Games as a service is a phrase that has cropped up a lot over the past few years. It means that a game is updated over time after it is released, promising more content for the most hardcore of fans to consume while the developers work on sequels or major expansions.
Some games do this incredibly well, managing to add plenty of content once the main campaign is over. Other games have a system like this but were never advertised or released as a platform for new content. Some are just launched with these pieces of content after the credits roll. Here are some games with the best post-game content you can experience.
Updated on August 22, 2023, by Jouanna Bondakji: Games aren't always just about experiencing the story to the end and calling it quits from there. There are lots of games that offer bonus content, particularly as a reward for beating them. This is great news for games with excellent gameplay or worldbuilding, because "the end" doesn't really have to be the end if you enjoyed them that much. Plenty of games have post-game content to offer, and we've added more of the ones that do it best.
13 Halo: Reach
Halo has always had plenty for you to do when you first boot up the game. Multiplayer, Forge, and Theater are available for those who played Halo: Reach, but the last mission of the campaign was something truly special. Every Halo game has extra scenes, but Reach actually lets you play in its post-credits scene.
It isn't just for fun, either. The Lone Wolf mission not only shows you the answer to a question you may have been wondering about throughout the game, it outright has you participate in it. The way it's done, it'll stick with you long after you finish playing.
12 Dragon's Dogma
Dragon's Dogma rarely gets talked about for how well it did giant boss fights and party play. The game had its faults—running for 20 minutes between zones wasn't fun—but it did just as many great things as it did poorly.
Fortunately, the post-game content of this game is a sight to behold. The entire skybox changes and most zones get a refresh of enemies and scenery. It's hard to talk about without spoiling it, but the refresh of loot, enemies, and locals makes exploring the open world incredibly enjoyable, arguably more so than the base game.
11 Red Dead Redemption
To truly talk about how amazing this post-game scene is, the end of Red Dead Redemption has to be spoiled. At the end of the game, John defends his home against the government but fails.
He gives his family enough time to escape, but has to stay back, getting shot repeatedly in a gut-wrenching scene. Where most games would have ended, Red Dead picks up with John's son, Jack. You get to use your gear as Jack and hunt down the men that killed his father. It's a touching epilogue to one of the greatest games ever made.
10 Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the kind of game you can spend dozens of hours on without even doing the main story. It makes sense, then, that its post-game content gives you tons of things to do too. One of those things is an epilogue after the game's initial end, and that alone makes it worth going through.
You can also visit the grave sites of fallen characters who sadly didn't make it in the main story, and collect guns unlocked after beating the main game. Additionally, encountering people that Arthur had helped before finishing the game also makes them react to you differently. Those are only a few things of the things you can do post-game, so you can imagine how many more hours you can get out of Red Dead Redemption 2.
9 Batman: Arkham City
The Batman: Arkham series has shown critics and players alike that superhero games do not have to be cash grabs. These games brought a combination of fantastic storytelling and engaging combat, which many games have tried to replicate since its release.
Batman: Arkham City not only has some of the best storytelling out of any superhero video game, but it also has a fantastic post-game. You can replay the game after you beat it, keeping the gadgets and upgrades you acquired previously. Enemy groups get reordered and changed as a result, even changing how certain bosses work. Most who played it will tell you how amazing the Mr. Freeze boss is in NG+, being a tense fight that requires plenty of different strategies to beat.
8 Dark Souls 2
Every Dark Souls game has NG+, allowing you to carry over your characters into a harder version of the same game. Dark Souls didn't change much with its NG+ mode, meaning some players found it stale and not worth doing.
Dark Souls 2, for all the things it got wrong, had the best NG+ system seen in the Souls series. Bosses would get new mechanics, enemy placements completely changed, and red phantoms that resembled players would also be incorporated into zones. New items were available to find, and it just took the fun campaign and cranked it up to 11.
7 Timesplitters: Future Perfect
Every Timesplitters game has tons of content for you to explore, but none have had as much to do as Future Perfect. Most will start with the campaign, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Arcade maps, challenges, enemies, skins, weapons, and even more were available for you to unlock once you finished the story. The challenges each game made you do are some of the most engaging and interesting that any shooter has done since. Also, being able to unlock a playable monkey and having throwable bricks as a weapon is simply amazing.
6 Destiny 2
Any MMO could have been in this spot, to be honest. Destiny 2, however, has added so many systems and activities for you to do after the campaign credits roll that it needs to be commended.
You can complete strikes—three-man missions with some mechanics and a final boss—or engage in PvP through the Crucible. Over the years, Bungie has added a PvEvP mode called Gambit, redone Nightfalls to make these modified strikes more engaging, open-world activities, exotic quests, and even dungeons for you to clear. Combined with raids and an expansive armor system, Destiny 2 has plenty for you to sink your teeth into for hundreds of hours.
5 Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is universally praised for its fun but challenging gameplay, likable characters, and art style that perfectly balances cute and creepy. Luckily, it also has a bunch of things to do even after beating the game. You can focus on beating the Colosseum of Fools' trials, exploring the White Palace, or trying to complete the infamous Delicate Flower quest.
There are also collectibles, such as grubs and charms, that you can gather to complete your collection and feel that sweet satisfaction. The best part is that you actually get rewarded for collecting them, too; they're not just for show. With all the extra stuff you can do, you'll surely get at least a few more hours of gameplay out of this game.
4 Borderlands 2
Bazillions of guns cannot be earned in a single playthrough. Or a second. Or probably a lifetime. But Borderlands 2 lets you replay the game in higher difficulties for more powerful loot.
You can play in a True Vault Hunter setting after you beat the campaign, allowing for more item drops from harder enemies. Complete that, and there's an Ultimate Vault Hunter mode that's even harder. A DLC also added Overpowered Levels, allowing you to replay the game up to OP8, or ten times if we include True and Ultimate modes. On top of a plethora of seasonal DLCs and major expansions, Borderlands 2 will keep you engaged longer than even its sequel.
3 Path Of Exile
Randomized dungeons and loot are the cornerstones of aRPGs. It is what made so many love putting unthinkable hours into the likes of Diablo and Grim Dawn. Path of Exile manages to take these two pillars and create an entire endgame around them.
Maps, the game's endgame system, allows you to find and modify dungeon tilesets with special modifiers that make the dungeon harder but yield more rewards. There is an atlas with over 100 maps tied to it that you can clear, with special bosses towards the end that offer build-enabling items. The campaign looks like a tutorial in comparison to how extensive this system is.
2 Dragon Quest 11
If you're familiar with Dragon Quest, you won't be surprised to know that Dragon Quest 11's post-game content doesn't contain just a few little things to do. You actually unlock an entirely different main quest and, upon completing it and defeating the boss, can get the game's true ending.
That alone adds a good chunk of game time with Dragon Quest 11, but it's not the only thing the game offers. You get more side quests, unlock more doors, and complete the Wheel of Harma trials, among other things. Your playtime can add up to be as if you played a whole new game, and that's good news if you like Dragon Quest 11.
1 NieR: Automata
Previous entries have had NG+ modes or endgame grinds you can choose to pursue. NieR: Automata has multiple NG+ modes, but they are not what you think.
These NG+ modes are, for lack of a better phrase, entirely new games. Some delve into different stories with new characters and new settings, and some even mess with different genres. Saying more than that would spoil how amazing these new stories are, but you have not properly beaten NieR if you have not experienced its NG+ modes.