History ParentalAbandonment / VideoGames

** Lady's mother was [[spoiler:killed by her father as part of a sacrifice, and later pays him back in turn.]]
** Nero was not only abandoned in Fortuna at an early age by his biological parents, his ''adoptive'' parents end up dying from a demonic attack in ''his'' early childhood. No protagonist is safe from this trope. Even better, Capcom has revealed that [[spoiler:his father is Vergil, who was totally absent from Nero's life, though as of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' Vergil didn't even know he had a son.]]

* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' nearly takes this UpToEleven. ''No one'' has two parents, and most of the cast has none whatsoever, and there is absolutely no explanation. The missing relatives are as follows: Raven, Gaius, Pia, Kuruna, Oromis, Zaid, Daria, Shara, Monica, and Marion have no parents. Sakuya and Karina have no father. Sofia, Evelyn, Colette, and Rusk have no mother. To the best of my knowledge, the only character who actually acknowledges the fact that she has no living family is Raven. [[spoiler: The hero's father gets one line of dialogue in a flashback, and the hero calls for his mother in the same flashback, but otherwise they never appear.]]

* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''VideoGame/EarthBound''. Ness's parents are alive and present throughout the adventure, apparently pleased that their son is engaging in a potentially lethal quest to save the world. However, his father is never seen for the entirety of the game, only talking to Ness through phone conversations to save the game.

* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' proudly features [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters hundreds of characters]], most of which live in [[TrueCompanions what are functionally adoptive families]] of RagtagBandOfMisfits. You can count on one hand how many characters even have parents ''ever mentioned to have existed'' in the entire course of the series. Since many characters are {{youkai}}, such as a wild animal or inanimate object such as an umbrella given sentience through age and magic power, many of these characters perfectly understandably never remember their parents. Still, the only family ties any characters who appear ever have are direct blood siblings.

* Happens are few times in the ''Franchise/ShiningSeries'':

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''. Dante and Vergil's father, the uber-Devil Sparda who [[DefectorFromDecadence awoke to justice]], has been missing since their early childhood and both are bitter about it. It's never explicitly stated what happened, but it is suggested that he was either killed or captured by the demons. Their mother Eva was killed some time later in a demonic attack on their house. Lady's mother was [[spoiler:killed by her father as part of a sacrifice, and later pays him back in turn.]]
** Nero was not only abandoned in Fortuna at an early age by his biological parents, his ''adoptive'' parents end up dying from a demonic attack in ''his'' early childhood. No protagonist is safe from this trope.
*** Even better, Capcom has revealed that [[spoiler: his father is Vergil, who was totally absent from Nero's life, though as of ''[=DMC5=]'' Vergil didn't even know he had a son.]]

* In most ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games, the player character usually has a mom and a mom ''only''; whatever happened to dear old Dad is never explained. Averted quite noticeably in ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire''/''Emerald'', though -- not only is Dad still around, but he's a ''Gym Leader'', and yes, you do have to wail on Pappy for a badge. He does not go easy on his own son/daughter. [[ThatOneBoss Not. In. The. Least.]]
** The original games also have your rival, Blue -- who is supposed to be Professor Oak's grandson, but appears to live with his ''sister''. Where did the Professor's son/daughter go?
** The player character's father is ''mentioned'' in Platinum, but only so that Mum can say that you're just like him. What happened to him is, as ever, not explained.
*** I believe the mom also makes a comment like that in either Red/Blue/Yellow or Gold/Silver Crystal.
*** Your rival's father also appears as the Battle Tower Tycoon. He also brings up that fact that he and the player's father started their adventure in a similar manner to the player and their rival.
** A special event in the recent remakes of Gold and Silver actually shows you the very moment Silver's father, [[spoiler:Giovanni]], abandoned him.
** Professor Birch of Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald is the father of one of your rivals (the player character you didn't choose, not Wally).
*** That's right, and your rival also has a mother. Wally also has both parents who love and support him, and an aunt, uncle and cousin who love and support him. Lucky guy.

* In the DatingSim ''Videogame/AlwaysRememberMe'', the protagonist's parents died in a car crash before the game, and she is currently under the care of [[ParentalSubstitute her aunt]].

** ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}''. Don't get us started on ''Mother 3''. In the same night Lucas loses both his mother and his twin. He still has his father, but Flint's reserved, and everyday is out either at his wife's grave or still searching for his son.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''

* ''VideoGame/NieR''

** In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', every member of SEES has parents who are either distant or dead. That makes it a lot easier to go live in a dorm full of teenagers and a creepy old guy, and ''a lot'' easier to go out at midnight on a near-daily basis.
** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'': Most of your party has parents who are never seen or are outright dead:

* While it's unclear if [[PlayerCharacter Chell]] from the ''Videogame/{{Portal}}''-series actually fits in this trope, [[AdoptionDiss many of the things [=GLaDOS=] says]] in ''Videogame/Portal2'' seem to imply it. Then again, she's a compulsive liar with a grudge, so what she says needs to be taken with a truckload of salt.

* [[{{VideoGame/RatchetAndClank}} Ratchet]] was raised by himself. His [[DisappearedDad father]] was dead since Ratchet was a baby, and nothing is known of his {{m|issingMom}}other except that she was there at some time. So he grew up without knowing his parents on a [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything backwater]] [[Franchise/StarWars desert planet]]... not that he [[AngstWhatAngst cares in]] [[BadassNormal the slightest.]]

* In the backstory of ''Videogame/TeamFortress2'', it is the tradition of Highland Demolitions Experts to abandon their children at birth until their true skills begin to emerge. In our Demoman's case, he was collected from the Crypt Grammar School for Orphans by his real parents after he was tricked into reading a cursed book that taught him all about demolitions.

* ''Videogame/{{Touhou}}'' proudly features [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters hundreds of characters]], most of which live in [[TrueCompanions what are functionally adoptive families]] of RagtagBandOfMisfits. You can count on one hand how many characters even have parents ''ever mentioned to have existed'' in the entire course of the series. Since many characters are {{youkai}}, such as a wild animal or inanimate object such as an umbrella given sentience through age and magic power, many of these characters perfectly understandably never remember their parents. Still, the only family ties any characters who appear ever have are direct blood siblings.

* ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'': For each new generation it gives birth to, your pet Tamagotchi from the previous one simply leaves with no explanation, forcing you to care for the new baby yourself -- from the Plus Color onward, the parent doesn't even stick around for more than a couple of minutes. Averted for the Version 5 series, where the parents do stick around.

* ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'':

** Barry Burton is the only protagonist who has a family -a wife and two daughters. While all of them are alive and well, it is possible for him to [[FinalDeath be killed off]] during the first game and its remake, putting this in effect for his daughters.

->''Single Parent Rule: RPG characters with two living parents are almost unheard of. As a general rule, male characters will only have a mother, and female characters will only have a father. The missing parent either vanished mysteriously and traumatically several years ago or is never referred to at all. Frequently the main character's surviving parent will also meet an awkward end just after the story begins, thus freeing him of inconvenient filial obligations.''

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestII Princess of Moonbrooke's]] father sacrifices his life to save his daughter from the BigBad.
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIII The Hero III's]] father dies in a heroic battle with the BigBad.
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIV The Hero IV]] has a loving adopted family until his/her parents are killed off at the beginning of his/her chapter. During his/her chapter, it's revealed that [[spoiler: the Hero's real father is dead, while his/her mother is alive. The Hero's mother, a Zenethian, had a forbidden relationship with the Hero's father, a human. The Hero's mother was punished, by her husband being killed, while she was forced back to Zenithia, forbidden to raise her child.]] Also, very early on in his/her chapter, the Hero can meet his/her [[spoiler: grandfather, though neither of them know of their relation to each other when this occurs.]]

** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestV The Hero V]] doesn't know his mother. [[spoiler:His father takes him on a quest to find her. Then Pankraz is killed, telling TheHero to search for her mother before she dies, thus the major objective of the game after the TimeSkip.]]

** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestVI The Hero VI]] has only his sister. [[spoiler:Except not really, it turns out that both your parents are quite alive and after you find them, are quite helpful and play a role in the plot. Making this the biggest aversion of this trope in the whole series.]]
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII The Hero VIII]] doesn't seem to have any parents. [[spoiler:His relatives are dragons.]]
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestXI The Luminary]] gets hit with this twice over. His biological parents where both killed shortly after his birth when his home kingdom was overrun by monsters, and his adoptive mother Amber was killed when King Carnelian ordered his childhood home slaughtered to the last man. [[spoiler:Except not really. One of the first things the Luminary discovers post-TimeSkip is that Hendrick had everyone in Cobblestone imprisoned in the dungeon instead of killing them and they were all released once Carnelian was freed from Mordegon's mind control. Amber is still alive and well by the time the credits roll.]]
** Jade also got hit with this pretty hard, with her biological mother dying shortly after she was born and her surrogate mother ([[spoiler:The Luminary's biological mother]]) being murdered when she was only four. Her father actually is alive, but they've been estranged ever since she was a child [[spoiler:due to him being possesed by Mordegon.]]

** Compared to Otacon Snake got off easy [[spoiler:His father disowned him but his mother loved him and probably only gave him up because of Zero. His mother even told him everything right before he inadvertantly killed her. His father even came around and saved his son's life knowing that it woud cost him his.]] [[spoiler:Snake's real problem is his brothers.]]

** In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', every member of SEES has parents who are either distant or dead. That makes it a lot easier to go live in a dorm full of teenagers and a creepy old guy, and ''a lot'' easier to go out at midnight on a near daily basis.

*** The Protagonist, Ryuji, and Ann have parents, but they are never seen and at best are rarely brought up. In Ryuji's case it's due to having an [[AbusiveParents abusive dad]], and in the Protagonist's because they want nothing to do with you while you're on probation. Ann though has no reason given for her parents never being involved.

** [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 Jake Muller]] is the illegitimate son of an Eastern European woman who died of illness when he was in his early teens, [[spoiler:and the series' now former BigBad, Albert Wesker. Wesker had a one-off affair with the woman, and she left for her home country not long after she got pregnant.]]

** ''VideoGame/ShiningWisdom'': Mars' parents are nowhere to be seen, his father died in battle while is mother only gets a passing mention, he's looked after by his grandparents.
** ''VideoGame/ShiningForceIII'' Synbios only has his father at the start of the game, his mother if barely mentioned. Then near the end of the game you see him poisoned and killed before your eyes.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'' cutscence for when for when your creature family migrates to a new nest, one of the adults will stay behind to watch over the eggs. Your creature then hatches and you have to find the new nest.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' and [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld its sequel]] features this in spades:
** Lloyd: Mother killed, adopted by a dwarf. [[spoiler:Finds out later that his father [[MercyKill killed his mother to save him]], is still alive, and [[OedipusComplex is the right-hand man of the Big Bad.]]]]
** Colette: spends [[spoiler:the first third of]] the game under the belief that her loving father and grandmother are merely a foster family and that her true father is an angel -- [[spoiler:and said angel is something of an uncaring prick towards her. Subverted once we learn that the angel was lying (or as he claims, the characters just misinterpreted him using "daughter" as a priest would) -- and her foster family is really her family.]].
** Raine and Genis: [[spoiler:Father died, mother abandoned them at a dimensional gate to escape persecution, leaving them to fend for themselves in another world. Mother later went insane with grief over having to do this and, upon meeting her children again twelve years later, fails to even acknowledge them, instead treating a ragdoll as her still-infant daughter and believing she's pregnant with her now preteen son.]]
** Sheena: [[spoiler:Abandoned by parents, taken in by ninja. Was used by said ninja as a bargaining chip for a political alliance. She later screwed up a summoning ritual that ended up killing over a quarter of the clan and sending her adoptive father into a permanent vegetative state, causing the survivors to ostracize her.]]
** Presea: [[spoiler:Mother died when she was young, father became sick. At the age of twelve, Presea underwent {{Magitek}} surgery to do his job, which brainwashed her and caused her to ignore his subsequent death, leaving his decaying body lying in the bed he died in for sixteen years until the party frees her.]]
** Zelos: [[spoiler:Mother forced to marry his father to extend the mana bloodline, causing her to hate her child. Father ignored them both and took a half-elven mistress, who decided to make the child of their union the chosen of mana by killing Zelos. During her attempt on Zelos' life she killed his mother in front of his eyes -- his mother's last words to him was ''"I wish you had never been born."'']]
** Ironically, the only one who angsts about his problems is Regal, who doesn't have any parent related issues. Granted, he's a full grown man, but he does angst quite a bit over his one and only problem.
** [[spoiler:Subverted with]] Emil: Both parents were killed during the Palmacosta Blood Purge. However we later learn that [[spoiler: they weren't even his parents, nor is he the real Emil Castagnier.]]
** Marta: [[spoiler: Mother killed when the giant tree went berserk and destroyed Palmacosta, Father went BrainwashedAndCrazy and started the Vanguard.]]
* From ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'', there are Cress' parents who are murdered by Mars searching for his family pendant. Chester's parents were already dead by the time the game rolls around. Mint's mother dies trapped in a jail where both Cress and Mint were locked. Claus is old enough to get married, so it's very likely they would die of old age (they are simply never mentioned). Suzu's parents where brainwashed to assassinate Cress in Euclid. Arche is the only one to have both living parents, but mom was forced to move to HiddenElfVillage together with all other elves.

* In the backstory of ''Videogame/TeamFortress2'', it is tradition of Highland Demolitions Experts to abandon their children at birth until their true skills begin to emerge. In our Demoman's case, he was collected from the Crypt Grammar School for Orphans by his real parents after he was tricked into reading a cursed book that taught him all about demolitions.

*** Meanwhile, the relationship between Marisa and Mima may be one of the biggest mysteries in Touhou. In the UsefulNotes/PC98 games, Marisa referred to Mima by ''[[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics the extremely respectful -sama honorific]]''. One the one hand, this was [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness her first]] [[CharacterizationMarchesOn and second appearances.]] On the other hand ''this is the most respect Marisa has shown to anyone ever.'' Fans generally have them as teacher and student, often crossing over into [[ChildrenRaiseYou a pseudo-familial relationship]], which becomes ParentalAbandonment for Marisa when Mima is PutOnABus. Finally, Mima's leitmotif is given a description in ''Dolls in Pseudo Paradise'' that has been taken to be about Marisa and her mother.
** Youmu Konpaku was apparently abandoned when Youki Konpaku went on a "journey for enlightenment" completely out of the blue, and dumped all his duties on his young student (actual relationship between the two is unknown). While she was left under the care of an adult, Yuyuko is not an ideal parental figure.

** Only ONE of the main characters (Melia) has a parent that actually appears in game. Her father is Sorean Antiqua, King of the High Entia. Her mother is not seen and is only mentioned in passing, but this is likely justified as she was [[spoiler: the second (Homs) consort]] and likely died long before the beginning of the game.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': Relm's mother died and her father [[spoiler:ran away and became a {{Ninja}} mercenary with a pet dog who's MadeOfIron,]] although Relm was raised by her grandfather - Relm's true parentage is never explicitly stated. Gau's mother died in childbirth, causing his father to go insane and abandon him on the Veldt. Terra [[spoiler:loses her parents both at the same time--her mother [[DubNameChange Madeline/Madonna]] is killed when TheEmpire raids the Esper world, and her father Maduin, being an Esper, is taken by the Empire's scientists as a laboratory subject who dies over the course of the game]]. Edgar and Sabin [[spoiler:lose their mother in their very early childhood, and their father dies in their teens, strongly implied to have been killed by TheEmpire]]. Locke's mother is never mentioned and his father is dead by the start of the game.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': Tifa's mom died when she was 8 years old[[note]]Which lead to an additional tragedy when, confused and upset, she wandered off to Mt. Nibel believing she could meet her mother if she crossed the mountains; there was an accident, Tifa got hurt, and Cloud (who'd been following to protect her) got blamed for it[[/note]], Cloud's dad is never mentioned, And both of their remaining parents (Cloud's mom and Tifa's dad) were killed by Sephiroth in the "Nibelheim Incident"[[note]] Sephiroth went insane, torched the town, then tried to release an EldritchAbomination from the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor before disappearing (believed killed). Cloud's mother was killed in the fire. Tifa's father and mob of survivors pursued Sephiroth into the mountains; she found them all butchered at the steps of the reactor[[/note]]. Aeris is not only an orphan, but the ''[[LastOfHisKind last of her race]].'' Barrett is raising a little girl, Marlene, the orphaned daughter of a former friend of his (his wife, and presumably the rest of his family, were killed it the Corel Massacre by Shinra troops. Sensing a pattern yet?). Red XIII's father was turned to stone by monsters. The two optional characters (Yuffie is understandable). Vincent's dad was killed in a materia experiment performed by the woman he loves. Yuffie hates her father (who was a disgraced warrior after Wutai lost a war with Shinra) and left to find a way to restore honor to her village (somehow this involves thievery).

*** Rikku's mother was killed when malfuctioning machina went on a rampage.

** Miranda [[TrulySingleParent never had a mother]]--she was created using her father's DNA, his Y chromosone altered with traits from a number of women. However, she wasn't created so he could love someone, rather, to preserve his legacy. She left her father at the age of 16 and hasn't spoken to him since. In the third game, [[spoiler:[[SelfMadeOrphan she kills him]]]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'': For each new generation it gives birth to, your pet Tamagotchi from the previous one simply leaves with no explanation, forcing you to care for the new baby yourself - from the Plus Color onward, the parent doesn't even stick around for more than a couple of minutes. Averted for the Version 5 series, where the parents do stick around.

* While it's unclear if [[PlayerCharacter Chell]] from the ''Videogame/{{Portal}}''-series actually fits in this trope, [[AdoptionDiss many of the things [=GLaDOS=] says]] in ''Videogame/Portal2'' seem to imply it. Then again, she's a compulsive liar with a grudge, so what she says needs to be taken with a truckload of salt.
-->'''[=GLaDOS=]:''' [[AC: If it makes you feel any better, science has now validated your birthmother's decision to abandon you on a doorstep.]]
* ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents'' gives us one of the biggest TearJerker takes on this trope with its "A Christmas Gift" mission. The girl loses her father in an accident and the mission is to help her accept her loss. The usual EBA way of using song and dance is toned down in wackiness to reflect the somberness of the scene and successful completion [[spoiler:allows the father's spirit to return and deliver the Christmas present he promised.]]
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
** Sora's mother gets two lines near the beginning of the first installment, Kairi mysteriously appeared and was apparently adopted by the mayor of the Destiny Islands (she is the only one whose close relative we actually see, her grandmother is shown telling her suspiciously plot relevant fables in a flashback), and Riku's parents are briefly mentioned, as the world crumbles around him. This is the '''only''' time anyone's parents are mentioned and it makes the proceedings very awkward if one is inclined to stop and think about it. Also, Roxas from the second game gets along amazingly well despite ''never having had parents''. [[spoiler:Since Roxas is Sora's Nobody, his parents would seem to be Sora's, who he's never met, due to Sora's parents being worlds away and not mentioned even once in the second game.]]
** This makes the first game sorta headscratchy, as Sora spends the whole game trying to find Riku and Kairi, yet doesn't even mention his family ONCE (though then again, the very beginning of the game has them planning to go off on a raft, so I guess he didn't think much of his family to begin with).
** This sort of thing hits ''Birth by Sleep'' even harder. None of the [=PCs=] mention any relatives - Master Eraqus is the only father figure Terra has, and Ven was adopted by Eraqus, Terra and Aqua after losing his memory. [[spoiler: After Xehanort murders Eraqus and tries to do the same to Aqua and Ven, Terra demands "Was my teacher - no, my father not enough for you?!", suggesting he really doesn't have any other parental figures.]]
** Ienzo / Zexion became the ward of Ansem and his other apprentices after losing his parents. What happened to them isn't explained, but it's a rare case of this actually being addressed in a KH game.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' and [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld its sequel]] features this in spades:
** Lloyd: Mother killed, adopted by a dwarf. [[spoiler:Finds out later that his father [[MercyKill killed his mother to save him]], is still alive, and [[OedipusComplex is the right-hand man of the Big Bad.]]]]
** Colette: spends [[spoiler:the first third of]] the game under the belief that her loving father and grandmother are merely a foster family and that her true father is an angel -- [[spoiler:and said angel is something of an uncaring prick towards her. Subverted once we learn that the angel was lying (or as he claims, the characters just misinterpreted him using "daughter" as a priest would) -- and her foster family is really her family.]].
** Raine and Genis: [[spoiler:Father died, mother abandoned them at a dimensional gate to escape persecution, leaving them to fend for themselves in another world. Mother later went insane with grief over having to do this and, upon meeting her children again twelve years later, fails to even acknowledge them, instead treating a ragdoll as her still-infant daughter and believing she's pregnant with her now preteen son.]]
** Sheena: [[spoiler:Abandoned by parents, taken in by ninja. Was used by said ninja as a bargaining chip for a political alliance. She later screwed up a summoning ritual that ended up killing over a quarter of the clan and sending her adoptive father into a permanent vegetative state, causing the survivors to ostracize her.]]
** Presea: [[spoiler:Mother died when she was young, father became sick. At the age of twelve, Presea underwent {{Magitek}} surgery to do his job, which brainwashed her and caused her to ignore his subsequent death, leaving his decaying body lying in the bed he died in for sixteen years until the party frees her.]]
** Zelos: [[spoiler:Mother forced to marry his father to extend the mana bloodline, causing her to hate her child. Father ignored them both and took a half-elven mistress, who decided to make the child of their union the chosen of mana by killing Zelos. During her attempt on Zelos' life she killed his mother in front of his eyes -- his mother's last words to him was ''"I wish you had never been born."'']]
** Ironically, the only one who angsts about his problems is Regal, who doesn't have any parent related issues. Granted, he's a full grown man, but he does angst quite a bit over his one and only problem.
** [[spoiler:Subverted with]] Emil: Both parents were killed during the Palmacosta Blood Purge. However we later learn that [[spoiler: they weren't even his parents, nor is he the real Emil Castagnier.]]
** Marta: [[spoiler: Mother killed when the giant tree went berserk and destroyed Palmacosta, Father went BrainwashedAndCrazy and started the Vanguard.]]
* ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'' has plenty:
** Yuuto and Haruna, they lost their parents in a plane crash and they ended up growing up in an orphanage. Haruna was later adopted into the Otonashi family, and Yuuto was recommended by Kageyama Reiji to the Kidou Financial Group after he witnessed Yuuto's natural talent for soccer.
** Fubuki Shirou lost his whole family after an avalanche striked Shirou's car. He was pushed out by Atsuya, thus saving him.
** [[spoiler:[[BigBad Kageyama Reiji's]]]] father left his family because after losing a soccer match to Daisuke (before that he never lost), he started to lose every match after that and his mother died because of an ilness. This is also his FreudianExcuse.
* From ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'', there are Cress' parents who are murdered by Mars searching for his family pendant. Chester's parents were already dead by the time the game rolls around. Mint's mother dies trapped in a jail where both Cress and Mint were locked. Claus is old enough to get married, so it's very likely they would die of old age (they are simply never mentioned). Suzu's parents where brainwashed to assassinate Cress in Euclid. Arche is the only one to have both living parents, but mom was forced to move to HiddenElfVillage together with all other elves.

* Similarly, in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'', the closest thing you have to living relatives are your foster father and his brother. You never learn anything about your real parents.
** There's also Gannayev in the expansion pack, ''Mask of the Betrayer''. When asked about his history (Well, after you get him to stop dicking around and spinning one out of whole cloth), he says that he never knew his father and that his mother cast him out in the wilderness. [[spoiler: You eventually do get to meet his mother, a Nighthag that's gone utterly insane. After enraging the Coven for refusing to kill her lover, they decided to punish her by tracking him down, killing him, and ''forcing his charred remains down the mother's throat'' in front of their son. It's probably a good thing that Gann doesn't really remember that part.]]
** Also Neeshka, who says she doesn't really remember/know her parents and was taken in by Priests.

* Creator/NipponIchi loves to use this trope.
** In ''VideoGame/RhapsodyAMusicalAdventure'', Cornet's mother, Cherie, died protecting her when she was young.
** In ''VideoGame/LaPucelleTactics'', Prier's and Cullotte's parents were killed in a wagon accident years before the game begins. Homard became a SkyPirate to defeat the demon who injured his father and attacked his kingdom, [[spoiler: Marl Kingdom, making him the grandson of Cornet from [[VideoGame/RhapsodyAMusicalAdventure Rhapsody.]]]]
** In ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness'', Flonne's parents are never mentioned. Etna is an orphan, and the closest thing she had to a father figure, the Overlord and Laharl's dad, died two years ago. Laharl's mother died before the game began [[spoiler:when she sacrificed herself to cure him of an incurable disease]] and his father, the Overlord, died choking on a black pretzel [[spoiler:which is just a rumor and actually died after sealing away Baal. Both his parents, however, do return to watch over him...though his mother is a Prinny and his father is TheDandy GoldfishPoopGang]]. Jennifer was orphaned, and her adopted father is TheDragon.
*** Flonne's parents are met in [[NoExportForYou the Japan only]] [[LightNovel/DisgaeaNovels novels.]]
** In ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave'', both of Marona's parents die in the opening cutscene. Ash's parents are never mentioned. Walnut [[spoiler:was adopted and then later left his adoptive parents so that he wouldn't burden them and his sister, Castille.]]
*** In the UpdatedRerelease, you have Carona, [[spoiler:a Marona from an AlternateUniverse who loses her parents ''and'' Ash.]]
** In ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', we see Alex's family during the credits, but they're never mentioned nor do they appear in the game. Pram took her Netherworld from her father at the age of two (Making this a case of the ''child'' abandoning the ''parent'') and depending on how you interpret King Drake's accusation of her taking his Netherworld, he may be her father. Other than that, none of the Overlords have visible parents.
** In ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2|CursedMemories}}'' , Adell reveals to Rozalin early on that he was adopted, and likely abandoned by his blood-parents. It turns out that [[spoiler:Adell's parents are the masked man and woman serving under Overlord Zenon against their will]]. Triggers a rather tragic case of SelfMadeOrphan. Rozalin shamefully admits that she never met her father in person [[spoiler:and really the "father" was an old foe with a grudge who got off on the idea of the God of all Overlords being subservient to him, who was actually Rozalin in her past life. It's also implied that he killed her mother in his attack on the Snow Tribe that also claimed the lives of Yukimaru and Fubuki's parents.]] Tink's parents are never mentioned at all, but presumably aren't there as he seems to live with Rozalin instead.
*** In the manga version of Disgaea 2, [[spoiler: we are treated to a flashback of Rozalin's mother... and her fate alongside the rest of the clan.]] Rozalin's mother is actually seen in the official art book. Also in the manga [[spoiler:Adell's parents [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice]] their lives so that he can reach Zenon before he escapes with Rozalin. Finally, Zenon is killed by Rozalin, but despite being a fake, Rozalin still sees him as her father.]]
*** According to the UpdatedRerelease's Axel Mode, it's very common for a demons to abandon their children. [[spoiler:Axel himself and the rest of his siblings are all revealed to be orphans and their mother actually adopted them.]]
** Danette's parents in ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'' were killed by Thurists. Gig has no parents, being a god, and Revya has no parents. In his/her ''past'' life, [[spoiler:his/her mother died 200 years and his/her father, Lord Median, is currently a zombie.]] [[spoiler:Tricia]], Levin, and Euphoria were also orphaned at a young age. [[spoiler:Trish was eventually adopted for the purpose of being raped at the age of 17 (Whether or not this happens depends on which path you chose) and Levin and Euphoria were being used by the World Eater Raksha so that he could put his EvilPlan into action as his body couldn't move.]]
** In ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}'', Mao's mother is never mentioned, and lives under the custody of his butler rather than his father [[spoiler:because, as we find out later, said father is actually dead. Mao repressed the memory out of guilt over indirectly causing his death.]]. Sapphire's parents died when she was little, and she's rather infamous in the human world for not mourning either of their deaths. Almaz's parents aren't mentioned but, considering that he went on an almost suicidal mission to defeat the Netherworld's Overlord for the sake of a crush, we can probably assume they weren't around to stop him. Raspberyl's parents are brought up during a flashback with Mao, but they are never seen.
*** In Sapphire's case, I think it's only her mother who is dead.
** In ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4| A Promise Unforgotten}}'', [[spoiler:Fuka's mother died long ago and her father is always at work, though it turns out that her father was creating a little sister for her.]]
* It's easier to list which Creator/{{Nintendo}} characters actually ''have'' parents or explain the lack of them.
** [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus Aran]] had parents that were murdered by Space Pirates when she was very young, and she was adopted by the Chozo. And it's strongly implied that the Chozo are now all extinct. This would make Samus an orphan ''twice over!''
** ''VideoGame/StarFox'': Fox's father is mentioned in the intro, assumed to be killed by Andross. His mother is only mentioned in the comics, though. Other than that, direct relatives are scarce in the VideoGame/StarFox setting, though. Slippy has a father that isn't [[AllThereInTheManual canonically]] mentioned until ''Assault'', Peppy eventually becomes a father (the wife is only mentioned in one ending in ''Command''), but that's about it.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', aside from Ike, Mist, and Soren being parentless (well, Soren had both parents alive for some time, but unknowingly participated in the killing of his actual father, who had disowned him at birth)...
** Elincia had both her parents killed in the events starting Path of Radiance.
** Boyd, Rolf, and Oscar's story is a little complex. Boyd and Oscar had the same parents, but their mother died. Their father remarried and produced Rolf by the new wife, but then the father died, and wife number two fled. In one of this series' many instances of GuideDangIt, you have to have one of the three brothers visit one specific house in Chapter III-1 to learn this.
** Micaiah's parentage is unknown through most of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', though she's understood to be an orphan of sorts. [[spoiler: Her true heritage, making her the true Apostle of Begnion, means she was forced to flee her family when the assassination was carried out against her grandmother, though presumably either her mother or father or both remained alive long enough to conceive Sanaki, her sister, and it was never explained why the Apostleship skipped a generation like that.]]
** There's actually implications that [[spoiler: she was not aware of her heritage as Apostle of Begnion. Micaiah is not the kind of person who would order the death of her own sister, even under threat of the Blood Pact. Due to Micaiah's [[OlderThanTheyLook age being unknown,]] there is a window of error for the events and how they unfold. There is actually more reason to theorize that she lost her memory, as that would explain her ignorance of her heritage as well as help accommodate Micaiah's aging.]]
** Sothe, Laura, Aran, and Edward are explicitly stated to be orphans.
** The Heron Royals' mother is stated to have died in the Serenes Massacre, and their father was severely debilitated to the point where even Reyson, the one royal who remained with their father after the incident, was raised by Tibarn and/or Naesala.
** Jill is an inversion. She abandoned her father, a Daein General, to fight for the other side when she figured out that what he was doing was wrong. Doubly inverted in that Shiharam knew what he was doing was wrong, but had to fight for the good of the people of the Daein fiefdom that he ruled. Indeed, if Jill is made to fight her father, she'll turn into an Enemy unit.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' Chrom and Lissa's father was a warmongering tyrant, which they're still cleaning up after when the events of the game roll around. [[spoiler:The Avatar as well as the most of the second generation suffer from this as well. In the case of the children, their parents died in the war against Grima. This is brought up by most of the children during their support conversations with their parents. The Avatar's parents are revealed to be [[TheDragon Validar]] and an unnamed woman who tried to save him/her from their father.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': Niles's father abandoned his mother while she was pregnant, and his mother left shortly after giving birth to him, so soon he doesn't even remember her face. Similarly, Beruka's parents dumped her off on an assassin who raised her to be an emotionless killing machine.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': Many fans have expressed curiosity as to where Link's parents are during ''any'' of his adventures. This is perhaps most glaring in the original game in the series; since ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' is stated to be taking place a couple years after the original game, and the game's manual clearly remarks that Link is now sixteen years old, one has to wonder how young he was the first time around.
** Some of the games, however, do give Link other relatives -- he had a grandmother and a sister in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', a grandfather in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'', and an uncle in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast''. Additionally, the ExpandedUniverse of ''Link to the Past'' states that his parents are deceased, but had been Hylian Knights (yes, both of them). ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' also says his mother died and left him to be cared for by the Deku Tree before succumbing to unspecified injuries, though his father is never mentioned. In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', it's revealed that [[spoiler:his father was a royal guard, though the exact nature of his fate is never revealed]]. The other games seem to assume that Link just came into existence on his own; this is particularly JustForFun/{{egregious}} in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' because Link is said to have been a native of Skyloft, yet the students at the Knight Academy all have their families living on the small floating town except for Link himself.
** Considering how in ''Wind Waker'' Link's grandmother reacted to his quest to save Aryll (becoming ill with grief and anxiety), it's not too hard to imagine why he's an orphan in a lot of these games. It avoids the FridgeHorror element of asking what kind of parent would allow their young son to go off and experience all of that.
* In the backstory of ''Videogame/TeamFortress2'', it is tradition of Highland Demolitions Experts to abandon their children at birth until their true skills begin to emerge. In our Demoman's case, he was collected from the Crypt Grammar School for Orphans by his real parents after he was tricked into reading a cursed book that taught him all about demolitions.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''. Dante and Vergil's father, the uber-Devil Sparda who [[DefectorFromDecadence awoke to justice]], has been missing since their early childhood and both are bitter about it. It's never explicitly stated what happened, but it is suggested that he was either killed or captured by the demons. Their mother Eva was killed some time later in a demonic attack on their house. Lady's mother was [[spoiler:killed by her father as part of a sacrifice, and later pays him back in turn.]]
** Nero was not only abandoned in Fortuna at an early age by his biological parents, his ''adoptive'' parents end up dying from a demonic attack in ''his'' early childhood. No protagonist is safe from this trope.
*** Even better, Capcom has revealed that [[spoiler: his father is Vergil, who was totally absent from Nero's life, though as of ''[=DMC5=]'' Vergil didn't even know he had a son.]]
* From the makers of ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' we then get ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'' which goes all out in taking away poor Camila's parents in the cruelest ways imaginable.[[spoiler: However, thanks to the timeline-altering efforts of the two most loyal pets ever, she ends up living happily ever after with both of them alive. Fans of ''Ace Attorney'' collectively cried tears of joy upon witnessing this unexpected outcome.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'''s Spartan-[=II=]s are taken away from their parents at a young age to be raised by the military. The military made sure that the subject's parents wouldn't search for them by creating a flash clone. While flash cloning works perfectly for stuff like replacement organs, cloning a human is problematic since the accelerated growth results in the clone usually succumbing to metabolic cascade faliure after a few months.
* [[{{VideoGame/RatchetAndClank}} Ratchet]] was raised by himself. His [[DisappearedDad father]] was dead since Ratchet was a baby, and nothing is known of his {{m|issingMom}}other except that she was there at some time. So he grew up without knowing his parents on a [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything backwater]] [[Franchise/StarWars desert planet]]... not that he [[AngstWhatAngst cares in]] [[BadassNormal the slightest.]]
* Ryu Hayabusa's entire clan in VideoGame/NinjaGaiden seems to be slaughtered every game or so.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' has this. Some are a case of AllThereInTheManual, while other cases actually happen on-screen.
** The Redfields' parents died in an accident when Claire was fourteen and Chris was twenty (source: [[WordOfGod a bonus material book]] that was supplied with ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' when it first was released)
** Leon's parents were both victims of criminal activity (Leon's father was a criminal himself, actually). He was raised for most of his adolescence by one of his uncles, and he was the one who inspired Leon to become a police officer. (Source: WordOfGod)
** It's implied that Jill Valentine's mother is dead and ''something'' is up with her dad, who's [[DisappearedDad missing]] at least. In S.D Perry's novel adaptations, her father was a con artist.
** [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 Jake Muller]] is the illegitimate son of an Eastern European woman who died of illness when he was in his early teens, [[spoiler:and the series' now former BigBad, Albert Wesker. Wesker had a one-off affair with the woman, and she left for her home country not long after she got pregnant.]]
** Sherry Birkin's parents die on-screen in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2''; her mother Annette falls into a pit underground, while her father William turns into a murderous [[BodyHorror multi-eyed blob monster]] courtesy of the G-Virus that Leon and Claire are forced to put down.
** [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica The Ashford twins]] impose this ''[[SelfMadeOrphan upon themselves]]'' by torturing their father Alexander and [[spoiler:turning him into the monster Nosferatu, which Claire kills during the game.]]
** Barry Burton is the only protagonist who has a family -a wife and two daughters. While all of them are alive and well, it is possible for him to [[FinalDeath be killed off]] during the first game and its remake, putting this in effect for his daughters.
* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', every member of SEES has parents who are either distant or dead. That makes it a lot easier to go live in a dorm full of teenagers and a creepy old guy, and ''a lot'' easier to go out at midnight on a near daily basis.
** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'': Most of your party has parents who are never seen or are outright dead:
*** The Protagonist, Ryuji, and Ann have parents, but they are never seen and at best are rarely brought up. In Ryuji's case it's due to having an [[AbusiveParents abusive dad]], and in the Protagonist's because they want nothing to do with you while you're on probation. Ann though has no reason given for her parents never being involved.
*** Yusuke, Futaba and Makoto lost both their parents. Yusuke was taken in by Madarame, Futaba was adopted by Sojiro, and Makoto lives with her sister. Haru and Goro both lost their mothers [[spoiler:with Haru's father dying partway through the game and Goro's father having abandoned his mother before he was even born.]]
* Jade's parents in ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'' disappeared mysteriously when she was an infant; she was raised by her father's best friend. [[spoiler:A FinalSpeech by an AlmostDeadGuy near the end of the game implies that they were killed trying to protect her... And the BigBad himself implies that she ''never had any,'' due to her nature as a MacGuffinTurnedHuman.]]
* Joey La Rocca, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/TheSopranosRoadToRespect'', is the illegitimate child to Big Pussy Bonpensiero ([[CanonForeigner although he's never seen on the show]]).

** Aethyta faced what may be one of the funniest examples ever. Her father was a veteran of the Rachni Wars, while both of her parents fought on opposite sides of the Krogan Rebellions. Aethyta's mother figured things out pretty quickly, but stayed quiet while Aethyta's father boasted. He was pushing a thousand and she was a matriarch when he finally found out. They called up Aethyta - who was about a hundred years old and working as a stripper - to tell her that they were going to have it out and she should keep loving whichever one survived. In Aethyta's words: "Turned out to be ''damned easy'', since neither one did. Family, huh? What a kick in the quad."

* Why should we let the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' roster off easy?
** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': Most of the possible Wardens have bad stuff happen to their families - in fact, the only origin where they're both present puts them through DeathByOriginStory almost immediately. Zevran is the son of a brothel worker who suffered DeathByChildbirth. Alistair couldn't be acknowledged by his parents due to him [[spoiler: being a Royal Bastard]], and his substitute father figure sent him to a monastery after marrying. Leliana's mother had her out of wedlock and died young. Morrigan never knew her father and her mother is... a whole other kettle of fish. Circle mages get this both ways; not only are they allowed little to no contact with their families, but any children they have in the Circle are taken from them almost at once. In Wynne's case, she never knew her real parents at all - her earliest memory is of hiding in a hayloft to keep warm. The farmer's family took her in until her powers manifested. She herself is a MissingMom to the son who was taken from her in the Circle. The Qunari simply practice NoBloodTies, so Sten has never known his parents.
*** The ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening Awakening]]'' DLC cast doesn't get off lightly either. Velanna's parents are implied to be dead, with her sister being her only living relative. Nathaniel's parents are definitely dead; the Warden killed his father during the main game.
** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'': Hawke's father is already dead when the game starts. [[spoiler: Their mother, Leandra, is murdered late in the game's second act.]] Anders, being a Circle mage, hasn't seen his parents since he was taken from them as a child. Isabela never knew her father, and her mother sold her into a loveless marriage. Both of Aveline's parents are dead. Merrill left the clan she was born in to train as another clan's Keeper, and hasn't seen her parents in years. Varric's father died when he was a toddler, and his mother [[LadyDrunk drank herself to death]] a few years before the game. Fenris is an amnesiac ex-slave with no memory of his family, and [[spoiler: his mother is confirmed to be dead by his sister.]] DLC-only companion Sebastian is introduced seeking revenge for the murder of his entire family. Get the idea?
** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'': Possibly averted or played straight with the Inquisitor, depending on which race and dialogue options are chosen. Cassandra's parents were executed when she was a child, after they tried to overthrow the King of Nevarra. Sera was orphaned when she was too young to remember her parents and her ParentalSubstitute has also died. The Iron Bull, like Sten, doesn't know his parents due to Qunari custom. Vivienne, being a Circle mage, was taken from her parents when she was very young. Dorian's parents are both still alive but he is not on speaking terms with them, [[spoiler: and his father is assassinated in the year between the main game and ''Trespasser''.]] Cullen's parents died during the events of the first game, although this is revealed more in supplemental material than in the game proper.
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** It's easier to list who ''is'' over 18 or has parents or guardians. You'd think the social workers would come poking around to see why there is an eight-year-old living on his own in the middle of a factory, with a 15-year-old best friend that's constantly running away, and cart him off to a care home; apparently not.
** Blaze the Cat is a 14-year-old princess who guards the Sol Emeralds, her world's equivalent to the Chaos Emerald. In ''VideoGame/SonicRush'', she tells Sonic that she had always been alone; but in the sequel, ''Sonic Rush Adventure'', it's stated that she has a living family, although they are unseen.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia:'' Not only are both of Vyse's parents alive, he's on good terms with them, and they encourage him to go out adventuring.
** Played straight with his friend Aika however, who lost both her parents before the game began. However, save one cutscene, she never really angsts over it.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'': Roll Caskett-both mom and dad are missing.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'': Vent and Aile-their parents got killed by the Serpent group.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'': Geo Stelar-his mom is alive but his dad is missing.
*** ''Star Force'' also takes it one step further with Sonia Strumm, as her mom died 3 months before the main story and Pat Sprigs, who like Roll Caskett, Vent and Aile has both parents missing.

* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''VideoGame/EarthBound''. Ness's parents are alive and present throughout the adventure, apparently pleased that their son is engaging in a potentially lethal quest to save the world. However, his father is never seen for the entirety of the game, only talking to Ness through phone conversations to save the game.
** It's the same situation for Ninten in ''[[VideoGame/MOTHER1 Earthbound Zero]]'' game. Although there was a (ultimately abandoned) SequelHook that seemed to imply his father would be more involved.
** ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}''. Don't get us started on ''Mother 3''. In the same night Lucas loses both his mother and his twin. He still has his father, but Flint's reserved, and everyday is out either at his wife's grave or still searching for his son.
* Dustil Onasi in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' thinks his father Carth abandoned him. Carth at least had something of an excuse, since he believed his son had been killed during the Sith bombardment of Telos.
* ''VideoGame/OverlordII'': Not only is the Overlad's father stuck in The Abyss, [[spoiler:his mother Rose soon after giving birth to him leaves him in a village where [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer he's hated]] for being a CreepyChild who shoots lightning out of his hands to assist TheEmpire in what she thought would be the restoration of order to the lands by assisting Florian's conquest of the lands.]]
* ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'', where the narrator's parents die after a downed plane crashes into the cape where the family home is. In ''Joint Assault'' [[spoiler: Sulejmani's]] FreudianExcuse is that he was sold off by his parents to be a {{Child Soldier|s}}.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'', one of the rare {{RPG}}s to do so. The main character, Alex, not only has both parents intact, they manage to survive to the end, despite being abducted halfway through the game.
** The sequel, ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'' plays this trope straight, however. Hiro is raised by his grandfather, with no mention of any parents.
* In the ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' series, there are only five fathers and mothers are only mentioned in passing.

** And in the latest reboot, Amelia Croft died in a plane crash, while Richard was murdered and the death made to look like a suicide - with a young Lara being the one to find the body.
* In ''VideoGame/DungeonFighterOnline'', both the Fighter and the Slayer have lost their parents. The Fighter lost her parents to monsters, but the manner in which the Slayer lost his parents was [[DemonicPossession much]] [[SelfMadeOrphan more]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone sinister]].
* The surprisingly dark twist of the otherwise child-friendly Scenario A in obscure DS RPG ''VideoGame/DeepLabyrinth'' is that the main character - a young boy - must come to terms with the fact that his parents' marriage is failing and they both harbor feelings of resentment towards each other and him.

* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' nearly takes this UpToEleven. ''No one'' has two parents, and most of the cast has none whatsoever, and there is absolutely no explanation. The missing relatives are as follows: Raven, Gaius, Pia, Kuruna, Oromis, Zaid, Daria, Shara, Monica, and Marion have no parents. Sakuya and Karina have no father. Sofia, Evelyn, Colette, and Rusk have no mother. To the best of my knowledge, the only character who actually acknowledges the fact that she has no living family is Raven. [[spoiler: The hero's father gets one line of dialogue in a flashback, and the hero calls for his mother in the same flashback, but otherwise they never appear.]]
** Blaise (Colette and Rusk's father) does occasionally mention his "dear wife's cooking", so she may have existed at some point.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestII Princess of Moonbrooke's]] father sacrifices his life to save his daughter from the BigBad.
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIII The Hero III's]] father dies in a heroic battle with the BigBad.
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIV The Hero IV]] has a loving adopted family until his/her parents are killed off at the beginning of his/her chapter. During his/her chapter, it's revealed that [[spoiler: the Hero's real father is dead, while his/her mother is alive. The Hero's mother, a Zenethian, had a forbidden relationship with the Hero's father, a human. The Hero's mother was punished, by her husband being killed, while she was forced back to Zenithia, forbidden to raise her child.]] Also, very early on in his/her chapter, the Hero can meet his/her [[spoiler: grandfather, though neither of them know of their relation to each other when this occurs.]]
*** Maya and Meena's father is killed. No mother is mentioned.
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestV The Hero V]] doesn't know his mother. [[spoiler:His father takes him on a quest to find her. Then Pankraz is killed, telling TheHero to search for her mother before she dies, thus the major objective of the game after the TimeSkip.]]
*** Bianca's mother dies from illness between the TimeSkip.
*** Parry and Madchen have this issue [[spoiler:because their parents, TheHero and his wife, are cursed into stones for years.]]
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestVI The Hero VI]] has only his sister. [[spoiler:Except not really, it turns out that both your parents are quite alive and after you find them, are quite helpful and play a role in the plot. Making this the biggest aversion of this trope in the whole series.]]
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII The Hero VIII]] doesn't seem to have any parents. [[spoiler:His relatives are dragons.]]
** [[VideoGame/DragonQuestXI The Luminary]] gets hit with this twice over. His biological parents where both killed shortly after his birth when his home kingdom was overrun by monsters, and his adoptive mother Amber was killed when King Carnelian ordered his childhood home slaughtered to the last man. [[spoiler:Except not really. One of the first things the Luminary discovers post-TimeSkip is that Hendrick had everyone in Cobblestone imprisoned in the dungeon instead of killing them and they were all released once Carnelian was freed from Mordegon's mind control. Amber is still alive and well by the time the credits roll.]]
** Jade also got hit with this pretty hard, with her biological mother dying shortly after she was born and her surrogate mother ([[spoiler:The Luminary's biological mother]]) being murdered when she was only four. Her father actually is alive, but they've been estranged ever since she was a child [[spoiler:due to him being possesed by Mordegon.]]
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'' cutscence for when for when your creature family migrates to a new nest, one of the adults will stay behind to watch over the eggs. Your creature then hatches and you have to find the new nest.
* Eroge ''VisualNovel/SnowSakura'', Yuuji Tachibana has jerkass parents who force him to move from Tokyo to Hokkaido to live with an uncle and a {{tsundere}} female cousin while they have a nice, long holiday in Hawaii.
* ''VideoGame/NieR''
** Depending on the version, either Yonah and Nier have lost both their parents (''Replicant''), or Yonah has lost her mother and her father Nier spends a very good deal of time searching for a cure for her condition (''Gestalt'').
** Jakob and Gideon lose their mother, the Masked King lost his father, and both Fyra and Kainé were abandoned by their parents.
* ''VideoGame/AdvancedVariableGeo'': Satomi's parents died in a car accident. The whereabouts of most other characters' are never elaborated upon, although in Erina's case, her desperate longing to bring her grandmother to Japan might be a good indicator that her parents are gone as well.
* In the DatingSim ''Videogame/AlwaysRememberMe'', the protagonist's parents died in a car crash before the game, and she is currently under the care of [[ParentalSubstitute her aunt]].
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** The Sload, a race of "slugmen" native to the archipelago of Thras to the southwest of Tamriel, are a species of {{hermaphrodite}}s that have no interest in the fate of their (grub-like) offspring.
** That the PlayerCharacter's parents are unknown is an important plot point in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' ('born on a certain day to uncertain parents...').
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'':
*** The player determines whether or not the Dragonborn's parents are alive in dialogue options in the ''Dawnguard'' DLC when Serana inquires after them.
*** Vilkas and Farkas, the twin brothers in the Companions guild, have this in their backstory. They have no memory of their mother at all; they were brought to the guildhall as small children by Jergen, a Companion who may or may not have been their father, but filled the role until he left to fight in the Great War, and he never came back.
* In a contrast from the partners of the previous games, your partner in ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonGatesToInfinity'' actually brings up their past and mentions that they've been alone from the moment they were born. It's their concern that the hero might not be the same (When asked about this, they simply respond with VisibleSilence) that [[spoiler: helps them accept that they have to return to their world in the ending, and also initially makes them reluctant to try bringing them back in the post-credits segment]].
* In both the NES and Wii versions of ''VideoGame/ABoyAndHisBlob'', the boy's parents are never seen, even when he's at home. This is especially disturbing in the Wii version, since the extra material states that the boy is supposed to be around ''six years old''.
* The Firstborn from ''VideoGame/CliveBarkersJericho''. Oh, and the parent just happens to be ''God''. Who booted the Firstborn ''out of reality itself''. The Firstborn is understandably pissed at humanity for being favored over him.

* ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'':
** Only ONE of the main characters (Melia) has a parent that actually appears in game. Her father is Sorean Antiqua, King of the High Entia. Her mother is not seen and is only mentioned in passing, but this is likely justified as she was [[spoiler: the second (Homs) consort]] and likely died long before the beginning of the game.
** Shulk's parents are mentioned; they, along with many other members of their expedition were killed [[spoiler: when the Monado absorbed their life forces to awaken Zanza's soul]].
** Dunban is Fiora's older brother and acts much like a father to her (Riki even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this) but their parents are only ever mentioned in passing.
** Sharla, Reyn, and Riki's are not mentioned at all, though Riki may be justified since his back story revolves around HIS OWN wife and children.
* Happens are few times in the ''Franchise/ShiningSeries'':
** ''VideoGame/ShiningWisdom'': Mars' parents are nowhere to be seen, his father died in battle while is mother only gets a passing mention, he's looked after by his grandparents.
** ''VideoGame/ShiningForceIII'' Synbios only has his father at the start of the game, his mother if barely mentioned. Then near the end of the game you see him poisoned and killed before your eyes.
** Julian, the protagonist of the [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo third part]], had his parents killed in the prequel ''VideoGame/ShiningTheHolyArk'' which set him on this adventure to kill all the Vandals, Galm in particular.
* In ''VideoGame/AWitchsTale'', Liddell was abandoned by her mother at the school at a young age.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Amea}}'', [[spoiler:the fact that her parents had abandoned her was the reason why Amea joined the Cult of The Eye in the first place.]]
* [[spoiler:Jeros]] in ''VideoGame/LufiaIIRiseOfTheSinistrals'' ends up abandoned by his parents, as [[spoiler:Maxim and Selan both die on Doom Island]]. [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/LufiaCurseOfTheSinistrals The remake]]'s NewGamePlus ending averts this.]]
* In ''VideoGame/HometownStory'':
** Steve, one of the bachelors, is the only youngster with both his parents around.
** Yumi, who looks younger than the bachelorettes and the female main character, seems to be living alone.
** Both justified (due to being from out of town) and a plot point for Shinji.
** A later Miyo-Haruka event has the latter mention her father.
* VideoGame/ProfessorLayton's adopted daughter, Flora Reinhold, suffers from this trope. [[spoiler: When Flora was little, her mother died. Her father had a village built and populated by {{Ridiculously Human Robot}}s. After her father's death, Flora was RaisedByRobots (and the human caretaker) until Professor Layton came to the village.]]
** Layton himself has an unfortunate track record for abandoning Flora. He often invokes DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou, citing that it would be too dangerous to bring a young lady on his adventures, but she's nevertheless often hurt by this, and resorts to sneaking along on the adventures in the second and third games. This frequently leads to her being a DamselInDistress and/or DesignatedVictim.
* ''VideoGame/TheCaligulaEffect'' has a case where you actually meet the ''parents'' and not the child. [[spoiler:Kotono and Ryosuke had sex shortly before graduating high school, and Ryosuke disappeared after graduation, leaving Kotono to raise the child with her mother. However, two years later, Kotono grows sick of being a single parent, and uses parties as an escape. As a result of this, she ends up in Mobius, where she's now been, away from her son, for two years.]]
* A lot of the cast of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' have family issues.
** Rean: Adopted. [[spoiler:His biological father is eventually revealed to be alive, but an enemy. Biological mother really is dead.]]
** Alisa: Mother is a workaholic who only spares time to have dinner with her only child roughly once a month. Father deceased[[spoiler:, later revealed to be alive and an enemy.]] Grandfather moved away after retiring. Alisa was essentially raised by the maid.
** Machias: Mother deceased, father usually busy with a very high-level government position.
** Jusis: Mother deceased, relationship with father highly strained[[spoiler:, later becoming an enemy]].
** Elliot: Mother deceased, doesn't spend much time with his father because Elliot lives in his mother's home in the capital with his sister while his father commands an army division on the border. Relationship mildly strained over a dispute about Elliot's future career, which eventually gets resolved amicably.
** Laura: Mother deceased, actually has stable relationship with surviving parent.
** Crow: Parents deceased, raised by grandparent, who is also deceased.
** Emma: Parents never mentioned, raised by grandparent.
** Millium: Never had parents, raised by a grandparental figure.
** Fie: Orphaned, adopted, orphaned again, then everyone else in her surrogate family abandoned her [[spoiler:at her adoptive father's request.]]
** This leaves Gaius as the only member of the original Class VII to have a stable, two-parent home.
* ''VideoGame/AnotherCode'': Ashley's parents are both gone by her third birthday, leaving her with her Aunt Jessica. Dad coming back into her life is the plot of both games. [[spoiler:Mom's kinda dead, though.]]
* ''VideoGame/SpiritsOfAnglerwoodForest'': Edgar's father leaves on a two day trip, but never comes home. His mother is just gone the next morning. Their disappearance is what jump-starts the plot of the game. [[spoiler: Ezra's parents also never came back after he went to Angler's Maw. It's implied they were turned into trees.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'': For each new generation it gives birth to, your pet Tamagotchi from the previous one simply leaves with no explanation, forcing you to care for the new baby yourself - from the Plus Color onward, the parent doesn't even stick around for more than a couple of minutes. Averted for the Version 5 series, where the parents do stick around.

** Vetra Nyx's mother wanted nothing to do with her children after she divorced their father, and their father disappeared when Vetra was a teenager, forcing Vetra to [[PromotionToParent raise her much younger sister Sidera herself]]. Vetra never found out if her father was killed or if he just ran away.

** Lloyd: Mother killed, adopted by a dwarf. [[spoiler:Finds out later that his father [[MercyKill killed his mother to save him]], is still alive, and [[OedipusComplex is the right-hand man of the BigBad.]]]]

** Raine and Genis: [[spoiler:Father died, mother abandoned them at a dimensional gate to escape persecution, leaving them to fend for themselves in another world. Mother later went insane with grief over having to do this and, upon meeting her children again twelve years later, fails to even acknowledge them, instead treating a ragdoll as her still-infant daughter and believing she's pregnant with his now preteen son.]]

* ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona Persona]]'':

*** Bianca's mother dies from illness between the TimeSkip. [[spoiler:In the original game her father will also pass away if chosen over Nera.]] This thankfully dosen't happen in the remakes.

* ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'': For each new generation it gives birth to, your pet Tamagotchi from the previous one simply leaves, with no explanation - from the Plus Color onward, the parent doesn't even stick around for more than a couple of minutes. Averted for the Version 5 series, where the parents do stick around.

** [[VideoGame/DragonQustXI The Luminary]] gets hit with this twice over. His biological parents where both killed shortly after his birth when his home kingdom was overrun by monsters, and his adoptive mother Amber was killed when King Carnelian ordered his childhood home slaughtered to the last man. [[spoiler:Except not really. One of the first things the Luminary discovers post-TimeSkip is that Hendrick had everyone in Cobblestone imprisoned in the dungeon instead of killing them and they were all released once Carnelian was freed from Mordegon's mind control. Amber is still alive and well by the time the credits roll.]]

** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'': Hawke's father is already dead when the game starts. [[spoiler: Their mother, Leandra, is murdered late in the game's second act.]] Anders, being a Circle mage, hasn't seen his parents since he was taken from them as a child. Isabela never knew her father, and her mother sold her into a loveless marriage. Both of Aveline's parents are dead. Merrill left the clan she was born in to train as another clan's Keeper, and hasn't seen her parents in years. Varric's father died when he was a toddler, and his mother [[LadyDrunk drank herself to death]] a few years before the game. Fenris is an amnesiac ex-slave with no memory of his family, and [[spoiler: his mother is confirmed to be dead by his sister]]. DLC-only companion Sebastian is introduced seeking revenge for the murder of his entire family. Get the idea?