Top 10 Saddest Video Games of All Time

Ever played a game that made you cry all the way through? Then you might find it here.
The Top Ten
1 Life is Strange

Down to earth, realistic problems and struggles are basically what Life is Strange is all about. To avoid spoiling the plot (and the many twists and turns you will encounter along the way), Life is Strange aims to emotionally captivate the player. It is easy to become emotionally invested, given how relatable the characters are. You are given many major choices, some of which are utterly cruel and difficult, and you take personal responsibility for those actions. You quickly find that you have little to no control over what happens, despite your ability to rewind time. In a sense, you feel responsibility for the decisions you make that will have an impact on the future, except the future can't be controlled. You are stuck in an invisible cell, watching everything that happens, knowing that you were responsible.

2 The Walking Dead

This game cannot be summed up in one word. Even "masterpiece" doesn't begin to describe the mass amount of emotions that flooded through me during my first time playing. Every single moment was so memorable that I could retell the entire story in one sitting, even though I have only played through it once. Please, play this game. I haven't played any of the other games on this list, but I can imagine that it's better than Life is Strange.

This game deserves to be rebooted, and I don't mean in the way that most things are rebooted. The game deserves to run smoothly and have updated graphics. I played through this game until the final season, and I was devastated once it was over. It's all a masterpiece, but especially the first season, even though I do agree that it has its flaws.

3 The Last of Us

This is easily the best game I have ever played in my whole life. It begins with an immediate tear-up opening mission, accompanied by beautiful instrumental music produced for the game. The emotional bond that grows between Joel and Ellie is captivating. The game builds you up to the idea that everything will be okay. Then, they hit you with a curveball. You learn to love all the characters, and they are taken away just when you start loving them the most. The sacrifices in this game help you believe that, even in this post-apocalyptic world, there is still good.

I have never been personally attached to a video game until I played The Last of Us. I watched as a man, who had lost so much, tried to fill his heart with solitude. That was until one girl enters his life, and he feels what it's like to care again. Joel risks everything for Ellie and cares so much for her. I don't cry often, nor do I let people see me cry. Ever. But this game had me in tears multiple times, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Everything about this game is perfect, and it is definitely a 10/10 recommendation.

4 Mother 3

SPOILERS BELOW

Mother 3 invokes an incredible emotional response, especially considering the limitations of the platform.

By the time you finish it, you are feeling that bittersweet sadness of childhood innocence lost, followed by an overwhelming mourning of the wasted relationship of two very close brothers. They manage to reunite at the end, but can't bridge the gap between them. Essentially, they wave goodbye to each other from across a chasm they can't cross, each wishing they hadn't separated, but unable to change it.

And it's sprinkled with other bits like friends leaving friends, your mother dying early on, and the grief of your way of life being lost to the archives of history.

There is nothing sadder than the unnecessary loss this game portrays.

5 To the Moon

Wow... just wow. I actually never really thought that such powerful and emotional stories would or could come from a game. I shouldn't really call it a game because there is very little "playing", but that doesn't detract from its story. This game is like an atom bomb of emotions. It's like a wave of sadness with an aftertaste of happiness. The feeling isn't exactly melancholy but more like an overwhelming desire to see the characters happy, yet knowing that there isn't anything you can do. It's beautiful, simply put.

I won't lie. I finished late at night, and when I finished, I put my PC to sleep and crawled into bed and just held my wife. This will make sense when you complete the game. You will cry, and don't be ashamed or embarrassed when you do.

6 Shadow of the Colossus

Music. The music... Those who remain... The sunlit light... And if this were a true story, it would be such a sad and beautiful end. There is also a real philosophy you can ponder on Wander. At the end, he lost everything, and that's the way he will see it end.

Though I thought the very ending a let-down, the rest of the game was grand. The first game I have played that makes me question the motives of my character without stating his greed outright.

*SPOILER* I agree with this being a sad game. The fact that you slay these giants, who are severely endangered, for your own gain is crippling.

7 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

He finds out he's aging rapidly and that he will die many years before all the people he's met and fought beside, and that he has one more mission. He's fought in war all his life and accepts that he will never have the normal life he wishes he had. He almost dies twice, to the point where I just had to put my controller down and think about how much he's been through, especially during the microwave part.

When he's fighting Ocelot at the end, in the last portion, you just realize that it's two old men fighting because that's all they know how to do. And in the climax of the entire series, Snake pulls out a gun, puts it in his mouth, and pulls the trigger. I'm not going to spoil the ending for you, but it is a 70-minute cutscene and, to me, it is the best ending in video game history. How is this not the most downright depressing game ever?

8 What Remains of Edith Finch
9 Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption is a beautiful tragedy that fits in with the golden aisle of video games. A forever masterpiece, the game sends you on an emotional rollercoaster as you take control of John Marston, an ex-outlaw tasked with hunting down his old gang family by government officials in hopes of regaining his family and old life. From beginning to end, you will feel emotionally connected to each of the characters, especially during the final scenes which brought tears to millions of players across the world and still do today.

10 Gone Home
The Contenders
11 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness

The whole game itself is designed to make you feel emotion, but sadness is the most prevalent one. Don't be fooled by this game's cute charm. At first, it appears like just another children's game, but it has a real heart-wrenching story. The fact it had the name Pokemon and Nintendo branded on it made me cry even harder. I came into this game expecting it to be dull and lifeless. It came as the biggest surprise when it was filled with beauty, passion, love, and emotion. I feel that out of all the games I have played, this game has touched me the most. If you play this game from start to finish, I promise you will cry at least once.

12 Heavy Rain

One of my best games I have ever played is Heavy Rain. The story and the music, as well as the protagonists, suit the game perfectly. Moreover, the variety of endings forces you to play the game again and again until you have seen all the beautiful conclusions.

The whole game takes place in a sad world where a father must test himself to see how far he goes to rescue his son from being drowned - involving risky games, mayhem, killing people, and then self-sacrifice. But the most surprising end is the moment where you discover who the Origami Killer is - and why the Origami Killer does all this, because of the tragic and perhaps saddest moment a child can be involved in.

13 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

This game was beautiful and hit me right in the feels. The game has a tragic atmosphere throughout, beginning with the death of your mother and the illness of your father. Two brothers must set out to find the Tree of Life and save their father, helping each other grow along the way.

Throughout the epic and beautiful adventure, the two brothers strengthen each other and help each other grow. Then there are the subtle side stories, such as whether or not you save a man from hanging himself, or the death of a griffin right after it carries you to safety. The game progressively gets more powerful, all the way up until the horribly sad ending.

After going through so much, the older brother dies due to a fatal stab wound... Right at the roots of the Tree of Life. With his dead brother's spirit helping him, the younger brother finishes the quest and saves his father. The game concludes with the broken family mourning at the graves of the mother and older brother. Definitely the saddest game I have ever played. It should definitely have the top spot.

14 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
15 Mass Effect 3

I really love this game. The story is beautiful, powerfully moving you around, and full of breathtaking places that make me feel more realized. It's enriched by many touching characters, due to sacrifices, intense war, destruction, and tragedy. This game is a masterpiece. It includes a sad and touching gay romance scene between male Shepard and Cortez. It has an amazing soundtrack and is full of depression. It breaks my heart that Shepard sacrifices his life to stop the Reaper at the end of the ME3 game. I really miss Shepard. BioWare did an amazing job making fans fall in love with the Mass Effect trilogy and leaving a lasting impression. This game is full of emotional, funny, coming-of-age tragedy, and gripping moments.

16 Fallout 3

I had to download the Broken Steel DLC for this game to have a different ending. The first ending made me sad and was unexpected, the closing narration made me cry. This game is the best!

The depression factor of this game is just too much for me. I'm impressed that PBG is able to maintain such a good mood while playing the game.

17 Always Sometimes Monsters
18 NieR Replicant

#15? Seriously? Although the start may seem light-hearted, the game becomes really tragic midway through, with kidnappings, close bonds being destroyed, and learning about secrets, and so on. This game is a tragic story for everyone - the Gestalts, the Replicants, the humans, the androids, everyone.

One of the most depressing games with a beautiful atmosphere. The true ending of the game will make you cry and question everything that you have done throughout the story.

I've never cried more playing a game. This game is absolutely beautiful and will destroy you emotionally. Emil and Kainé's tragic stories, the music, and just everything combined makes this game so amazing and depressing.

19 This War of Mine
20 Halo Reach

It's a fight you cannot win. You know how it ends from the beginning, but you never truly understand until you stand looking over what is left.

Everyone dies... Then it's your turn. It was an emotional roller-coaster the first time around.

You start with six people and end with one. Dead-ass depressing.

21 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

I thought this game was going to be creepy because everyone says it's dark. When I played it, most of the game wasn't that creepy. However, I still consider this game dark. Why? It's not because it was creepy. It's because it was depressing. Throughout the game, you come across characters that you are likely to get attached to. Anju, Romani, The Postman, The Deku shrubs, Epona, The Bombers - everyone is counting on you. The thought of the moon crashing into the Earth, killing everyone you knew and loved, is so heartbreaking. Additionally, the fact that you have limited time makes this feel so unnerving.

It's like you're trapped in a world of despair, trying to get everyone out of it, but you can't. I was slightly disappointed at the beginning because it didn't turn out to be the kind of dark I thought it was going to be. But after playing it a lot, I realized that the game doesn't center around horror. It centers around depression. Majora's Mask, I have never been so deeply impaled by a game's "sword of feels." 3 days. You have only 3 days. Use your time wisely. The world is counting on you.

22 The Last of Us: Left Behind

This was an excellent DLC. It really gave us the dark past of Ellie. I am extremely grateful they created this. It gave us players a little closure on the dark past we hear about throughout the actual game. The music by Gustavo Santaolalla was phenomenal, as always.

The DLC did give us some closure to Ellie's tragic story.

23 Silent Hill 2

This game is about depression itself. The scars of sexual abuse that completely destroyed a person by years of abuse and torment, living in a real hell. The insanity and desperation of seeing the person you love the most suffering for months until he dies, a complete life of hate, rejection, and no love.

This game is about a man that travels to his own fears and horrors to find his deceased wife and the answers to her death. In this journey, he finds other tormented people who are looking for answers and a way out of hell.

The game gives us a horrible feeling of loneliness and helplessness in a dark atmosphere full of depression and horrific monsters. It's the most depressive game ever made.

24 Final Fantasy X

Auron was dead the whole time, then leaves. Tidus never really existed, then leaves. The "I love you" between him and Yuna at the end. Spira was saved, but with many sacrifices along the way.

25 Spec Ops: The Line

I can safely say I have only cried in a few games, two or three, and this is one of them. Spec Ops: The Line presents tough moral choices where you think you made the correct one, and then, boom, a sad moment. The reason it is sad is because you did it. You made the wrong choice, and it resulted in bad or sad things happening.

This game kind of messed me up, not only seeing the sheer brutality of war but also having the player be an active participant in it. You don't get to be the good guy in this one.

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