History AnyoneCanDie / VideoGames

* ''[[VideoGame/BattlefieldThree Battlefield 3]]'' averted this trope until the mission ''Old Comrades'' where one of Dimitri Mayakovsky's friend, Vladimir is hit by a large piece of shrapnel that impales him in the chest. Later, there's the mission ''Fear No Evil'' [[WhamEpisode where Jonathan Miller got his throat slashed]] (''[[PlayerPunch while you play as him]]''). Two missions later in ''Rock And A Hard Place'', two members of Misfit squad, Christian Matkovic and Steve Campo were killed off as well. The next mission, ''Kaffarov'' ended with the player forced to kill their commanding officer, Cole. Finally, the final mission ''The Great Destroyer'' have Montes being shot in the head by the BigBad. In the end, there's only about three named characters still alive (and two of them unfortunately were offed in the sequel).

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' [[SurpriseCreepy of all franchises]] dips into this in ''VideoGame/PokemonSuperMysteryDungeon''. With a villain powerful enough to turn even Legendary Pokemon into stone, the story does not disappoint with its (functional) death count. The headbutting-with-the-heroes but well meaning Legendary beasts? Those two lovable Legendary dragons that [[BreakoutCharacter became big stars]] in [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire the then recent remake]]? Those classmates and villagers that the heroes befriended at the starting village? The Expedition Society team that are the best in their field of work despite their [[BunnyEarsLawyer quirky personalities]]? The two heroes themselves? All of them get petrified at one point or another, with the one silver lining being that everyone got revived at the end.

* ''ThePaleBeyond'' starts the player in control of the ''Temperance'', a ship with a sizeable crew on an Antarctic voyage gone wrong. It's possible for nearly every crew member to die over the course of the expedition: minor characters can perish from frostbite or scurvy, while major ones can die during specific events throughout the game.

** ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' makes its move in this direction on Virmire. It's possible to lose Wrex before the mission proper even begins, and it ends with you having to choose between Ashley Williams or Kaidan Alenko -- the other ''will'' die. Plenty of [=NPCs=], villainous or not, can be killed off through your actions too.
** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' goes this route towards the end of the game, with a mission so dangerous it's considered a OneWayTrip. Indeed, almost any combination of characters can live or die during the game's finale, decided by a number of factors including the loyalty of your squadmates and how capable they are of completing the tasks you assign them. It's possible for both everyone to live and everyone to die, including Shepard, in what is clearly the BadEnding, with numerous possible outcomes in-between.
** ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', naturally, follows suit. Bioware warned players that one of the game's main themes was "victory through sacrifice", and they weren't kidding. There is no way for you to get everyone through this in one piece, however much good you manage to do. The Normandy now has a memorial wall listing every dead character who ever served on the ship, from bit characters to SacrificialLamb Jenkins to...anyone else.
** ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' further ups the ante by giving the same character [[TheManyDeathsOfYou several different potential death scenes]] reflected by Shepard's choices. For example, Mordin can either [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice himself]] or get shot in the back unceremoniously; Miranda can be killed instantly by two potential attackers or suffer a mortal wound and [[DiedInYourArmsTonight die in Shepard's arms]] (though she can also live if [[GuideDangIt you get several checks earlier in the game right]]); and the circumstances of Thane's death will change depending on whether a female Shepard romanced him. The potential death scenes can extend to Shepard themself as well, in the ending mission.
** All this means that, taking all three games into account, ''every'' major character except Joker, Admiral Hackett, and Specialist Traynor (not counting the Refusal and low-EMS Destroy endings) has the potential to end up dead. Yes, that includes [[TheHeroDies Shepard]]. Although if Shepard dies in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', it's impossible to import that save into ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''.

** In ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', out of the seven who enter the Bottle Ship at the beginning, only Samus and Anthony make it out.

** Season 2 is no slouch either. To kick things off, [[BackForTheDead they offed a central character from the previous season,]] [[PluckyComicRelief Omid]], right in the very first five minutes. After that, pretty much every single group that protagonist [[BreakTheCutie Clementine]] (a 12 years old girl, no less) meet will die. The cabin survivors ([[CoolOldGuy Pete]], [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety Nick]], [[BlackAndNerdy Alvin]], [[NiceGuy Luke]], [[PregnantBadass Rebecca]], [[OverprotectiveDad Carlos]], Sarah)? Dead. The lodge group (Kenny, Sarita, [[ManlyGay Walter]], [[FriendlySniper Matthew]])? Dead. The Howe's Hardware group ([[TheSociopath Carver]], [[TheDragon Troy]], [[DisabledMeansHelpless Reggie]], [[ActionGirl Jane]])? Dead. And then there's the 400 Days [=DLC=] characters ([[PariahPrisoner Vince]], [[BigSisterInstinct Shel]], Becca, Russell, [[NerdActionHero Wyatt]], Tavia) [[NeverFoundTheBody that's probably dead as well.]]

* ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'' is notorious having bosses (with few exceptions) die after they are introduced to their respective stages, including those who are sympathetic. In the first game, Gunvolt and Joule are killed by the BigBad which leads to an AlternateTimeline where even the protagonists aren't safe.

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'' carries on the series' tradition of having a high body count, although with this game implementing MultipleEndings, you are often presented with choices that can results in the deaths or survival of certain characters. Depending on what you do will determine whether or not only a few major characters die, or if the game ends with [[KillEmAll just about everyone in the grave]]. However, some characters [[PlotlineDeath will die no matter what choices you make]] such as Jason Hudson, Farid, and [=DeFalco=].

* ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' features this to some degree. When all endings are taken into account (even the straight-played KillEmAll one), only [[TheKidWithTheRemoteControl the kid]] always lives. Well, [[TimeStandsStill technically.]]

** ''VideoGame/NieR'', a GaidenGame to ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' doesn't fare much better. Regardless of what ending path you take, a good majority of the cast is killed off, and in Endings C and D, you get to choose whether Nier or Kainé, two of the only remaining heroes gets to die. It also doesn't help that, no matter what, your actions have pretty much doomed [[NiceJobBreakingItHero everyone]], meaning even the survivors are still completely [[KillEmAll screwed.]]

** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' ups the ante by killing off [[SeriesMascot Hanzo Hasashi, aka Scorpion himself]]. From the very first game in the 90s, Scorpion has always been the mascot of the series (and creator Ed Boon's personal favorite character). So to off him halfway throughout the campaign is definitely shocking. Apart from Hanzo, [=MK11=] also killed off other big names: [[DownerBeginning Sonya Blade (in the very first freaking chapter, no less)]], and Kano (both his past and present selves). ''And'' it concludes with almost [[KillEmAll everyone]] being {{RetGone}}d.

** ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' brings this trope to its natural conclusion by '''[[KillEmAll blowing up the earth, killing anyone the Zin had not abducted]]'''.

** It's easy to argue that the only real characters in the game are Wander, Agro, Mono, Dormin and the colossi. Mono is dead at the start, you kill all the colossi, Agro falls off a cliff and Wander/Dormin is killed, so you can say that ''[[KillEmAll everyone dies]]''. (Although some do get better.)

** ''VideoGame/XCOMUFODefense'': It doesn't matter how well equipped your soldiers are -- they will die. Even the fanciest suits of power armor provide only a modest amount of protection against enemy fire. While powerful weapons make killing the bad guys easier, if the soldier using a particular weapon happens to get mind controlled or goes berserk he/she could just as easily wipe out a huge portion of your squad. The final mission can very easily veer into ''[[KillEmAll everyone dies]]'' territory, as you land on Mars to assault the enemy base and have to fight the very finest the aliens have to offer without being able to resupply your troops. Naturally, this applies to the other games as well.

* In ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'', the Strato colony faces dangers on Vertumna within the first few months of landing on it, and kids and adults alike aren't safe from its perils. However, your ability to recall your past lives allows you to save them in future playthroughs.

* ''Resident Evil'' 's spiritual predecessor, ''VideoGame/SweetHome'', was quite notable for its time for being one of the few [=JRPGs=] of its day to incorporate PermaDeath: any party member that is killed during the game ''stayed'' dead. This trope is enforced with a prejudice, thanks to being NintendoHard.

* ''VideoGame/CorpseParty'': ANYONE can die in this game, except the spirits that already died. The characters also die VERY horrible and painful deaths. [[labelnote:Some of them include]]having your eye torn out by a ghost, buried alive, and being rammed into a wall, only for your body to be reduced to a pile of red squishy stuff.[[/labelnote]]

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' is particularly vicious about this. No matter which path you choose you ''will'' be forced to kill some of your former students, and of all recruitable characters, only ''one'' (Marianne) cannot be personally killed by the player on any path.

* In the first ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' game, you could lose any one of your wingmen. Solemn funeral scene ensued. Next installments featured more comprehensive plot, so all [=WC1=] deaths were cancelled, and NPC pilots learned to use their ejection buttons. Since then, all deaths were plot-driven (but included some major charaters).

* ''VideoGame/ChroniclesOfElyria'' was advertised as the only [[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMORPG]] where any mortal character, player or [[NonPlayerCharacter otherwise]], could be killed. (Unfortunately, the project�s current status as [[VaporWare vaporware]] shows that the game itself was the one to meet an untimely end.)

* [[ExaggeratedTrope Taken to the extreme]] in ''VideoGame/RefleX'' no thanks to the [[HumongousMecha ZODIACs]]. [[SerialEscalation Taken even more extreme]] when [[EleventhHourSuperpower ZODIAC [[PlayerCharacter Ophiuchus]]]] is introduced in which its destruction of the other ZODIAC ships also [[CrapsackWorld ruins the Earth. Prior to that, [[KnightOfCerebus ZODIAC Virgo]] [[TheHeroDies destroys the Phoenix and kills the pilot.]]]]
** Not even the [[PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo previous [[VideoGame/{{Kamui}} protagonist]] [[FinalBoss ships]] are safe.]]

* In ''VideoGame/StarcraftI'' expansion pack ''Brood War'', major characters are subject to this. The characters who die include Aldaris, Stukov (Although he was infested, de-infested, and re-infested), Fenix, Edmund Duke, the second Overmind, Raszagal, and DuGalle. Out of these characters, 6 of them were killed (directly or indirectly) by Kerrigan (Zeratul slew the Overmind, but that was Kerrigan's agenda to take control of the Swarm, and he killed Raszagal, but that was to free her from her influence by Kerrigan. She also chooses to spare a couple of heroes, including Jim Raynor (more than once), Artanis, Zeratul, and Mengsk. For Zeratul and Mengsk, she did it because she felt like it would be a FateWorseThanDeath for the two.) In the Original, not many major characters die, but we have Zasz, the Overmind, and Tassadar.

* A key mechanic in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'': all characters besides the protagonist, a ghost and two shopkeepers [[FunctionalGenreSavvy who are aware they can't be battled]] are at some point fought and can be killed in battle. [[KillEmAll Killing every possible character nets you either the infamous [[EarnYourBadEnding Genocide Ending]] or a DownerEnding where the few who escaped your rampage are struggling to survive and hate you more than anything in the world.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' does not pull its punches when it comes to NPC deaths. Nearly any NPC can be killed by the player, and multiple friendly characters will force the player's hand when they become hostile either after a certain point in the main storyline or [[GuideDangIt if something goes wrong in their personal storyline]]. Most notable is the [[KillEmAll Gascoigne family's storyline, which features two young girls who both die horribly no matter what you do. Technically you can save the younger one, [[FateWorseThanDeath but]][[AndIMustScream ..]][[ForcedTransformation ..]]]]

* ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' is pretty much this! The first three chapters bring in every character with a major role. It started with Emperor Sparda and Durga, then it goes to [[FatBastard Wyzen, [[EvilOldFolks Kalrow,]] [[BloodKnight Augus,]] [[MoralityPet the girl,]] [[TheDragon Sergei,]] [[BigBad Deus,]] [[EldritchAbomination Vlitra]] and in the true episode 18, [[TheDarkChick Olga]]. In the DLC, it finally hits hard with [[TheLancer Yasha]], Chakravartin, finally ending in [[PapaWolf Asura]]. The only character alive after all of this is Mithra!]]

!!As a DeathTrope, contains many spoilers. Tread with care.

* This trope is present in the campaigns of ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII''. The soldiers obviously will die, but also important characters die in the stories (many of them are immortal units, but not even them are safe from death in the stories). The countdown includes [[spoiler:Francisco Delgado and Alain Magnan]] in ''Blood''; [[spoiler:Stuart Black, John Black and Warwick]] in ''Ice''; [[spoiler:Major Cooper and Pierre Beaumont]] in ''Steel''; [[spoiler:Sven Kuechler]] in ''Fire''; [[spoiler:William Holme and George Armstrong Custer]] in ''Shadows''; [[spoiler:Daimyoes Mototada and Ishida (among many others)]] in ''Japan''; [[spoiler:Admiral Jinhai]] in ''China''; and [[spoiler:Colonel Edwardson]] in ''India'', [[spoiler:and one can assume that the Leaders of the Resistance also die, because historically, that war of independence failed]]. That's not counting the characters who died of old age.
* In ''VideoGame/AlphaPrime'', pretty much everyone gets killed by the end, even [[spoiler:the main character]].

* ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' is pretty much this! The first three chapters bring in every character with a major role. [[spoiler: It started with Emperor Sparda and Durga, then it goes to [[FatBastard Wyzen,]] [[EvilOldFolks Kalrow,]] [[BloodKnight Augus,]] [[MoralityPet the girl,]] [[TheDragon Sergei,]] [[BigBad Deus,]] [[EldritchAbomination Vlitra]] and in the true episode 18, [[TheDarkChick Olga]]. In the DLC, it finally hits hard with [[TheLancer Yasha]], Chakravartin, finally ending in [[PapaWolf Asura]]. The only character alive after all of this is Mithra!]]

* ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'' is notorious having bosses (with few exceptions) die after they are introduced to their respective stages, including those who are sympathetic. [[spoiler:In the first game, Gunvolt and Joule are killed by the BigBad which leads to an AlternateTimeline where even the protagonists aren't safe.]]

* Almost every single named character in ''VideoGame/TheBannerSaga'' can die. For some [[spoiler:like Vognir and the Chieftain of Skogr]] it will ''always'' happen for plot purposes, and there is nothing the player can do to stop it. At the end of the game [[spoiler:the player is forced to choose whether Alette or Rook will die, because there is no way to save them both.]] For most characters, though, it is more the case that they ''can'' die, but that player decisions can save them. Characters who fall into this camp include [[spoiler:Egil (especially, there's even an achievement for keeping him alive), Onef, Gunnulf, Mogr, Ludin, Griss, Nid, Krumr and many, many more.]]
** ''VideoGame/TheBannerSaga2'' carries on this grand tradition, with there being the possibility for [[spoiler:Bak, Sigbjorn, Ekkil, Tryggvi, Sparr, Mogun and more]] to all die over the course of the game.

* Many characters can and often do die in the story mode of ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}''. Thanks to the GroundhogDayLoop, no one ''stays'' dead [[spoiler:until the Groundhog Day Loop is broken at the end of of the second game, ''Continuum Shift''. So far, only Lambda-11, Trinity and Hazama count as genuine deaths; Nu-13 was killed off in the ending of ''Calamity Trigger'' but has been brought back for ''Chronophantasma'']].
** And then Central Fiction comes. By the end, [[spoiler:Terumi/Susanoo, Nine, Celica and Ragna]] all kick the bucket, while [[spoiler:Hakumen, Relius and Arakune have vanished into the Blue.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' does not pull its punches when it comes to NPC deaths. Nearly any NPC can be killed by the player, and multiple friendly characters will force the player's hand when they become hostile either after a certain point in the main storyline or [[GuideDangIt if something goes wrong in their personal storyline]]. [[spoiler:Most notable is the [[KillEmAll Gascoigne family's storyline]], which features two young girls who both die horribly no matter what you do. Technically you can save the younger one, [[FateWorseThanDeath but]][[AndIMustScream ..]][[ForcedTransformation ..]]]]

* ''VideoGame/ChroniclesOfElyria'' was advertised as the only [[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMORPG]] where any mortal character, player or [[NonPlayerCharacter otherwise]], could be killed. (Unfortunately, the project’s current status as [[VaporWare vaporware]] shows that the game itself was the one to meet an untimely end.)

* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'' only gives PlotArmor to ''five'' characters (the Protagonist, [[spoiler:Daichi, Hinako, Airi, and Fumi]]). Most of your party members can die horribly throughout the week if you don't handle their death clips properly, while the faction leaders other than the aforementioned [[spoiler:Daichi]] can all bite it on the seventh day. There is a mercy, though, in that two characters who join the same faction on Day 7 can't die on the same playthrough, and the game will either force you to save them under those circumstances or fudge events so that the individual in danger can't die.

* ''VideoGame/DigimonSurvive'' is a brutal example, as the choices the players make throughout the gameplay can lead to characters dying. And if a human dies, then their Digimon partner will die as well. And unlike with most examples in the ''Digimon'' franchise, survival in the Digital World is a genuine concern. Throughout the game, [[spoiler:only Takuma and Minoru are guaranteed to survive, regardless of what route is taken. Aoi and Saki die in the Wrathful Route, Kaito, Miu, and the Professor die in the Harmony Route, and Miyuki dies in both Wrathful and Harmony. And during the first gameplay, Ryo and Shuuji will always die no matter what happens. The Moral Route has everybody but Ryo and Shuuji survive, and the Truthful Route, which is only accessible after the entire game is played for the first time, is the only way to ensure that everybody will live.]]

** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' dials this back somewhat. Numerous side-characters can (or ''will'') die, but your own inner circle is safer than either of the previous games, with the possible exception of [[spoiler: Iron Bull, who you ''will'' have to kill in the Trespasser DLC if you allied with the Qunari.]] The end of the Warden mission presents you with a choice between two major characters: [[spoiler: Hawke, the previous game's ''player character'', or a major Warden [=(Stroud/Loghain/Alistair.)=]]]
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'': Not the core party, of course, but this game possibly has the largest side character body count in the entire series. To whit, [[spoiler:all seven of the Sage Heirs are murdered, Empyrea's child is destroyed ''before he's even born'', and ''the entire population of Neos'' is wiped out by the emergence of Rhapthorne's palace.]]

** ''VideoGame/NieR'', a GaidenGame to ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' doesn't fare much better. Regardless of what ending path you take, a good majority of the cast is killed off, and in Endings C and D, you get to choose whether Nier or Kainé, two of the only remaining heroes gets to die. It also doesn't help that, no matter what, your actions have pretty much doomed [[NiceJobBreakingItHero everyone]], meaning even the survivors are still completely [[KillEmAll screwed.]]

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' is particularly vicious about this. No matter which path you choose you ''will'' be forced to kill some of your former students, and of all recruitable characters, only ''one'' ([[spoiler:Marianne]]) cannot be personally killed by the player on any path.

** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' deserves special recognition, as over ''half'' the missions in the game are about Niko being hired to kill someone or a group of people. Ironically, some of Niko's victims end up being the very same people he was working for just a few missions ago. By the end of the game, roughly two-thirds of the people Niko works for end up dead or in jail. [[SadisticChoice And depending on the player's choice]], either [[spoiler:Roman]] or [[spoiler:Kate]] (both are one of the only characters in ''the whole franchise'' who aren't even ''remotely'' evil) '''WILL''' die at the end. [[PlayerPunch There's nothing you can do to change that.]]
** Remember when we said that the main characters [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome should hope for not returning in a sequel]]? Well, [[spoiler:Johnny Klebitz]] didn't have such luck. In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'', Trevor brutally kills [[spoiler:Johnny]] in ''[[EstablishingCharacterMoment the very first mission he appears]]'' (besides the prologue) and ''then'' goes after [[spoiler:Clay]] and [[spoiler:Terry]], who were [[spoiler:Johnny]]'s friends in his game[[note]]Killing them is actually completely optional. However, an ''GTA Online'' DLC would later prove the latter has canonically died[[/note]]. Or how about the ending, where you have to choose between [[spoiler:killing Michael, Trevor, or teaming up with them to kill off the BigBadEnsemble]]?
** Another main character casualty is Victor Vance, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories'', that was killed off in one of the very first cutscenes in the sequel (chronologically) ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]]''.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' this can happen any time, anywhere, with little to no warning before it happens. [[spoiler: A perfect example is Joel's daughter, who is killed by a soldier very, very suddenly. In the first minutes of the game.]]
** It's even worse in the [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII sequel.]] Want another perfect example? [[spoiler: They killed off Joel in the game's first hour.]]

** ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' further ups the ante by giving the same character [[TheManyDeathsOfYou several different potential death scenes]] reflected by Shepard's choices. For example, Mordin can either [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice himself]] or get shot in the back unceremoniously; Miranda can be killed instantly by two potential attackers or suffer a mortal wound and [[DiedInYourArmsTonight die in Shepard's arms]] (though she can also live if [[GuideDangIt you get several checks earlier in the game right]]); and the circumstances of Thane's death will change depending on whether a female Shepard romanced him. [[spoiler:The potential death scenes can extend to Shepard themself as well, in the ending mission.]]

** ''X'' itself gets pretty trigger-happy, although not as much as ''9'' did. By the end big names like [[spoiler:Mileena (face completely digested to the skull by D'vorah's bugs), Baraka (brain and heart ripped off by D'vorah), and Quan Chi (decapitated by Scorpion) are all dead while some characters such as Smoke and Kabal continue to be resigned to the fates they were dealt at the end of ''9'']].

* ''VideoGame/Mother3'': In the very first chapter, there is a fire in the Sunshine Forest north of Tazmilly that was caused by the Pigmask Army. After the fire is dealt with, [[spoiler:Flint recieves a letter from his wife Hinawa telling him that she, along with Lucas and Claus, would be heading home through the forest (that had been set ablaze). After looking through the forest and finding Lucas and Claus, but not Hinawa, a villager comes and tells Flint of her fate. She had been killed by a Mecha-Drago, a normally kind type of creature that had been experimented on by the Pigmask Army, by having one of its fangs pierce her heart.]] All of this happens in the first chapter, [[DownerBeginning before the real game even starts]].
** [[spoiler:Claus, Flint, and Hinawa's son and Lucas' brother was killed trying to avenge his mother's death by the same creature who killed her. The Pigmasks found him, resurrected him, and turned him into Porky's slave robot "The Masked Man". It's not revealed he is Claus until the final chapter, where Lucas fights him one-on-one. Claus regains him memories during the fight. With his last bit of humanity, he fires a bolt of lightning towards Lucas, but he's wearing a Franklin Badge, which reflects lightning, sending his own attack back at him. He then dies in his brother's arms, saying [[NeverSayDie he'll be going to where Hinawa is]].]]

* ''VideoGame/OneChance'' has just about everybody dying from the virus. [[spoiler:Including all your coworkers and your wife]]. In all but one of the endings, [[spoiler:your daughter dies as well]]. And lastly, [[spoiler:most endings have John Pilgrim succumbing to the virus, being murdered, or being DrivenToSuicide depending on the player's choice]].
* ''{{VideoGame/Oninaki}}'' has a relatively small cast as it is, and nearly everyone in it will die at some point. [[spoiler:Mayura, who was set up to be a secondary heroine, is abruptly killed a quarter into the game, and it doesn't get any better from there. Kagachi, the protagonist, will die at least once, and potentially ''twice''.]]
* ''VideoGame/PeretEmHeruForThePrisoners'' has two deaths that are unavoidable. All others hinge entirely upon your action... or inaction, as the case may be. Letting everyone who ''can'' die bite it leads to there being a grand total of [[spoiler:two survivors]] left by the time you reach the credits.
* In ''VideoGame/Persona3'', [[spoiler:Shinjiro Aragaki, Shuji Ikutsuki, Takeharu Kirijo, Jin Shirato, Chidori Yoshino, Ryoji Mochizuki, and the protagonist all die by the end of the game, and it's also heavily implied Takaya Sakaki dies off-screen]]. If the correct things are done in ''FES'' and ''Portable'', [[spoiler:Chidori will come back to life (although the canonicity of this is ambiguous and she's still heavily implied to have died) and it's possible to save Shinji in [=P3P=] when playing as the female character]].
* The ''VideoGame/PhantasyStar'' tetralogy does not pull its [[PlayerPunch punches]]. The first game, having less story than later games, averts this (though it starts off with Alis' brother being murdered to get the game going, that's the only permanent death of a good guy). But after that, the gloves are off.
** ''[[VideoGame/PhantasyStarII II]]'''s first major quest ends with the DamselInDistress being killed by her own father (who [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone commits suicide immediately afterward]]) to show you how bad the CrapsaccharineWorld is getting. It also has a [[DecoyProtagonist Decoy Deuteragonist]] who is killed with the ClimaxBoss at the midpoint of the game, and [[spoiler:ends with a BolivianArmyEnding]].

* [[ExaggeratedTrope Taken to the extreme]] in ''VideoGame/RefleX'' no thanks to the [[HumongousMecha ZODIACs]]. [[SerialEscalation Taken even more extreme]] when [[spoiler:[[EleventhHourSuperpower ZODIAC]] [[PlayerCharacter Ophiuchus]]]] is introduced in which its destruction of the other ZODIAC ships [[spoiler:also [[CrapsackWorld ruins the Earth]]. Prior to that, [[KnightOfCerebus ZODIAC Virgo]] [[TheHeroDies destroys the Phoenix and kills the pilot.]]]]
** Not even the [[spoiler:[[PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo previous]] [[VideoGame/{{Kamui}} protagonist]] [[FinalBoss ships]] are safe.]]

* In ''VideoGame/StarcraftI'' expansion pack ''Brood War'', major characters are subject to this. The characters who die include [[spoiler:Aldaris, Stukov (Although he was infested, de-infested, and re-infested), Fenix, Edmund Duke, the second Overmind, Raszagal, and DuGalle]]. Out of these characters, 6 of them were killed (directly or indirectly) by [[spoiler:Kerrigan (Zeratul slew the Overmind, but that was Kerrigan's agenda to take control of the Swarm, and he killed Raszagal, but that was to free her from her influence by Kerrigan. She also chooses to spare a couple of heroes, including Jim Raynor (more than once), Artanis, Zeratul, and Mengsk. For Zeratul and Mengsk, she did it because she felt like it would be a FateWorseThanDeath for the two.)]] In the Original, not many major characters die, but we have Zasz, the Overmind, and Tassadar.

* Mostly averted in the VideoGame/TalesSeries, but ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' is a glaring exception. There are, at the very, very least, ''twenty thousand'' unnamed casualties caused by the player. Beyond that, plenty of friendly supporting characters bite the dust - including one who is physically about thirteen [[spoiler:and mentally ''two'']]. Five of the six God-Generals die, and all five of them are [[AntiVillain anti-villains]] to an extent. The whole replica plot allows for some characters to more or less die ''twice,'' like General Frings and Guy's sister, Mary. And, of course, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath there's what]] [[HeroicSacrifice happens to]] [[TheHeroDies Luke]]. [[GainaxEnding Maybe.]]

* The 2008 reboot of ''VideoGame/{{Turok}}'' saw [[spoiler: three]] characters make it to the end with a pulse. Every single other character is dead by the time the credits roll.

* A key mechanic in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'': all characters besides the protagonist, a ghost and two shopkeepers [[FunctionalGenreSavvy who are aware they can't be battled]] are at some point fought and can be killed in battle. [[spoiler: [[KillEmAll Killing every possible character]] nets you either the infamous [[EarnYourBadEnding Genocide Ending]] or a DownerEnding where the few who escaped your rampage are struggling to survive and hate you more than anything in the world.]]

* The first ''{{VideoGame/Yakuza}}'' game has nearly ''every'' major character die. The number of important characters that live can be counted on one hand, as opposed to the numerous ones that end up dying. There's also [[spoiler:Majima]], who ''appears'' to die (and by all means should have, considering his injuries), but ends up living.

* The majority of characters in ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' can and will die if the player doesn't find a way to ScrewDestiny.
** To recap: Keisuke can be incinerated by Pazuzu and Kaido, Midori can be slaughtered by a group of civilians, Mari can be killed by Kudlak and be found drained of all blood, Haru can commit suicide by cop, Gin can be killed by the Shomonkai, you'll have to kill Yuzu -- the {{Tritagonist}} of the game -- yourself on any of the Chaos routes (as well as Midori if she's survived up to that point) and in the worst endings of the game (Early Bad Ending and Desperate Escape) ''everyone does''. And this is only the first game! Meanwhile, [[VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2 the second game]] is almost infamous for combining this trope with [[CruelAndUnusualDeath grisly]] [[UndignifiedDeath visuals]].
* The ''{{VideoGame/Diablo}}'' series. In ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' the town of Tristram from the previous game is revisited but it has been destroyed and the townspeople slain. What's more, the original heroes of the first game have been corrupted and have to be killed, with the Warrior being possessed by Diablo himself. Even the narrator of ''Diablo II'' (Marius) is killed in the end. When ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' was announced it was hinted that some of the heroes of ''Diablo II'' have been driven insane by their ordeal and so it could be possible to have to kill some of them too.

*** The best example, however, has to go to the [[AngryBlackMan character Conrad]]. Appearing from the very first episode, [[BlackDudeDiesFirst Conrad can be killed in episode 2, 3 and 4]] (he can either be shot by Javier, eaten by walkers or hit by a truck), the biggest possibilities to die for a character. However, it is still entirely possible for him to survive all three events and come out alive at the end. Lampshaded in the Definitive Version where looking at his model sometimes prompt him to remark that he's aware that he's hard to be kept alive throughout the whole game and congratulates the players that manages to do so.

* The ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' [[WorldOfBadass trilogy]] went a step further than most games do (even previous Call Of Duty games as well), and were infamous for killing off the protagonists and major supporting characters. Here are the notable ones:

---> '''General Shepherd:''' Do you have the DSM?
---> '''Ghost:''' We have it sir!
---> '''Shepherd:''' Good. That's one less loose end.
---> '''BANG! BANG!'''
** General Shepherd in ''Endgame'' -- Killed in the most satisfying way possible by having [[EyeScream Soap threw a knife at his left eye.]]

* ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'':
** In ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'', the plot revolves around 15 students with special talents that are required to murder to escape the school. Although it is obvious that a lot of them will die, [[NeverTrustATrailer the trailers for both the game and the anime based on it heavily promoted the characters who died earliest]], which made this trope come into effect even harder. The game seems to take great pleasure throughout in subverting SortingAlgorithmOfMortality, in fact, [[spoiler:with the protagonist's ImpliedLoveInterest with signs of a fascinating DarkAndTroubledPast as the SacrificialLamb, the ''less'' focused-on victim of the third chapter being the one who was in the middle of his CharacterDevelopment, and most of the survivors besides the protagonist seeming like walking death flags. Of note of the six survivors and the tropes that a first impression makes them look ''built'' for, there's [[ShooOutTheClowns the idiotic, superstitious, held-back-repeatedly clairvoyant,]] the [[{{Hikikomori}} unsociable]] [[StalkerWithACrush obsessive]] [[AssholeVictim novelist and her extremely]] [[SmugSnake snobbish, hostile crush]], and the detective {{Deuteragonist}} who [[MentorOccupationalHazard teaches many hard lessons to the others]]. Obviously, all death tropes listed here end up not being the case for them at all.]]
** The same applies to the sequel, ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. [[spoiler:Played with however as all the dead students are merely revealed to have gone into a coma by the end, hope is given they can be brought back, and the GrandFinale anime, ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' ultimately confirms that the only one who doesn't come back is the one who was actually dead the entire time.]]
** ''VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls'' [[spoiler: completely subverts this. All but two of the "dead" characters are revealed as alive in the credits.]]
** This trope is back with a vengeance in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony,'' though, with the first two characters to die being [[spoiler:the cool, collected, and competent-seeming holder of the mystery talent and the much-promoted [[DecoyProtagonist "protagonist"]], when both of these positions had consistently come with PlotArmor in other installments of the series. From there, the game proceeds to have the lowest survivor count in the ''series,'' and only three of the five students at the final trial actually survive to reach TheStinger.]]

* In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', all the Masters and Servants can die. The only ones who are guaranteed to survive the non-bad endings are Rin and Sakura. The Bad Ends kick it up a notch, with several of them dooming everyone in Shirou's highschool or the entire city.

* ''VisualNovel/FullMetalDaemonMuramasa'' has an absolutely massive cast and that is just as well given just how high the mortality rate is in this story. By the end of each route, the number of characters left alive can be easily counted on one hand. Not even young children are safe, with them often dying just as gruesome deaths as the adults. This holds equally true for the main characters with most being either dead or dying by the end, some of which can die midway through with little warning depending on the route.

* There are rather few characters in ''VisualNovel/KaraNoShoujo'' who make it to the endings reliably. For example, Mizuhara, Tojiko and Orihime always die and Toko dies in every route except one in which she lives on as a torso.

* All of the main characters in ''VisualNovel/TheLetter'' can potentially die. The True End even requires some of them to die.
* ''VisualNovel/LuxPain'' is a dark visual novel game where the main character outright states that if his mission fails, many people will die. While it's very easy to save the main cast, it's just as easy to lose them. Only eight people are killed canonically and half of them are villains. [[SacrificialLion Mako]], [[HeKnowsTooMuch Takano]], [[CruelAndUnusualDeath Naoto]] and [[TooCoolToLive Kyosuke]] are examples of the good guys. Also, if you mess up during a certain portion of the game, the number of people that die in the normal ending is higher. The most prominent example is [[TykeBomb Hibiki]] who is killed by [[CoolBigSis Honoka]] (and she too is killed by getting gunned down) when you fail to remove the Silent from Honoka that prevents her from going crazy. Oh yeah, and when Hibiki dies, [[PlayfulHacker Shinji]] dies too [[DisneyDeath (or at least never wakes up from his coma)]], and [[GenkiGirl Mika]] and [[CheerfulChild Nami]] go missing. In fact, out of all of your friends, the ones that are safe at this portion of the game are Akira, Rui, Yayoi and Ryo. The latter, however, is to be questioned because after Hibiki is killed, you can't talk to him.

* ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'': Highlighted early in the game, with the [9]th Man's brutal death by Zero's explosives. It's revealed later on that the only people that had bombs inside them were [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Hongou, Nijisaki, Kubota and Musashidou.]]
** Its sequels ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'' and ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'' also kill off characters left and right, to the point that some endings result in a TotalPartyKill (even including the BigBad).

* ''VisualNovel/RoseGunsDays'' has it the usual way in the first 2 Seasons, with only nameless mooks dying (but they are seldom explicitly stated as dead) and [[spoiler:Wang Yuanhong]] implied to breathe his last breath off-screen. Then at the very end of Season 3 [[spoiler:Stella Maiougi]], a fairly important character, [[KilledOffForReal actually dies in very graphic detail.]] In the Last Season, named characters suddenly start to drop like flies [[spoiler:starting with Yuuji Maiougi (a ''2 year old kid''), and continuing with Oliver Oribe (who may or may not be 20 years old at that point), Lee Meixue (one of the arc's main characters' girlfriend), James Tomitake, Maurice Monobe, Cyrus Saimura, Richard Maiougi (Stella's brother and Yuuji's uncle), Alan Aramaki (Meixue's boyfriend) and Gabriel Kaburaya.]] To these deaths we might as well add [[spoiler:Keith Kisaragi, who lost his best friend Alan ''and'' his entire new family (the Maiougis) in the span of a single season.]]
* ''Saints Row''

* In ''VisualNovel/{{Sickness}}'', a reader may begin to realize this upon the death of Sara, if she indeed dies in your route. If Suoh gets killed, you'll definitely realize this.

* As the name implies, ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie -- Death Game By Majority --'' has several fatalities -- and in certain cases, it's effectively up to the player [[SadisticChoice who gets to live past that point]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' does not pull its punches when it comes to NPC deaths. Nearly any NPC can be killed by the player, and multiple friendly characters will force the player's hand when they become hostile either after a certain point in the main storyline or [[GuideDangIt if something goes wrong in their personal storyline]]. [[spoiler:Most notable is the [[KillEmAll Gascoigne family's storyline]], which features two young girls who both die horribly no matter what you do. Technically you can save the younger one, [[FateWorseThanDeath but]][[AndIMustScream ..]][[ForcefulTransformation ..]]]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' does not pull its punches when it comes to NPC deaths. Nearly any NPC can be killed by the player, and multiple friendly characters will force the player's hand when they become hostile either after a certain point in the main storyline or [[GuideDangIt if something goes wrong in their personal storyline]]. [[spoiler:Most notable is the [[KillEmAll Gascoigne family's storyline]], which features two young girls who both die horribly no matter what you do. Technically you can save the younger one, [[FateWorseThanDeath but]][[AndIMustScream ..]][[BalefulPolymorph ..]]]]