Gaming has introduced players to some of the most iconic and sprawling worlds ever formed in any medium. While developers put in a lot of effort to make their worlds and characters stand out in the minds of gamers, some players form their own incredible theories based on various in-game moments.
When many aspects of a game are left up to the interpretation of the gamer, those interpretations have the ability to completely change the tone of a game forever. Based on one fan theory even the simplest and friendliest titles can suddenly become darker and more grown-up than initially believed.
Updated By Cameron Miller On April 13th, 2023:
If there’s one thing that video game fans do incredibly, it’s change the way that everyone else thinks about their favorite games. All something like that takes is a single creative fan theory. Whether incredibly in-depth or poorly thought out, a simple theory can have a serious impact.
Trigger warning - this list makes reference to a fan theory involving miscarriage.
15 Bug Jars & The End Of The World - Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls series has so much lore tied into each of its games that its shocking fans even have room to come up with unique theories. One of the most intriguing fan theories has to do with the many jars of bugs that can be found throughout the world.
In the various bug jars, there are small symbols that have puzzled fans. Some theorize that the entirety of the bug jars and their symbols form a pentagram that once something is triggered could cause the end of the world.
While the theory is pretty wild, the fact that people are still finding new things in Skyrim to this day makes it seem more possible.
14 It Was All Just A Stage Play - Super Mario Bros 3
This is a widely known fan theory that you might have even pondered yourself before ever hearing about it. Anyone who plays through the NES classic Super Mario Bros 3 will surely notice just how… staged everything looks.
From the levels almost resembling sets, to the way the curtain opens to begin the game, it all just seems a little too convenient. Some people think the entire game is just a play being put on for entertainment, something that can explain choices that haven’t quite made a fully-fledged return, but some even use this theory to argue even more Mario games are simple plays, namely, the Paper Mario series.
13 Squall Is Dead - Final Fantasy 8
Series that are filled with fantasy aspects are generally the easiest to create fan theories for, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the Final Fantasy series has tons of unique fan theories. A simple theory that makes sense is that Squall is dead during the majority of Final Fantasy 8.
Fans believe that after Squall is impaled by Edea, the remainder of the game is nothing but some kind of vision during his final moments or even a trip through some kind of limbo. Players point to the way characters seem to change after the event and the strange escalation of the plot as evidence for the theory.
Sadly, this theory has been debunked, but that hasn't stopped people from still believing it's true somehow.
12 John Marston's Eternal Punishment - Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare
Some fans of Red Dead Redemption put some impressive thought into the theory that John Marston is actually trapped in a purgatory-like state during the events of Undead Nightmare. Fans simply want to fit this into the timeline of the main series, something that probably wasn’t actually intended.
Still, it is interesting to think that because Marston had done such monstrous things in his past, he wasn’t able to fully atone for what he did and was stuck with a zombie-based punishment. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but it does provide something new to think about when replaying the series.
11 Harley Quinn Loses A Baby - Batman Arkham City
Occasionally, fan theories can get into some rather dark realms, and while some games never directly confirm fan theories, it can be hard to argue against them. The evidence behind the fan theory that Batman caused Harley to lose a baby is both dark and backed up in-game.
Many gamers were excited about the possibility of a future-set Arkham game in which the Caped-Crusader would have to combat the child of Joker and Harley, but with the inclusion of a negative pregnancy test in some admittedly excellent DLC fans wonder if Batman may have caused more damage than good.
10 The Player Killed A Pokemon - Pokemon Red/Blue
The Pokemon series is almost always a light-hearted adventure meant as a way to introduce young gamers to RPGs. While the series has taken some interesting risks over the years, some fans made an interesting discovery about the player’s rival.
After an encounter with your rival on the S.S. Anne, you bump into him again in the creepy Lavender Town. However, your rival does not have the Ratticate with him from the previous battle, leading fans to believe it passed away thanks to the damage the player inflicted.
9 Solaire Is Actually Lord Gwyn's Son - Dark Souls
While this Dark Souls theory did lose its legs thanks to the introduction of the Nameless King, for a long stretch of time, people were convinced that Solaire could be the son of Lord Gwyn. Players have combed through the entire series' deep lore to justify this fact.
The issue is, a lot of theories that believe Solaire is truly the son of Gwyn have information that seems to be misrepresented. Despite that, there are still hardened fans who believe this theory is true, and that someday, they’ll be proved right somehow.
8 Ruined Earth - Kirby 64
The Kirby series can be a bit too cutesy for some players at times, but there’s a fan theory that might change some gamers’ opinions. While players who grew up with the Nintendo 64 likely remember Kirby 64, they may not know the most talked-about theory involved with the game.
There’s a level in Kirby 64 called the Shiver Star, and it looks suspiciously similar to that of our own Earth. Many gamers have theorized that entering that level actually sees Kirby entering post-apocalyptic Earth.
7 Link Is Dead - The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Majora’s Mask is a weird game. It’s absolutely unlike any other Zelda title before and after it, which has opened it up to intense scrutiny by fans. As fans dug into every aspect, numerous theories began to sprout up.
One of the most popular fan theories in all of gaming is that Link dies during his fall at the beginning of Majora’s Mask and the rest of the game is his trip through the afterlife. Fans point to the world acting as the stages of grief before Link finally sets out into the afterlife.
6 It’s All Just A Simulation - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Fans have actually gone as far as to say that much of the series is just a simulation, but a big theory revolves around Snake Eater. There are plenty of little bits of potential clues to this actually being the case, but most people point to the beginning of the game as an example.
Initially, Snake wrongly calls his mission a virtual mission, with a piece of information as vital as the name of an operation not being something Snake would likely forget. There’s a lot to dig into with this theory, and it really does put the entire series in a new perspective.
5 Falling From A Treehouse - Limbo
While Limbo is a game that seems like standard indie puzzle fare on the surface, the deeper players have dug, the stranger it has become. The community surrounding the game has created more than fifteen unique theories about the surprisingly short puzzle game.
One of the most interesting suggests that the game is about a boy traveling through limbo after he and his sister fell from a collapsing treehouse and died. The game's creatures are representative of his journey and his sister is said to be attempting to check if they are truly dead or not.
4 Shepard Has Been Indoctrinated - Mass Effect 3
The Mass Effect series has told one of the most ambitious sci-fi stories in the history of gaming. With such an incredible world filled with some shockingly deep lore, it was only a matter of time before gamers started crafting theories.
Thankfully, this theory even makes the debatably lackluster ending a lot more satisfying.
This theory is relatively simple and it is said that throughout Shepard's adventures in the series he has slowly been indoctrinated by the series' Reapers. While there are plenty of things throughout Mass Effect 3 that seems to solidify this theory, namely the final sequence after being hit by the Reaper beam, hardcore fans fight against the theory every chance they get.
3 James' Dead Wife - Silent Hill 2
This theory is a bit of a wild one, but it’s also one that has potentially been confirmed as true. The theory simply states that Mary, James’ wife whom he goes to Silent Hill to find, is actually dead in James’ car at the beginning of the game.
People use evidence like one of the endings featuring James driving into a lake so that the pair can be together forever, although that is a bit weak. Supposedly, developers have confirmed that the theory is in fact true, but as is the case with all theories, even that is heavily debated by fans.
2 Companion Cubes Are Filled With People - Portal Series
It’s surprising how deep the world-building of the Portal games goes for such tightly contained stories. The games are filled with incredible characters and some of the best writing in the industry, which has led to plenty of cool fan theories.
It’s hard to argue that Glados isn’t an iconic character with some equally iconic lines. A few of her lines suggest that the companion cube may actually be stuffed with people.
With how sinister Glados can come across, that theory isn’t all that hard to believe.
1 The Pokemon War - Pokemon Red/Blue
While the Pokemon series has spawned plenty of fan theories, it seems like the most interesting and widely enjoyed come from the original games. Over the years, fans started asking a lot of questions about the series and just why there seem to be so few grown men in the world.
Fans have theorized that before the events of the original Pokemon game, there was some kind of epic war. Why the war happened and what went on during it has been open for interpretation, but it does help justify some strange design decisions in the games.