Video game endings come in all sorts of different forms. Many stories end with the hero saving the day and everyone living happily ever after. While those conclusions are wholesome, they can be generic and lack impact.
On the other end of the spectrum, some endings are incredibly heartbreaking, usually due to the protagonist failing on their quest or a likeable character dying. These are unique resolutions, but they can feel a little anti-climatic. This is why sometimes a bittersweet conclusion is the best way to go. After all, they provide a mix of happiness and sadness, meaning you can get a true climax that leaves an impact. But you can only achieve that if you do it correctly like the following games do.
5 Life Is Strange
The first Life Is Strange is filled with plenty of difficult choices. None of them is tricker than the one Max has to make at the end of the game. As a giant storm is destroying the town, the protagonist realizes that her messing with the timeline is what caused the disaster. Therefore, the only way to stop it is to travel back to a time before she even used her rewind ability. Unfortunately, the original time she used it was to save her best friend, Chloe. So, going back would mean confirming the blue-haired girl's death.
Therefore, Max has to choose between sacrificing Chloe or the entire town. Both endings are sad, but giving up Chloe is the more bittersweet option. In this ending, Max has to let Chloe die without interfering. And as the blue-haired wonder is arguably the best character in the entire series, it's a heartbreaking thing to do. Still, on the plus side, everyone else gets to live.
4 The Last Of Us
The closing stages of the first Last Of Us game bring into question Joel's status as a hero. He finds out that the Fireflies can create a cure for the infection that's wiped out many people and destroyed civilization. Yet, to do so, they need to operate on Ellie and remove the growth inside her, which will kill the young girl. As he's already lost his biological daughter, he refuses to let what is essentially his adoptive one die. Therefore, he kills all the Fireflies and saves Ellie.
It never feels like a heroic rescue as you're potentionally dooming humanity. On top of that, Joel lies to Ellie about the whole thing making it feel even more morally questionable. Yet, the sweet part of the ending is that Ellie remains among the living and the protagonist duo set out on a new adventure.
3 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
At the end of MGS3's prologue, Naked Snake's mentor, The Boss, betrays her country by defecting to the Soviet Union and joining forces with Colonel Volgin. In the process, the Colonel destroys a large research facility containing plenty of his comrades. To prove that it wasn't America's fault, the CIA sends Snake on a mission to appease the Soviet Union leader, Khrushchev. The protagonist has several objectives to complete, including killing his old mentor.
He succeeds in his mission and is heralded as a hero. But after The Boss is gone, Snake finds out that she never really defected. She intended to infiltrate Volgin's forces on behalf of the U.S government. However, after the research facility went down, the plan had to change. The Boss was willing to give up her life to prove America's innocence and stop a potential war from happening. This reveal is certainly bittersweet. On the one hand, there was no war, and The Boss was the hero Snake always believed her to be. However, he killed the said hero.
2 Batman: Arkham City
In the late stages of Arkham City, neither Batman nor The Joker are in perfect condition. This is because both of them have deadly toxins running through their veins. The Dark Knight has the cure, though, so he takes his share. Then after stopping his arch-nemesis from gaining eternal life, he debates whether he should save the villain by giving him the remainder of the said cure.
Before he can decide, The Joker attacks him, and the vial containing life-saving liquid smashes on the floor. As a result, the Clown Prince dies while laughing at the fact that Batman still would've saved him despite everything he's done. The protagonist's willingness to preserve human life means the Joker's demise doesn't make him happy. And it's actually a somber moment when Batman hands over the villain's corpse to the cops.
1 Red Dead Redemption 2
The incredible protagonist Arthur Morgan dies towards the end of Red Dead 2 after a battle with Micah Bell. This kicks off a long epilogue where John Marston serves as the new main character. While he tries to get on with his life, a part of him still wants to avenge Arthur. After all, Morgan is the reason why John and his family are safe. When he discovers Micah's location, he and a few friends go off to confront the evil villain. It ends with John gunning down the cruel man.
While it's nice to get vengeance on a rat like Micah, it isn't entirely satisfying because Arthur is still gone. Plus, the revenge mission attracts the attention of the Pinkertons, who eventually track John and his family down. And if you've played the first game - which takes place after this one - you know that the Pinkertons end up killing John. So, in this case, revenge is bittersweet.