all, then it becomes a whole other matter entirely.

2. Clementine Shooting Lee

clementine shooting lee
Image via AFGuidesHD

There are some fates worse than death. In the case of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, we’re not really sure who got the worse end of the stick. On one end you have Lee who was bitten and would have become a mindless zombie for all eternity. On the other end, there’s Clementine, who had to shoot her father figure to save him from such a fate. It’s a somber situation where there are no winners, just tragic characters doomed to their fates.

3. Snake’s Final Solute Towards the Boss

snake's salute
Image via Shirrako

Losing someone precious is one of the hardest experiences a human being has to go through. Having to end that person’s life is even more tragic, especially if it’s an unnecessary death. Such was the case with Naked Snake who had to kill his former mentor, The Boss. It wouldn’t have been such a touching moment were it not for the later discovery that it was all a political play that was unavoidable.

4. Joel’s Untimely Death

Joel's death
Image via Cinematic Gaming

The Last Of Us’s Joel is a controversial figure. Some people like him, others don’t. Regardless of what you think of him, if you played through the first game then you likely bonded with him and his plight. Seeing him get murdered in the second game was like seeing a childhood friend pass in your arms. It’s a gut-wrenching moment that leaves a mark on your heart forever.

5. Dom’s Heroic Sacrifice

Dom's Death
Image via Dark Shadows Production

If you’re a soldier, it’s a reality of war that you’ll eventually lose some of your friends. It’s also a reality that nothing can prepare you for the inevitable moment when that finally happens. This is all the worse if the person that dies is your best friend. That was the situation Marcus had to face in Gears of War 3 when his best friend sacrificed his life to save his friends. In the end, Dom died as he lived: like a true hero.

6. Aerith’s Assassination

aerith's death
Image via JJNS

You can always tell who the villain is by looking at who they antagonize. Aerith was the sweetest girl in existence and didn’t hurt anybody, and yet, Sephiroth still assassinated her. The worst thing about this scene is the slow-motion effect that follows it, giving you more than ample time for the realization to set in and the tears to start flowing.

7. The White Phosphorus Scene in Spec Ops: The Line

spec ops the line white phosphorus scene
Image via Gaming Portal

Video games have a knack for making us feel like the good guys in every situation. When in reality, that’s not always the case, as the white phosphorus scene from Spec Ops: The Line shows us. In war, the lines between good and bad get blurred and even those with good intentions cause grievous amounts of suffering. This scene is a reminder that we are always a hair’s width away from becoming evil ourselves.

8. Mordin’s Death

mordin's death
Image via James Huls

Mass Effect 3 is a game with lots of heart-wrenching moments. However, none hit as hard as Mordin’s death. To paraphrase Picard: “You can do everything right and still lose. That’s life.” No matter what you do leading up to that point, there’s nothing you can do to save Mordin. But hey, at least he dies a heroic death, which is a lot more dignified than some of the other deaths on this list.

9. Arthur Morgan’s Poetic Demise

arthur's death
Image via Ratchet Gaming

To be human is to make errors. To amend for those errors is also human, and yet, not many people get to amend for their errors on time. Arthur Morgan’s death at the end of RDR2 is tragic because throughout the game you see that Arthur is a good man at heart, he was just brought into a bad group by a bad man, which ends up costing him his life in the end.

10. Agro’s Fall

agro's fall
Image via Zanar Aesthetics

Wander’s story is one of the most tragic stories in gaming, and yet it’s often overlooked because of Shadow of the Colossus’ minimalistic storytelling styel. It’s a story of constant loss, first of the maiden Mono, then of the Colossi, and finally, Agro. Thankfully, Agro doesn’t die from the plummet, but it’s still a horrible moment the first time you see it.

11. Current Objective: Survive

halo reach ending
Image via TheCheeseCop

Action games tend to make us feel invincible and give us a power trip, but what happens when all of that is taken away? When that happens, you get the ending of Halo Reach. Throughout the game, you mow down hundreds of foes and cleave your way through any obstacle with your comrades in arms, and in the end, your only reward is to see them get cut down before your own eyes.

12. Tachibana’s Death

tachibana's death
Image via Reiji Arisu

Yakuza 0 is a game that is chock-full of serious moments and heart-twisting interactions, however, none are as impactful or significant as Tachibana’s death. This single moment is one of the series’ most important turning points, as it changes Kiryu’s entire outlook on the Yakuza going forward.

13. Kratos Pushing Calliope Away

Kratos pushing calliope away
Image via Shirrako

God of War is one of the greatest action dramas of our time, understandably then it also has a few gut-wrenching moments throughout the story. One of the more somber ones is when Kratos has to push his daughter away during the Elysian Fields segment, even though there’s nothing more he would like in this world than to be with his family again.

14. The Auditore Family Execution

ezio's family gets executed
Image via Zanar Aesthetics

The Auditore family execution happens quite early on in Assassin’s Creed II, and it’s the perfect example of the depravity and brutality that the Templars are willing to partake in. The thing that makes it so sad is how indiscriminate it is, as even Ezio’s younger brother isn’t spared.

15. The Worst Ending in Witcher 3

the worst ending in witcher 3
Image via xLetalis

If, for some reason, you made every bad decision while playing through The Witcher 3, you’ll be served with the worst possible ending. In it, both Ciri and Geralt die at the end as a result of your foolish decisions. Thankfully, this ending can be averted, which is the only good thing that can be said about this ending.


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Author
Image of Hristijan Pavlovski
Hristijan Pavlovski
Hristijan is a writer at GameSkinny. Aside from his gaming-related content, Hristijan also writes books about Stoicism and the human condition, which can be found on Amazon. He primarily plays strategy games but also enjoys the occasional story-driven adventure game from time to time. Hristijan can also be found on X (@HristijanP_Meme)