Some games will make you dread getting a game over. Whether they laugh evilly at you, involve the playable character undergoing a horrible fate or straight up show the world coming to an end, here are 15 absolutely terrifying game over screens in video games. Warning: This list contains some gruesome, sometimes bloody scenes. Viewer's discretion is advised.
#15: Sonic CD (US)
Get a game over in the Japanese version of this game and you'll get an upbeat song. Get a game over in the US version, however, and you'll hear psychotic violin music and absolutely terrifying laughter.
#14: Final Fight series
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| Holy Ganster execution method, Batman! |
Depending on the game you play, losing all your lives will result in your character of choice being tied up and either put in front of a lit bomb, placed in a room that's slowly flooding or located underneath a massive crusher with spikes on it.
#13: Conker's Bad Fur Day
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| You know a fate is horrific when even this game can't show it! |
This game has multiple game over sequences: Depending on how you die, either Conker will be used to replace the missing table leg on one of the Panther King's tables, Conker's dismembered and bloody remains will be presented to the Panther King in a burlap sack or Conker's fate will be left unknown as the game closes in on a milk carton that says he's missing.
#12: Plants Vs Zombies
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| What you get for not bringing guns to a zombie apocalypse! |
Should a zombie make it into the house, you'll hear the owner scream in fear and/or pain and get the message "The zombies at you brain!" The second game ups the ante by showing a brain on a plate with a huge bite taken out of it.
#11: Donkey Kong Country Series
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| That's gonna leave some marks! |
Depending which game you play, losing to the Kremlins will net you an image of Donkey and Diddy in a dark room covered in bruises, Diddy and Dixie locked in a cell or Dixie and Kiddy trapped in a baby crib.
#10: Mortal Kombat 4
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| Three guesses on what happens if you don't hit continue... |
Get killed during the MK Tournament and you'll witness your chosen character flailing helplessly as they plumet down a massive hole with large, sharp spikes at the bottom.
#9: Tecmo Knight
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| Somebody's hungry! |
Lose all your lives in this arcade game and you'll witness your character in the jaws of a massive beast. If you don't put in any quarters your character's strength will fail and he'll be swallowed whole.
#8: Hong Kong 97
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| Should've got Bruce Lee to handle this invasion! |
Die to the #&$*ing ugly reds invading Hong Kong and the last thing you see before the game ends is a bloody corpse lying on the ground accompanied by the phrase "Chin is dead!" While Nexpo found out the image is actually taken from a documentary and the body is most likely fake, it's still an unsettling image to end a game on.
#7: System Shock
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| It could be worse: He could be forced to watch Onision videos while he's in there! |
Die at the hands of Shodan and the hacker will find himself being loaded into one of her machines, turning him into an unwilling pawn.
#6: Robinson's Requiem
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| "Go explore alien planets" they said. "You'll love it" they said. I would've preferred Great Wolf Lodge! |
Succumb to the hostile alien planet and you'll witness Treplieve1's horrified face surrounded by skulls and fire, as if he wound up in Hell. On rare occasions Trepievel1's face will turn into a skull itself.
#5: Donkey Kong 64
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| This goes way beyond stealing DK's banana horde! |
The original Donkey Kong Country games may've had some creepy game over screens, but this one is next level. Fail to stop King K. Rool's latest evil plan and you'll witness the reptilian tyrant laugh maniacally as he prepares to blow DK Island up with a powerful laser.
#4: Ninja Gaiden arcade
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| Even ninja's have their off days! |
Lose all your lives in this notoriously hard game and you'll see Ryu Hyabusha strapped to a table, looking on in sheer terror as a giant sawblade slowly descends towards him. Even more disturbing, there are several demonic faces watching him meet his doom.
#3: Luigi's Mansion 3
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| Welcome to the trapped Nintendo character museum! |
Succumb to the ghosts in this game and you'll witness Luigi and all his friends being trapped within paintings while King Boo admires his new gallery. As if that wasn't bad enough, he'll turn to the screen right before the sequence ends, almost like he's intending to attack the player next.
#2: Soma
Get caught by the monsters in this game and you'll be hit by a barrage of horrifying images, including what looks like a red robotic eye and a man with black sludge coming out of his eyes and mouth.
#1: Majora's Mask
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| Why didn't Ganon ever think of this? |
Fail to stop the titular mask's evil plan and you'll witness the moon fall onto Termina, causing a massive shockwave that destroys everything in its path. The last part of the sequence shows Link looking at the destruction before he too is wiped out.
Those are some ways to make you regret failing to beat a game. If you can think of some horrific game overs I might've missed, feel free to leave some suggestions. Thanks for reading and have yet another happy Halloween.
