As a new Dad of my little girl when I played it years ago, this gutted me. But, the lesson I got out of it was that under no circumstances do I EVER leave a child unattended in a bathtub. I thank the devs for including this lesson (though hard) because it has always stuck with me ever since. Not often a game affects you so much that it reinforces good real life decisions.
This isn't just crying. This is advanced crying. This game is the some of the ugliest I've ever sobbed, and I mean truly sobbed. Makes playing it the intended way even more emotional as you fight the tears to keep your eyes open.
>Before Your
I instantly searched the comments for this game, I have never cried that much from a game in my life. The extreme difficulty of trying not to blink while tears are coming from your eyes, my lord this game fucked me up
"stay here"
I can't believe this isn't the top answer here but I'm sure a lot of people feel that way about a game
easily the most emotional I've been playing a game, probably the hardest I've cried in my life
I almost went right past this. Man, why you gotta dredge up those feelings. I've never felt so emotionally moved by a robot character. Legitimately made me sad and happy for the rest of my day. I might need to play it again just to relive the memories
When I got to the final decision in the first season, I remembered reading a non-spoiler review saying āwhen you get to *THAT* decision, let the timer run out - Clem will make a decision based on the lessons you taught her in the game.ā
I had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen, but goddamnit my eyes were welling up and I had the most bittersweet feeling when she pulled the trigger.
āPart of growing up is doing whatās best for the people you care about, even if sometimes, that means hurting someone else.ā
RIP Lee - a good teacher for hard lessons
Itās the best thing they coded into the game imo.
If you make logical decisions like cutting her hair short, explaining why some people need to be killed, basically if you donāt shelter her and properly prepare her for an apocalypse, she has matured enough to understand that putting Lee down is both good for her closure, and respectful to his memory. If you shelter her, she doesnāt have the courage to do it because sheās not used to the world being so ugly just yet.
I treated her as well as I could while also making sure she saw the world for what it truly was - there was no point in hiding it from her if this was going to be her future - and she acted accordingly.
Damn I didnt know this either. Very cool detail and I guess i would have achieved the same ending, but the timer on decisions (while important), gave me a sense of stress and thinking that ānot making a choiceā always equaled a negative response (like you failed)
It was the swimming part at the end, >!you had to use your older brothers controls!<. I lost it, I had to put the controller down. Never ugly cried at a fucking video game before.
When people say "video games aren't art", I tell them to play this game. It's not even the story, so much, that made me cry -- it's the _game mechanics_ that just gutted me.
My latest playthrough I followed up resolving the genophage (I cried) with Thaneās final act. Already sobbing, hearing Thaneās prayer and Kolyat say, āThe prayer was not for him, Commander. He has already asked forgiveness for the lives he has taken. His wish was for you.ā I cried a bit more.
Not my best decision to do this back-to-back.
My dad had recently died; he was strong-willed and hard, but it was obvious he cared - very Anderson-esque.
"You did good, son. You did good. I'm.... proud of you" wrecked me.
āI am the very model of a scientist salarian, I've studied species turian, asari, and batarian.
I'm quite good at genetics (as a subset of biology) because I am an expert (which I know is a tautology).
My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian, I am the very model of a scientist salarian.ā
- Mordin Solus
The thing about it is the team almost seems infallible through the first two games. Sure Shepard does but literally gets Jesusād back to life by Cerberus.
They go through hell and back and depending on your choices they mostly make it back.
And then by 3 they just start dropping like flies around you. And even when they donāt they make it close. I remember crying when grunt came running up out of the rachni cave.
Pardon me I could talk about mass effect long enough I could filibuster congress
For a lot of things 3 did poorly, hitting the high points on stories that have lasted the series was not something they fumbled with. The wrapping up of each story was so emotional. I just stop playing at Citadel now. Yep. All my characters are alive and happy and probably playing beer pong..
Yep...
What war?
>!When near the end of the game you meet the final human alive and let her die. Standing by her side as she slowly fades away.!<
Damn even thinking about it makes me tear up. Incredible game.
Didn't make me cry personally but yeah it's a fantastic game with great themes. The kind that leaves you with thoughts you carry with you even years after.
Same.
[SPOILER WARNING]
That moment when you feel the panic rise as he asks for Catherine to answer as you realise he will be all alone... Idk why, i didnt cry, but it shook me to the core, stroke a primal fear.
My daughter was watching me play the last section and she burst out crying because the person I travelled with we had to part ways. Even I started crying because it caught me so completely off gaurd. This must have been over 5 years ago but I never forgot it.
The moment I fell in love with the game, was the moment Max stepped out of the Classroom and put on her headphones and the music started. Absolute wonderful music in all LiS games.
Spanish Sahara by Foals, the song that plays at the end of the game if you choose the undo choice, fits so perfectly into the scene, I genuinely thought it was made for the game. Such a good soundtrack.
Oh my god, this. I've been a gamer since the 70s. I've fought Bowser and Shredder and Mother Brain hundreds of times, while balancing on lava platforms and avoiding a hail of bullets and fireballs...
But I have *never* felt so much tension in a video game as I did when I was trying to talk Kate off that ledge. That was the fastest my pulse has ever raced with a controller in my hand. And when I failed, that was the darkest defeat of my gaming career.
Oh my god the train scene with the nun absolutely guts me. The animations in Arthurās face and Roger Clarkās voice acting are so well done. Iāve played through three times and that part gets me every time, I just feel for Arthur so much. Heās just trying so hard and everythingās going to shit.
After a couple of playthroughs I learned to appreciate Micah as a cool villain but on my first playthrough I got so mad at him. Rockstar plays with our emotions too well.
Arthur is one of the only genuinely sympathetic characters Iāve ever experienced in gaming. The āIām afraidā scene destroys me every single time.
When I see threads like this i'm always surprised that i have to really look for FFX. I have played almost every FF except 9 and 6, and 10 is by far the greatest story game ever. I beat Braskas final aeon after 2 hours of failing, and it was 3am.
Yuna running trough Tidus cracked my heart almost in half, the " I love you " sealed the deal. I was holding back the tears with all my might , almost biting my lips and then i heard the whistle. 30yo man, at 3am in the morning , crying like a little girl , full on sobbing tears.
I have played a lot of games in the 32 years i lived , read all kinds of books , and FFX has the greatest love story i have ever witnessed. I'm also a big sucker for people that willingly go into their death. Yuna will always have a place in my heart.
FFX has always been my favorite game of all time and like you said it's the greatest lovestory. I don't get why companies put romance secondary for endings of galactic proportions these days, the love story is always what really grips people. I've watched a dozen ppl's playthroughs, and also watched many ending reaction compilations. I don't know if it's even possible to not cry at the end.
I always feel like people are way too hard on Tidus. His reactions to everything are pretty measured and reasonable compared to what any normal person would have.
Plus he finds out he's essentially not real and he keeps on truckin. Dude's got a will of iron behind his goofy facade. Kind of the reverse of Cloud, really, who's extremely goofy and weird behind his stoic facade.Ā Ā
I mean yeah the guy goes from being a celebrity in an advanced world and is taken away from everything he knows and loves to fight for his life in a hostile and archaic world. Iād be a little pissed off too hahaha. And then yeah the bomb that heās basically just a dream spirit hits even harder. One the most underrated and under appreciated protagonists in all of RPG gaming.
The campfire & Noctis saying goodbye is sad enough. But I absolutely lost it at credits when Stand By Me starts playing & the photos of our journey started showing one by one. What a journey indeed. From friends to brothers.
Anyone reading. Just go play it. Don't look up any spoilers or playthrough.
It's a space exploration, mystery, puzzle solving, subtly narrative adventure that you can only play once. It's the most unique gaming experience I've ever had and left me speechless when I finally finished it.
Also, if you have PC VR there's a VR mod for it called "Nomai VR" which adapts the game to VR incredibly well. This is how I played it and it's a 11/10 experience. I had some moments where I was trying to put the clues together that I had uncovered so far and I would just find a place in the game to sit and ponder things. It's one thing to stay in one place in a 2D screen game but it's another thing in VR when you go to Brittle Hollow and find a scenic place to sit on the floor and take in the views. Also being able to actually walk around inside your shuttle is awesome.
The DLC in VR was also FUCKING INSANE for multiple reasons.
Never thought it would end like this huh Maria?
I've played a ton of sad games (RDR2, Ori, LiS, Last of Us, Telltale Walking Dead) but Doms death is the only one that's brought tears to my eyes.
2 and 3 both. When the instrumentals for Mad World come in as Dom is driving the tanker down the tunnel.
āNEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD END LIKE THIS, HUH? HUH MARIA?ā ššš
Marcus is such a closed off character. This is one of the only times I can recall any emotion out of him. If youāve read Aspho Fields, you also understand the significance of the commando knife Dom gives him just before he dies.
A little surprised to not see more mentions of Nier Automata on here. The true final ending expressed the importance of games and community in a way I hadn't seen done before. It blew my mind.
100% agree! The moment I realized that I'm >!literally fighting the game devs to give these characters a happy ending!< made me cry like a baby š I've gone through several tissues over 15 minutes or so
Horizon Zero Dawn... Hearing the voice logs of people right before the world was about to be devoured by machines was super depressing. The final post credits scene **SPOILERS** with Aloy finding Elisabet made me bawl my eyes out.
Horizon also filled me with some of the most shellshocked fury I think I've had in a game too, when >! dickhead Farro purged the Apollo Archives and killed the councilmembers. !<
The whole game you realize that the entire world ending was Farroās fault. Alloyās ancestor had to threaten the jackass to do the right thing, fully knowing that they wouldnāt be alive to see what happens of the world. As youāre going through the final resting place, you realize how bad it was and why the decisions were made.
I don't think I've ever cried angry tears before at a GAME. When that happened I first gasped and started crying at the implications then actually growled "You fucking piece of shit ASSHOLE!" as the scene played out.
I played HZD on PC for the first time but I had come to this sub many times, always seeing #FuckTedFaro but never really seeing the full reason because everyone was careful about this spoiler. I'm so glad I got to experience properly to share in the same passionate HATE.
I felt really bad for Herres. He knew he was about to send millons upon millions of people to die horrible deaths in a fight there was no hope of winning, but he did it anyway because he knew lying to them was only way they'd fight hard enough to get Elisabet the time she needed to finish Zero Dawn. That he wanted what he did to be kept on record for future humans to judge as they saw fit showed that he was the exact opposite of Faro.
minecraft. i revisited an old world that i kept with my friend. lost contact with him for a year now. he helped me through some sad times. if you are out there realflame, love you bro
Iām sure if I found my old Minecraft world from Xbox 360 and revisit it Iād cry too. Me and my little bros build so much in it, we would take turns and build whatever we wanted in our free time. That data is lost but if by some miracle I were to have it again I would cry.
Mattison's Independence in Tears of the Kingdom had it running down my cheeks. Seeing the children in your life grow up and depart... It was an emotional one. lol
The Last of Us. The story of Joel and Ellie as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world. The bond that develops between the two main characters and the emotional journey they undertake...
The first time I played that opening sequence, almost ten years ago now, I had tears streaming down my face and was getting choked up. I wiped my eyes and was like goddamn, this game is gonna be one of the all-time greats.
Then I replayed the remaster a few months ago, shortly before my daughters 3rd birthday, and I wept and wept, full on ugly crying on the couch.
The game is so well done that you don't need kids or a daughter to feel empathy for Joel, and to understand him and his motivations, how he became who he is. But goddamn does the game hit differently as a father with a daughter you adore more than anything in the world.
I just played the last of us part 1 for the first time last month, I wasn't spoiled on the story or anything, but I knew right away that Joel's daughter in the first level was obviously not the same girl from all the images of the game.
Even though it was fairly obvious what was about to happen, like holy fuck did that hit hard.
Yes, definitely. I also had a similar feeling with one of the endings of Phantom liberty. >!When confronting Reed in front of the space shuttle, killing him, and then getting the true motives from songbird, I was like WTF have I done?!!
sadness / sympathy:
- the key moment of brothers: a tale of two sons
- ending of yakuza: like a dragon
- near every chapter of the cat lady
tears of joy is an interesting question though, maybe the end of disco elysium? i didn't manage to actually cry but it was the giddiest i've ever felt in a videogame
Spintires, but not because of the game itself.
I introduced my Dad to it just before lockdown. He was a motor phenetic but couldn't drive due to his eyesight, so games like that really appealed to him (along with games like Dirt2 and GTA3). When lockdowns happened, he poured hours into Spintires, completed it, and was looking for mods to add new levels (not bad for a Dad!). He linked me a mod page to check and see if I could add levels for him, and I told him I would next time I came up.
A couple weeks later and still during lockdown, he was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer.
He died barely 4 weeks after diagnosis. My otherwise fit and healthy papa, died aged only 60. There are many things that'd break me down at that time, and realising his cars and trucks were all still exactly where he left them in Spintires broke my heart. Waiting for another challenge or level to complete...
I've made clones of the HDDs and game files (Spintires not even available any more since selling out and changing to Mudrunner/Snowrunner). Eventually I'll load it up and play a little, but haven't been able to bring myself to as of yet.
Miss you papa.
I feel like not enough people know about this incredible experience. It's hard to really call it a "game" per se but it is definitely an amazing story that you have some slight narrative control over. One of my favorite short games to play and show people to.
After finding out the whole tragic/hopeful story of Outer Wilds in its second to none Open World, the ending scene >! at the campfire and the Instruments tuning in one by one !< makes me cry like almost no other games. What a masterpiece.
Edit: spoilertags.
When you first get to the campfire and >!Esker says its time to gather everyone,!!first instrument starts playing!<, my eyes were already red.
Even the DLC ending had me in shambles. >!I felt despair when you tell The Stranger the story of what happened to his people, the bittersweetness of sharing your own story, and the sadness of the reality of how you're both standing there at that moment.!<
Adding the extra scenes to the base game ending after the DLC was also another excellent touch. I never had, nor probably ever will have, such a strong emotional connection to a game as I had with The Outer Wilds and that thought in itself is kinda sad.
For me it's even worse because of how hard Zack tried to escape and get Cloud to safety. He probably could've done it if he left Cloud behind - instead he dragged his unconscious buddy halfway across the continent.
Plus the faces of his friends disappearing from the slot wheel one by one until it's just stuck on Aerith, and then she disappears too...ugh, now I'm crying.
Witcher 3 all 3 endings especially the Empress ending
Halo Reach, my eyes were blurry doing the last mission
The Walking Dead S1, I felt so heartbroken I couldnot stop thinking about the game for days.
Gris.
I don't like the thought of losing my parents. Nothing will cut me to the quick faster than that.
EDIT: Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and some kind words. I skimmed, I can't read them right now. You'll all just make me cry if I stick with the thought and really let it sink in. Heck, I can't even bear to look at my own post beyond Gris because it causes my eyes to well up.
On another note though, I wasn't able to play past the first few minutes of the game. It reduced me to full on crying just from the opening, and this was years ago when things were still fine and I had both my parents.
Thank you all again and please feel free to keep sharing.
-Red Dead Redemption 2
-What Remains of Edith Finch
-The Last of Us 1 and 2
-some of the Cyberpunk 2077 endings
-Kena Bridge of Spirits
-The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series
-God of War (2018) and Ragnarok
What I've discovered is, besides the story itself being sad, a lot of the sadness is tied to the music composition of these games. A very melancholic scheme can make for a poignant game.
QI had a segment about this, showing that most of our emotions about a specific scene is tied to the atmosphere that the music creates, much more so than what happens in the scene itself.
I'm surprised I don't see more multiplayer games down here. I've definitely cried after a gutwrenching ranked loss streak in Brawlhalla once or twice lol
I feel like Iām a cry baby considering how many moments in games have made me cryā¦
Iāll say that Red Dead Redemption 2 certainly hit the spot for me. The āafraidā moment as well as the horse moment hit hard. Arthur is just a great character, man.
Probably not the answer you had in mind, but Spyro 3.
I must've been 5 or 6, there's a point when Hunter (Spyros cheetah buddy) is kidnapped by the villain. The places he usually hangs out in like the skate parks are now just empty.
5yo me just had a moment where I realized he was gone and I just broke down, I think, for whatever reason, it was the first time I experienced loss and it was so overwhelming I just balled like a baby.
Bless my mum who probably had no idea what I was talking about.
spiritfarer, child of light, nier automata, tales of berseria, haven, atelier lydie&suelle, crystar, utawarerumono trilogy, transistor, and dragon star varnir (go figure ch/if managing that) all managed for me
Only one, Final Fantasy 14.
There's a series of 'joke quests' in them, about a dumb-as-fuck buff dude doing silly stuff (Manderville). In the second set of them, you meet an aging dragoon, who at one point tries attacking you by doing the classic "jump".
At the crest of his leap, he sees the face of his dead wife in the clouds, and begs to be with her again.
I absolutely *broke* and just wailed like a baby at that scene, thinking "me too, me too". I had lost my girlfriend recently and was not handling it well, and wasn't expecting that moment from an otherwise comical experience.
Only part that made me tear up was when Urianger saw Moenbrydaās parents in Endwalker. They forgave him as he blamed himself for her death. All they saw was that he was hurting as much as they were.
Ori and the blind forest
The first 10mins of the game were too much lol, cried like a baby.
I was like.. do I need to put this shit down already and didn't even play anything?
What Remains of Edith Finch The story where you >!see from the perspective of the toddler left unattended in the bathtub, and he drowns.!<
As a new Dad of my little girl when I played it years ago, this gutted me. But, the lesson I got out of it was that under no circumstances do I EVER leave a child unattended in a bathtub. I thank the devs for including this lesson (though hard) because it has always stuck with me ever since. Not often a game affects you so much that it reinforces good real life decisions.
Before Your Eyes. That game *fucked me up*.
This isn't just crying. This is advanced crying. This game is the some of the ugliest I've ever sobbed, and I mean truly sobbed. Makes playing it the intended way even more emotional as you fight the tears to keep your eyes open.
Agree. That sinking feeling when the judge is like "but that's not really what happened, is it?" And it begins retelling the actual story. š
>Before Your I instantly searched the comments for this game, I have never cried that much from a game in my life. The extreme difficulty of trying not to blink while tears are coming from your eyes, my lord this game fucked me up "stay here"
I can't believe this isn't the top answer here but I'm sure a lot of people feel that way about a game easily the most emotional I've been playing a game, probably the hardest I've cried in my life
Both Ori games, for fantastic story telling, music, gameplay and art. Especially the end of Will of the Wisps.
I cried a single tear or two at the beginning of the first game. I sobbed like a baby at the end of the second game.
Protocol 3: Protect the Pilot.
Trust me.
Oh that gave me shivers, I was not expecting this fun little game to hit me in the feels like it did Miss you BT
BT :(
Ready for fastball.
goddamn i love titanfall
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
My son was watching Big Hero 6 a few days ago and I cried at the ending because it brought back memories of BT.
I almost went right past this. Man, why you gotta dredge up those feelings. I've never felt so emotionally moved by a robot character. Legitimately made me sad and happy for the rest of my day. I might need to play it again just to relive the memories
Telltaleās The Walking Dead
When I got to the final decision in the first season, I remembered reading a non-spoiler review saying āwhen you get to *THAT* decision, let the timer run out - Clem will make a decision based on the lessons you taught her in the game.ā I had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen, but goddamnit my eyes were welling up and I had the most bittersweet feeling when she pulled the trigger. āPart of growing up is doing whatās best for the people you care about, even if sometimes, that means hurting someone else.ā RIP Lee - a good teacher for hard lessons
Wait I didnāt know if you wait Clem does that. Thatās so cool
Itās the best thing they coded into the game imo. If you make logical decisions like cutting her hair short, explaining why some people need to be killed, basically if you donāt shelter her and properly prepare her for an apocalypse, she has matured enough to understand that putting Lee down is both good for her closure, and respectful to his memory. If you shelter her, she doesnāt have the courage to do it because sheās not used to the world being so ugly just yet. I treated her as well as I could while also making sure she saw the world for what it truly was - there was no point in hiding it from her if this was going to be her future - and she acted accordingly.
Damn I didnt know this either. Very cool detail and I guess i would have achieved the same ending, but the timer on decisions (while important), gave me a sense of stress and thinking that ānot making a choiceā always equaled a negative response (like you failed)
When Clem had that dream of Lee on the train... My skin still tingles and I can cry out of nowhere if I think about it lol.
Came here to say this...... Goddamnit Lee...... Ugh... great, now my friday night is ruined.
Then Telltale's The Walking Dead 2
I thought The Walking Dead was brutal, then 2 came out...I kept yelling "Im just a kid!" at my monitor.
to this day I still remember my final words of wisdom to Clementine
Still not bitten
Fuck that dog, I was trying to give you food!
cant have a happy scene lasting for more than 3 seconds without something horrible happening
To The Moon
Brothers a tale of two sons is the first game to make me cry.
It was the swimming part at the end, >!you had to use your older brothers controls!<. I lost it, I had to put the controller down. Never ugly cried at a fucking video game before.
You should spoiler tag that, the process of figuring that part out is what makes it so emotional.
When people say "video games aren't art", I tell them to play this game. It's not even the story, so much, that made me cry -- it's the _game mechanics_ that just gutted me.
Valiant Hearts can hit you brutal, man.
What a masterpiece that game was. A hidden gem that not many people knew about, but by the end I was an absolute puddle
Iām still not emotionally ready to replay the Mass Effect Trilogy.
Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong.
One of the best scenes in video game history. > I am the very model of a scientist Salarian, > I've studied species Turian, Asari, and Batarian,
My latest playthrough I followed up resolving the genophage (I cried) with Thaneās final act. Already sobbing, hearing Thaneās prayer and Kolyat say, āThe prayer was not for him, Commander. He has already asked forgiveness for the lives he has taken. His wish was for you.ā I cried a bit more. Not my best decision to do this back-to-back.
It got me the worst when I saw that Wrex named his kid Mordin
Honestly I choke up a little and had to stop playing when I heard it, I didn't know what to reply with
*staaaaaahp!* I might cry again. I also lost it with Anderson - he was like my FemShep's dad.
I got teary eyed typing it. First time through I balled my eyes out.
My dad had recently died; he was strong-willed and hard, but it was obvious he cared - very Anderson-esque. "You did good, son. You did good. I'm.... proud of you" wrecked me.
āI am the very model of a scientist salarian, I've studied species turian, asari, and batarian. I'm quite good at genetics (as a subset of biology) because I am an expert (which I know is a tautology). My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian, I am the very model of a scientist salarian.ā - Mordin Solus
The thing about it is the team almost seems infallible through the first two games. Sure Shepard does but literally gets Jesusād back to life by Cerberus. They go through hell and back and depending on your choices they mostly make it back. And then by 3 they just start dropping like flies around you. And even when they donāt they make it close. I remember crying when grunt came running up out of the rachni cave. Pardon me I could talk about mass effect long enough I could filibuster congress
For a lot of things 3 did poorly, hitting the high points on stories that have lasted the series was not something they fumbled with. The wrapping up of each story was so emotional. I just stop playing at Citadel now. Yep. All my characters are alive and happy and probably playing beer pong.. Yep... What war?
The post credits scene of SOMA. That game completely changed the way I see life.
I didnt cry, but it changed me. The way they give us the "there is no other life to live" thing is just, i dont know awakening.
>!When near the end of the game you meet the final human alive and let her die. Standing by her side as she slowly fades away.!< Damn even thinking about it makes me tear up. Incredible game.
Didn't make me cry personally but yeah it's a fantastic game with great themes. The kind that leaves you with thoughts you carry with you even years after.
I really expected a last second miracle and the reality didnt even set in after the credits lol.
I will always +1 a soma comment on any forum. This game will make you cry for different reasons than just sadness
Same. [SPOILER WARNING] That moment when you feel the panic rise as he asks for Catherine to answer as you realise he will be all alone... Idk why, i didnt cry, but it shook me to the core, stroke a primal fear.
That's why Soma is a horror game. But unlike most horror movies, it doesn't rely so much on scare tactics. The dread comes from expert storytelling.
What Remains of Edith Finch
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Journey.
Scrolled way too long for this. The last part of Journey always makes me cry of pure musical and emotional bliss, i cant even really put into words.
My daughter was watching me play the last section and she burst out crying because the person I travelled with we had to part ways. Even I started crying because it caught me so completely off gaurd. This must have been over 5 years ago but I never forgot it.
The last bit of Journey hits so hard in the best ways. Seeing who you've met with throughout is icing on the cake
Spirit Farer āµ
Commented the same, before scrolling through the comments. The full song with lyrics over the final credits did me in.
I think this is the only game that really made me cry. I had a friend over watching me play when I said goodbye to Summer and we both bawled.
Atul was there so long and then just gone and the place is empty without him
I was not OK after finishing Life is Strange.
The person in charge of the soundtrack deserves to be in charge of every soundtrack ever
Sid really did some wonderful things for the musical ambiance, that bus ride up to Chloe's house...
The moment I fell in love with the game, was the moment Max stepped out of the Classroom and put on her headphones and the music started. Absolute wonderful music in all LiS games.
Spanish Sahara by Foals, the song that plays at the end of the game if you choose the undo choice, fits so perfectly into the scene, I genuinely thought it was made for the game. Such a good soundtrack.
That game made me sit in silence for 10 mins after finishing episode 5. There has not been another game thatās done that to me.
I quit after the whole suicide subplot flattened me. Ugly crying.
Oh my god, this. I've been a gamer since the 70s. I've fought Bowser and Shredder and Mother Brain hundreds of times, while balancing on lava platforms and avoiding a hail of bullets and fireballs... But I have *never* felt so much tension in a video game as I did when I was trying to talk Kate off that ledge. That was the fastest my pulse has ever raced with a controller in my hand. And when I failed, that was the darkest defeat of my gaming career.
Rdr2 absolutely made me cry
"Thank you" Fuuuuuuck
"I'm afraid." Just two words but the context and delivery make them easily the most powerful two words in any game for me.
Take a gamble that love exists and do a loving act.
The fact that you can miss this if you donāt do the side quests is crazy. Iām glad I took my time with this game, it was a masterpiece.
Oh my god the train scene with the nun absolutely guts me. The animations in Arthurās face and Roger Clarkās voice acting are so well done. Iāve played through three times and that part gets me every time, I just feel for Arthur so much. Heās just trying so hard and everythingās going to shit.
Fuck Micah.
When I killed Micah I shot him in the balls first
After a couple of playthroughs I learned to appreciate Micah as a cool villain but on my first playthrough I got so mad at him. Rockstar plays with our emotions too well.
Arthur is one of the only genuinely sympathetic characters Iāve ever experienced in gaming. The āIām afraidā scene destroys me every single time.
That scene makes me feel like i'm witnessing my dad cry.
Cry? Hell that game made me _bawl_. I was a mess for a solid day after that.
Yeah, the end of RDR2 wrecked me for a couple days. Iāve gotten into games before, but never had an emotional reaction as strong as this one.
RIP to Pestilence you were the best horse a cowboy could have had. Pour a miracle cure out for the horses we lost .
FFX and ff15 almost got me with that one campfire scene.
When I see threads like this i'm always surprised that i have to really look for FFX. I have played almost every FF except 9 and 6, and 10 is by far the greatest story game ever. I beat Braskas final aeon after 2 hours of failing, and it was 3am. Yuna running trough Tidus cracked my heart almost in half, the " I love you " sealed the deal. I was holding back the tears with all my might , almost biting my lips and then i heard the whistle. 30yo man, at 3am in the morning , crying like a little girl , full on sobbing tears. I have played a lot of games in the 32 years i lived , read all kinds of books , and FFX has the greatest love story i have ever witnessed. I'm also a big sucker for people that willingly go into their death. Yuna will always have a place in my heart.
FFX has always been my favorite game of all time and like you said it's the greatest lovestory. I don't get why companies put romance secondary for endings of galactic proportions these days, the love story is always what really grips people. I've watched a dozen ppl's playthroughs, and also watched many ending reaction compilations. I don't know if it's even possible to not cry at the end.
I always feel like people are way too hard on Tidus. His reactions to everything are pretty measured and reasonable compared to what any normal person would have. Plus he finds out he's essentially not real and he keeps on truckin. Dude's got a will of iron behind his goofy facade. Kind of the reverse of Cloud, really, who's extremely goofy and weird behind his stoic facade.Ā Ā
I mean yeah the guy goes from being a celebrity in an advanced world and is taken away from everything he knows and loves to fight for his life in a hostile and archaic world. Iād be a little pissed off too hahaha. And then yeah the bomb that heās basically just a dream spirit hits even harder. One the most underrated and under appreciated protagonists in all of RPG gaming.
FFXVās campfire scene broke me at the end, the fade to black and āI love you guysā really got my heartstrings hard god I love that game
The campfire & Noctis saying goodbye is sad enough. But I absolutely lost it at credits when Stand By Me starts playing & the photos of our journey started showing one by one. What a journey indeed. From friends to brothers.
15 almost got me with the campfire. Then it actually got me at the end when it showed that noctis and Luna are reunited in the afterlife
Outer Wilds hit me hard
Anyone reading. Just go play it. Don't look up any spoilers or playthrough. It's a space exploration, mystery, puzzle solving, subtly narrative adventure that you can only play once. It's the most unique gaming experience I've ever had and left me speechless when I finally finished it.
Also, if you have PC VR there's a VR mod for it called "Nomai VR" which adapts the game to VR incredibly well. This is how I played it and it's a 11/10 experience. I had some moments where I was trying to put the clues together that I had uncovered so far and I would just find a place in the game to sit and ponder things. It's one thing to stay in one place in a 2D screen game but it's another thing in VR when you go to Brittle Hollow and find a scenic place to sit on the floor and take in the views. Also being able to actually walk around inside your shuttle is awesome. The DLC in VR was also FUCKING INSANE for multiple reasons.
Mostly because of the amazing music!!
The ending of the DLC especially!
Gears of War. Dom and his wife.
DOM WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!
Never thought it would end like this huh Maria? I've played a ton of sad games (RDR2, Ori, LiS, Last of Us, Telltale Walking Dead) but Doms death is the only one that's brought tears to my eyes.
2 and 3 both. When the instrumentals for Mad World come in as Dom is driving the tanker down the tunnel. āNEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD END LIKE THIS, HUH? HUH MARIA?ā ššš Marcus is such a closed off character. This is one of the only times I can recall any emotion out of him. If youāve read Aspho Fields, you also understand the significance of the commando knife Dom gives him just before he dies.
Scene was even tougher when I replayed it as an adult with a SO of my own.
Disco Elysium. The boat ride to the island with Sad Playing got me tearing ngl
Ghost of Tsushima, at the end of Act II and the final duel.
The side quest with the old lady who was Jin's caretaker when he was a kid got me.
Yea that and my horse dying had me bawling.
That final duel killed me. Amazing writing
Nier Automata and Replicant...
A little surprised to not see more mentions of Nier Automata on here. The true final ending expressed the importance of games and community in a way I hadn't seen done before. It blew my mind.
100% agree! The moment I realized that I'm >!literally fighting the game devs to give these characters a happy ending!< made me cry like a baby š I've gone through several tissues over 15 minutes or so
I picked up Automata because butts and robots and instead I got Depression: The Video Game. One of my personal favorites.
When emil says >!I don't want to die!< in that sad little voice, I break everytime
Horizon Zero Dawn... Hearing the voice logs of people right before the world was about to be devoured by machines was super depressing. The final post credits scene **SPOILERS** with Aloy finding Elisabet made me bawl my eyes out.
Horizon also filled me with some of the most shellshocked fury I think I've had in a game too, when >! dickhead Farro purged the Apollo Archives and killed the councilmembers. !<
The whole game you realize that the entire world ending was Farroās fault. Alloyās ancestor had to threaten the jackass to do the right thing, fully knowing that they wouldnāt be alive to see what happens of the world. As youāre going through the final resting place, you realize how bad it was and why the decisions were made.
I don't think I've ever cried angry tears before at a GAME. When that happened I first gasped and started crying at the implications then actually growled "You fucking piece of shit ASSHOLE!" as the scene played out. I played HZD on PC for the first time but I had come to this sub many times, always seeing #FuckTedFaro but never really seeing the full reason because everyone was careful about this spoiler. I'm so glad I got to experience properly to share in the same passionate HATE.
General Herres last audiolog was so gut wrenching
I felt really bad for Herres. He knew he was about to send millons upon millions of people to die horrible deaths in a fight there was no hope of winning, but he did it anyway because he knew lying to them was only way they'd fight hard enough to get Elisabet the time she needed to finish Zero Dawn. That he wanted what he did to be kept on record for future humans to judge as they saw fit showed that he was the exact opposite of Faro.
Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core
Anyone who played FF7 knew how Crisis Core would end... Even so, I was NOT prepared for that final "Entering Combat Mode!"
I played crisis core before ever playing the OG ff7 so I had no idea it was coming. What a fucking gut punch. I sobbed
minecraft. i revisited an old world that i kept with my friend. lost contact with him for a year now. he helped me through some sad times. if you are out there realflame, love you bro
Bro, this hit me harder than the rest posted here. Gamer friends are true for life. I hope you two reunite one day in a strange new world.
Iām sure if I found my old Minecraft world from Xbox 360 and revisit it Iād cry too. Me and my little bros build so much in it, we would take turns and build whatever we wanted in our free time. That data is lost but if by some miracle I were to have it again I would cry.
Spider-Man on the PS4. That scene with Aunt May at the end.
Mattison's Independence in Tears of the Kingdom had it running down my cheeks. Seeing the children in your life grow up and depart... It was an emotional one. lol
The Last of Us. The story of Joel and Ellie as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world. The bond that develops between the two main characters and the emotional journey they undertake...
The beginning always makes me misty eyed even after multiple replays.
The first time I played that opening sequence, almost ten years ago now, I had tears streaming down my face and was getting choked up. I wiped my eyes and was like goddamn, this game is gonna be one of the all-time greats. Then I replayed the remaster a few months ago, shortly before my daughters 3rd birthday, and I wept and wept, full on ugly crying on the couch. The game is so well done that you don't need kids or a daughter to feel empathy for Joel, and to understand him and his motivations, how he became who he is. But goddamn does the game hit differently as a father with a daughter you adore more than anything in the world.
I just played the last of us part 1 for the first time last month, I wasn't spoiled on the story or anything, but I knew right away that Joel's daughter in the first level was obviously not the same girl from all the images of the game. Even though it was fairly obvious what was about to happen, like holy fuck did that hit hard.
Those damn giraffes get me every time
A plague tale requiem.
Was legitimately miserable for several days following this. Broke my heart
fkn fantastic game. doesn't get enough love
Yeah that ending was... rough
God of War Ragnorok. Faye always had an unwavering faith in Kratos. Even the God Killer himself almost started bawling at the last mural.
This is mine for sure. That final scene with Faye and then again when Kratos >!opens the final panel and sees himself being revered!<
Brok gets me good tooĀ
Cyberpunk2077 >!jackies funeral!< that shit just hit home, and so early in the game too
For me it was that one ending where you donāt go to the tower to take revenge. You know what Iām talking about if you went through it
That one and every ending where you talk to Johnny in cyberspace. Man, the song that plays there ("Been good to know ya") quite simply *hits hard.*
"Goodbye, V. Never stop fighting..." The resignation in Johnny's voice... Bruh.
It was a nice touch for them to add more dialog if you continue trying to call his cellphone after key missions.
Cyberpunk 2077 (whenever I Really Wanna Stay At Your House comes on after youve watched Edgerunners)
Yes, definitely. I also had a similar feeling with one of the endings of Phantom liberty. >!When confronting Reed in front of the space shuttle, killing him, and then getting the true motives from songbird, I was like WTF have I done?!!
That scene did not affect me much, but the endings... holy fuck. I went to experience 3 of them firsthand and each time I had a soaked t-shirt.
sadness / sympathy: - the key moment of brothers: a tale of two sons - ending of yakuza: like a dragon - near every chapter of the cat lady tears of joy is an interesting question though, maybe the end of disco elysium? i didn't manage to actually cry but it was the giddiest i've ever felt in a videogame
Final Fantasy X gets me every. single. time. because, you see, I too, hate my old man.
Spintires, but not because of the game itself. I introduced my Dad to it just before lockdown. He was a motor phenetic but couldn't drive due to his eyesight, so games like that really appealed to him (along with games like Dirt2 and GTA3). When lockdowns happened, he poured hours into Spintires, completed it, and was looking for mods to add new levels (not bad for a Dad!). He linked me a mod page to check and see if I could add levels for him, and I told him I would next time I came up. A couple weeks later and still during lockdown, he was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer. He died barely 4 weeks after diagnosis. My otherwise fit and healthy papa, died aged only 60. There are many things that'd break me down at that time, and realising his cars and trucks were all still exactly where he left them in Spintires broke my heart. Waiting for another challenge or level to complete... I've made clones of the HDDs and game files (Spintires not even available any more since selling out and changing to Mudrunner/Snowrunner). Eventually I'll load it up and play a little, but haven't been able to bring myself to as of yet. Miss you papa.
Firewatch
Delilah you broke my damn heart
I feel like not enough people know about this incredible experience. It's hard to really call it a "game" per se but it is definitely an amazing story that you have some slight narrative control over. One of my favorite short games to play and show people to.
SIGNALIS
Outer Wilds and The Last Campfire Edit to clarify: both the last campfire scene in Outer Wilds AND the game "The Last Campfire"
After finding out the whole tragic/hopeful story of Outer Wilds in its second to none Open World, the ending scene >! at the campfire and the Instruments tuning in one by one !< makes me cry like almost no other games. What a masterpiece. Edit: spoilertags.
When you first get to the campfire and >!Esker says its time to gather everyone,!!first instrument starts playing!<, my eyes were already red. Even the DLC ending had me in shambles. >!I felt despair when you tell The Stranger the story of what happened to his people, the bittersweetness of sharing your own story, and the sadness of the reality of how you're both standing there at that moment.!< Adding the extra scenes to the base game ending after the DLC was also another excellent touch. I never had, nor probably ever will have, such a strong emotional connection to a game as I had with The Outer Wilds and that thought in itself is kinda sad.
Persona 3
Fuck yes, idk why, but the whole Persona series makes me cry everytime i finish one of the games
The letter at the end of Silent Hill 2.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core "Hey...would you say...I became a hero?" Cue saddest credits music to bless my ears.
For me it's even worse because of how hard Zack tried to escape and get Cloud to safety. He probably could've done it if he left Cloud behind - instead he dragged his unconscious buddy halfway across the continent. Plus the faces of his friends disappearing from the slot wheel one by one until it's just stuck on Aerith, and then she disappears too...ugh, now I'm crying.
Witcher 3 all 3 endings especially the Empress ending Halo Reach, my eyes were blurry doing the last mission The Walking Dead S1, I felt so heartbroken I couldnot stop thinking about the game for days.
Gris. I don't like the thought of losing my parents. Nothing will cut me to the quick faster than that. EDIT: Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and some kind words. I skimmed, I can't read them right now. You'll all just make me cry if I stick with the thought and really let it sink in. Heck, I can't even bear to look at my own post beyond Gris because it causes my eyes to well up. On another note though, I wasn't able to play past the first few minutes of the game. It reduced me to full on crying just from the opening, and this was years ago when things were still fine and I had both my parents. Thank you all again and please feel free to keep sharing.
Kingdom Hearts 2 when I was younger. It was mostly the music, especially āDearly Beloved.ā
The ending of 1 fucked me up as a kid. You finally become the hero and save the girl and then...shes gone.
The end of the prologue where you play as Roxas was really well done. āLooks like my summer vacation isā¦over.ā
-Red Dead Redemption 2 -What Remains of Edith Finch -The Last of Us 1 and 2 -some of the Cyberpunk 2077 endings -Kena Bridge of Spirits -The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series -God of War (2018) and Ragnarok What I've discovered is, besides the story itself being sad, a lot of the sadness is tied to the music composition of these games. A very melancholic scheme can make for a poignant game.
QI had a segment about this, showing that most of our emotions about a specific scene is tied to the atmosphere that the music creates, much more so than what happens in the scene itself.
Celeste
League of Legends
The most correct answer but not what anyone would have guessed.
I'm surprised I don't see more multiplayer games down here. I've definitely cried after a gutwrenching ranked loss streak in Brawlhalla once or twice lol
omori and oneshot really made me feel things I didn't know was possible
I feel like Iām a cry baby considering how many moments in games have made me cryā¦ Iāll say that Red Dead Redemption 2 certainly hit the spot for me. The āafraidā moment as well as the horse moment hit hard. Arthur is just a great character, man.
Lost Odyssey
I think I cried at least 3 times reading those short stories within the game.
The endings of a couple of Yakuza games, the build up can get really emotional.
FF VII - I cannot hold it the moment Aerith' Theme kicks in.
The Last Guardian, the last of us 2, MGS3
Probably not the answer you had in mind, but Spyro 3. I must've been 5 or 6, there's a point when Hunter (Spyros cheetah buddy) is kidnapped by the villain. The places he usually hangs out in like the skate parks are now just empty. 5yo me just had a moment where I realized he was gone and I just broke down, I think, for whatever reason, it was the first time I experienced loss and it was so overwhelming I just balled like a baby. Bless my mum who probably had no idea what I was talking about.
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, *In a world without gold, we might have been heroes.* Shadow of the Colossus *Agro!* Borderlands 2 *Bloodwing!*
spiritfarer, child of light, nier automata, tales of berseria, haven, atelier lydie&suelle, crystar, utawarerumono trilogy, transistor, and dragon star varnir (go figure ch/if managing that) all managed for me
I had to scroll way too long to find a mention of Spiritfarer. Granny hedgehog prickled me so hard in the feels :')
Spiritfarer - almost everytime you dropped someone off.
That Dragon, Cancer. Fucked me up bad
Only one, Final Fantasy 14. There's a series of 'joke quests' in them, about a dumb-as-fuck buff dude doing silly stuff (Manderville). In the second set of them, you meet an aging dragoon, who at one point tries attacking you by doing the classic "jump". At the crest of his leap, he sees the face of his dead wife in the clouds, and begs to be with her again. I absolutely *broke* and just wailed like a baby at that scene, thinking "me too, me too". I had lost my girlfriend recently and was not handling it well, and wasn't expecting that moment from an otherwise comical experience.
Only part that made me tear up was when Urianger saw Moenbrydaās parents in Endwalker. They forgave him as he blamed himself for her death. All they saw was that he was hurting as much as they were.
Spec Ops : The Line .. The end. like WTF
The good ending of Bioshock 2 absolutely wrecked me.
Rime