Unlockable Endings You Might Have Missed

Keep reading: Secret Levels Hidden Behind Unusual Triggers, Unlockable Game Modes Most Players Never Find, Hidden Easter Eggs You Probably Missed in Popular Games, and Debug Menus and Dev Rooms Hidden in Famous Games.

Finishing a game once used to be the whole story until developers started hiding second, third, and sometimes 26th endings behind secret conditions. This guide covers the unlockable endings you might have missed in the games that do them best. You'll learn which endings exist, what triggers them, and why a New Game Plus run can completely rewrite a story you thought you understood. If you've ever wondered whether you actually "finished" a game, this is the list for you.

Quick answer: Chrono Trigger has over a dozen endings reachable through New Game Plus. Undertale hides a True Pacifist ending behind sparing everyone, plus a Genocide route for the ruthless. NieR: Automata has 26 endings, including several joke endings triggered by silly actions like eating a mackerel at the wrong moment.

Chrono Trigger's Dozens of Endings

Chrono Trigger (1995) pioneered the modern "play it again" ending. After beating the final boss, New Game Plus lets you jump into the last battle from different points in the story, and each jump produces a different ending more than a dozen in total.

Some are jokes, some are heartbreakers, and a few are missable forever if you don't experiment. It's the template almost every branching-ending RPG copied afterward, and it's still the best reason to replay a 30-year-old game.

Undertale: Pacifist, Genocide, and Everything Between

Undertale (2015) makes your ending a moral choice with teeth. Spare every monster and you unlock the True Pacifist ending, which requires returning to complete the "best" route after your first playthrough. Kill everything and the Genocide route changes the game even the final boss fights you differently.

Neutral endings fill the space between, each reflecting who you spared and who you killed. The genius is that the game remembers, and your endings pile up in a way that makes replaying feel like an investigation.

NieR: Automata's 26 Endings

NieR: Automata (2017) went completely overboard, shipping 26 endings. The five main ones (A through E) tell a complete story, but the joke endings are where the chaos lives: die in the tutorial, eat a mackerel, walk away from a boss and the game just ends, credits and all.

Ending E is the famous one, and I won't spoil it beyond saying it famously asks something of you in the real world. that the famous self-sacrifice choice is exactly as described. It's the most talked-about unlockable ending of the modern era.

Silent Hill 2's Haunting Endings

Silent Hill 2 (2001) hides its best endings behind how you play, not what you do. Beyond the main "Leave" and "In Water" endings, there's the "Maria" ending and the legendarily weird joke endings "Dog" and "UFO" the latter requiring New Game Plus items.

Your ending depends on subtle factors like how often you heal and how you interact with Maria. It's a masterclass in making every choice feel meaningful, and it's why Silent Hill 2 still gets dissected today.

Sekiro and Hollow Knight's Branching Fates

Recent action games got the memo too. Sekiro (2019) has four endings, including the Shura path most players miss because it means turning on your allies. Hollow Knight (2017) offers five, from the base ending to the Godmaster-extended finale, and the best ones require collecting obscure items you'd never find casually.

Both games hide their "true" endings behind genuinely difficult or obscure steps which is exactly why their communities are still full of people replaying them.

Key Takeaways

• Unlockable endings reward replayability: Chrono Trigger has over a dozen, NieR: Automata has 26.
• Some endings (Undertale's True Pacifist, Sekiro's Shura) change how you play, not just what you see.
• Joke endings Silent Hill 2's Dog and UFO, NieR's mackerel are easter eggs in their own right.
• Checking a game's ending list before replaying can save you hours of wrong-path frustration.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many endings does Chrono Trigger have?

Over a dozen, all reachable by beating the final boss and using New Game Plus to jump into the last battle from different story points.

How do you get the true ending in Undertale?

Spare every monster without killing anyone, beat the game, then reload and complete the additional post-game section to unlock the True Pacifist ending.

How many endings does NieR: Automata have?

Twenty-six total five main story endings (A through E) plus 21 joke endings triggered by silly or unexpected actions.

What is the dog ending in Silent Hill 2?

A joke ending on New Game Plus where you discover a dog was responsible for the game's plot; it requires carrying specific items into the finale.

Conclusion

Unlockable endings turn a single playthrough into a puzzle box. Whether it's Chrono Trigger's dozen-plus finales, Undertale's morality machine, or NieR: Automata's 26-strong absurdist collection, the best games reward you for coming back and asking "what if?"

Which ending took you multiple playthroughs to find? Tell us in the comments no spoilers, just the hunt. Share this with a friend who's stuck on a first ending, and follow along for more secrets worth unlocking.