History TrailersAlwaysSpoil / Videogames

* Not a trailer, but a preview nonetheless of ''VideoGame/CaveStory'''s UsefulNotes/DSiWare port in ''Magazine/NintendoPower'' casually mentions that you play as a character named Quote, something that you should only learn late in the game if you fulfilled the complex conditions needed to obtain the GoldenEnding.

* When ''The Twin Snakes'', the ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' remake for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, was wrapping up production, several trailers were released spoiling the gene storyline (ingame, no mention of it is made until near the end) and dropping an extremely obvious hint as to who the Ninja was by playing a later clip over his introductory scene.

** Considering the UsefulNotes/PlayStation version came out four years earlier, this was more of a LateArrivalSpoiler.

* Several trailers for ''[[VideoGame/PharaohRebirth Pharaoh Rebirth+]]'' spoil various parts of the level exclusive to the Steam version, including the second form of the BonusBoss.

* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange2'' had a whole [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPpzm08JvRg gameplay trailer]] which was a playthrough of almost the entire prologue (a few scenes and many interactions were cut out/ignored). The spoiler comes from the fact that the death of Sean and Daniel's father Esteban Diaz was shown at the very end of the video. Hell, his death is even spoiled in the plot summary for the game. Granted, it would be pretty hard ''not'' to spoil his death considering that's the driving force of the plot, especially with the game's episodic nature often having to spoil previous episodes in order to recap them, but it's still possible.

* ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'' had a mission shown on Website/YouTube to promote the game. Unfortunately the mission they chose was Mrs. Chu's Revenge and they even gave the spoileriffic ''name'' of the mission. Anyone who saw that video probably knew what would happen to Winston by the first fifteen minutes of the game.

* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTensei'':

** While not trailer-related, Sega of America is a huge offender when it comes to media and ads related to Sonic games. The American manual of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' has the story, but when you turn the page... ''BAM!'' The second picture shows a snapshot of the start of the final boss of the entire game. If you read the manual before turning on the game, good luck getting to it. The App Store page for the 2013 remake is just as bad about it, as [[http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Purple/v4/e4/5a/63/e45a63fb-7a72-b069-3049-4ae45668e214/screen568x568.jpeg the screenshot advertising the Boss Attack mode]] showed the ''exact same boss''. A ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog3 Sonic & Knuckles]]'' ad in English also shows screens of Sonic and Knuckles' respective final bosses.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

** One of the trailers for ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Sonic and the Black Knight]]'' reveals Excalibur Sonic.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI'' begins with the protagonist Clive swearing vengeance on the Dominant of Ifrit, responsible for the murder of his brother Joshua. However, all the marketing trailers and official art already strongly suggested that Clive himself was Ifrit's Dominant, having [[TraumaInducedAmnesia disassociated from the memory]] to spare himself the guilt of having killed his own little brother. Granted the twist comes fairly early in the story.

* The trailers for ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' gave away things like the true intentions of the Order of the Sword, the failure of an attempted ShootTheDog incident, and the continued importance of the demonic katana Yamato.

!!As this is a spoiler trope, ALL SPOILERS ARE UNMARKED.

* The ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub [[UpdatedRerelease Plus]]'' promotional material spoils the [[SurpriseCreepy major twist]] that the game is psychological horror, not a cutesy dating sim. However, most people who know enough about the game to buy the expanded edition know this point already. Because Team Salvato's logic for making the original game free-to-play was so people who thought the game was an average dating sim wouldn't feel scammed for paying for it, and the ''Plus'' version of the game is paid, it makes sense that they'd be more upfront about the true nature of the game for ''Plus''.

* In a subtle example, Creator/RockstarGames [[HiddenInPlainSight snuck a huge spoiler right by its fans]] when it released the very first official pieces of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' concept art. One of the sketches depicts [[PlayerCharacter Franklin, Michael and Trevor]] hovering over [[BigBadWannabe Devon Weston]], who is [[TrunkShot currently locked in their trunk.]] Despite being a scene from the ''very end of the game'', it was completely innocent out of context. Not to mention you couldn't see who was in the trunk.

* ''VideoGame/TimeSplittersFuturePerfect'' deserves a special mention; if you can't do a puzzle in an early level, go to the main menu, wait for the game to go into AttractMode and watch a character do it for you. It is a very easy puzzle, admittedly, but still.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** The DS remake of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' runs into this headlong with its opening cinematic, its instruction manual, and even the back of the box. Square Enix must feel that all the info for a game approaching its twentieth birthday must qualify as ItWasHisSled.
** The instruction manual originally packaged with the North American SNES version included a walkthrough that spoiled the plot for about half of the game; just flipping through it randomly could spoil at least three {{Plotline Death}}s for you.
*** The manual spoiled even further by giving item lists that mentioned every character class in the game that could equip them. So anyone who read it over and noted that they haven't seen anyone with the class Lunarian yet could easily figure out that anything before The Giant Of Babel, the major dungeon following the recruitment of said Lunarian [[DiscOneFinalDungeon would not be the final dungeon]].
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' included a map of The World of Ruin, which is what the game world turns into halfway through, with the game. It also gives away the magic system (which has some storyline significance). Not to mention listing all the characters with mini-bios (giving away a few {{Heel Face Turn}}s) and their abilities. The latter gives away the twist that Terra is a half-esper.
** One of the commercials for ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' showed [[PlotlineDeath Aerith's death scene]], which probably helped cement its ItWasHisSled status. The voice-over for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb2qEqR7kgg&feature=related at least one of these commercials]] also said "A love that can never be." HINT HINT! Coupled with the fact that the advertisement's narration is terribly cheesy and the teaser itself is [[NeverTrustATrailer quite misleading]], this is a particularly ''egregious'' example.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'''s trailer has a prominent scene with all six characters flying on the back of a monster thing. Playing through the game, you get to a part where Sazh "commits suicide", but this scene hasn't happened yet. Clues you in that he's still alive! Also, he gets his summon right before that seemingly happens without giving you a chance to use it. It was shown in use in the trailers.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has a trailer play if you launch the game and leave it idle without logging into the server. People who own the ''Heavensward'' expansion pack are treated to a trailer where it shows a major NPC dying from a poisoned drink in the 2.5 storyline. Many fans were livid at Square-Enix for showing off a major spoiler for people who didn't reach that point in the story yet. [[spoiler: Not all is as it seems since it's revealed in the expansion pack's story that the character never died at all and was just put into a deep sleep.]] The trailer for ''Shadowbringers'' also spoils the fact that a major NPC whose soul was called elsewhere is alive and well in the trailer.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyBraveExvius'': The 2018 Global Fan Festa spoiled the existence and appearance of two major characters, Juraga and Faisalith, before they were introduced to the Global version of the game proper. Also an egregious example because in a panel the day before the developers flat out did not want to spoil anything about Faisalith, not even her gender or ''name,'' only for her to appear in the art gallery and during the orchestral performance.
** ZigZagged by ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin''. Initially, the advertisements for the game kept the big twist close to the vest. However, after the second demo, players started to figure out that [[spoiler:[[TomatoInTheMirror Jack is the one who will become Chaos]], and the party members will become the Four Fiends]]. Once the theory became widespread online, the trailers all but confirmed it and instead shifted focus onto the mystery of ''how'' it happens.
* Aqua's (temporary) FaceHeelTurn in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' would've been shocking were it not for the trailers blatantly spoiling it.
* The intro sequence for ''[[VideoGame/{{Boktai}} Lunar Knights]]'' is actually a montage of all of the cut-scenes in the game.
* The trailer for ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration Gaiden'' shows [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsReversal Fiona Guredan]] alive, and with her final HumongousMecha. This ruins the suspense of if she survived the malfunctioning Time Flow engine when her mecha was badly damaged..
** Some would argue that being a spoiler, considering the existence of the Excellence Eternal, the MidSeasonUpgrade that only she uses, in ''Super Robot Wars R''.
** In actuality, the whole bonus segment in ''Original Generations'' were like an interactive trailer for ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars Original Generation Gaiden'', thus the main story of the bonus sections got carried over to the Gaiden. Including the death of [[PlayerPunch Lamia Loveless]]. Her [[BrainwashedAndCrazy rebirth in different circumstances]] was still well hidden in the commercial videos. As well as the inclusion of the Cry Wolves of the MX series and [[BackFromTheDead the return]] [[HeelFaceTurn and redemption]] of both Axel Almer and Alfimi.
* The trailers for ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' gave away things like the true intentions of the Order of the Sword, the failure of an attempted ShootTheDog incident, and the continued importance of the demonic katana Yamato.
* Several previews also spoiled the big twist in ''VideoGame/{{STALKER}}'' on who the player character is.
* Multiple previews for ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando'' had the amazing distinction of spoiling ''half'' the game's plot, including the thief's real name and gender (which you learn halfway through the game) and the purpose of the "experiment" (not referenced in-game until just before the final boss battle).
** For the third game, the true nature of Dr Nefarious' plan and the [[UnwillingRoboticisation literal mechanisation]] of the entire Tyrrhanoid race were similarly spoilt. These things are explained around halfway and two thirds of the way into the game, respectively.
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem Radiant Dawn'' is notable for having a press release that basically outlined the entire game's plot. This included the revealing of the true identity of the Black Knight, which was never revealed in the previous game Path of Radiance, but also only revealed near the end of Radiant Dawn.
* The first official English trailer for ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' contains rapid-fire clips from Ryoma and Xander's fight cutscenes, heavily implies something bad will happen to Mikoto (showing a scene of a dark explosion and Sakura screaming "Mother!") and that Elise will die on at least one path. [[spoiler: True enough, the clip shown turned out to be from Elise's death scene on Birthright.]]
* Although it's so disjointed that it may not be recognizable until you actually play it, the in-game trailer to ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders: The 2nd Runner'' pretty much shows the entire game, every stage, every boss fight (with the exception of the FinalBoss). It also shows pretty much the entire story, including clips from the Ending.
* The trailer for ''VideoGame/StarCraftI'''s ExpansionPack, which features several clips of a military funeral interspliced between the imagery of awesome carnage. The fact that the coffin had the banner of the United Earth Directorate on it meant that a major UED character was going to die, though it didn't become clear until the second-to-the-last Terran mission.
* The manual for ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2: Mask of the Betrayer'' advises you to read certain pages only after you've seen the twist at the end of act one. This would have been useful advice if the Spirit Eater curse hadn't featured so prominently in the game's prerelease hype.
** The base game did a decent job faking you out for the first two acts that the warlock you keep running into is either the King of Shadows or yet another one of his minions since Ammon Jerro is believed to be long dead and he attacks every other faction. It also has the mystery of the silver shards, one of which is embedded in the PC's chest, in the first act. Too bad the trailer (reused as the intro movie no less) showed the two fighting each other in your home village and a Githyanki silver sword exploding at the end of it.
* In ''VisualNovel/TimeHollow'', you get a fleeting 'flashback' of someone falling past the top of a window, and from your perspective all you can tell is that the person's probably female and a student at the high school. Unless you watched the opening trailer, in which case you know who it is right off the bat, making it painful whenever Ethan recalls it and thinks "GEE I WONDER WHO THAT WAS."
* The blurb on the back of the case for ''VideoGame/RondoOfSwords'' spoils that you're actually playing the prince's body double, not the prince himself. This isn't as huge a spoiler as it sounds -- it's revealed after the very first stage -- but the game was very obviously written with the intention of keeping it a secret until this (early) reveal.
* The trailer for ''VideoGame/GrimFandango'' spoiled the [[DeaderThanDead sproutings]] of Don Copal and Lola.
* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'':
** The trailer for ''VideoGame/CrashOfTheTitans'' reveals that Doctor Neo Cortex is replaced by his niece.
** The manual for ''VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity'' spoils almost everything significant to the plot in the first three quarters of the game.

** Most trailers for ''Ace Attorney'' games blatantly give away the culprit of the game's first case. Though in some cases, the case turns out to be a ReverseWhodunnit anyway, and even when they aren't the first culprit is often a WarmupBoss and thus made completley obvious within the game itself.

* The instruction manual for ''VideoGame/TotallyRad'' reveals master magician Zebediah's secret at least three times until they actually lampshade this trope.
* One of the plot twists in ''VideoGame/JakIIRenegade'' that couldn't be seen coming three miles away is that the game is set in the future. Unless you watched ''any'' trailer, of course, where it's explicitly stated by the characters.
* When ''The Twin Snakes'', the ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' remake for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, was wrapping up production, several trailers were released spoiling the gene storyline (ingame, no mention of it is made until near the end) and dropping an extremely obvious hint as to who the Ninja was by playing a later clip over his introductory scene.
-->'''Ninja''': Do you remember me now?
-->'''Snake''': It can't be... you were killed in Zanzibar Land...
** Not to mention Snake being tricked into activating Metal Gear by accident.
-->'''Terminal''': PAL code number three confirmed. PAL code entry complete. Detonation code activated.
-->'''Snake''':It's moving... But how do I stop it!?
** Considering the UsefulNotes/PlayStation version came out four years earlier, this was more of a LateArrivalSpoiler.
*** And the Ninja example wasn't much of a spoiler to non-Japanese audiences, since ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' [[NoExportForYou didn't get an international release]] until ''Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence''.
** Also similar to the above ''Phantom Menace'' and ''Gundam SEED'' examples above, ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' features a track labeled "Natasha's Death" (Gustava Heffner in the re-relased versions).
** {{Creator/Konami}} went to great lengths to keep Raiden a secret until the release of ''Metal Gear Solid 2''. Unfortunately, even that wasn't enough to get around different release dates and almost every British gaming magazine which ran a story on the game that featured that. In an amusing inversion, however, many magazines were able to avoid spoiling the plot by making out that Snake had ''died'' on the Tanker, something the supporting characters treat as correct until halfway through.
** The instruction manual also spells out that there will be a part of the game where you play as someone named Raiden who defuses bombs and uses a sword (it gives the controls for both). Although gamers reading it might assume that this will be a small part of the game, not the majority. But by the time ''The Essential Collection'' for [=PS2=] came out, everyone knew about Raiden, so the manual for ''Metal Gear Solid 2'' mentions that you will be playing as Raiden for the majority.
** In ''Metal Gear Solid 4'', the Metal Gears themselves don't play much of a role until Act 4. Screenshots showed Snake in the cockpit of a reactivated, railgun-less REX and RAY in a snow-covered harbour. There's not much of their relevance to the plot that isn't spoilt by those facts.
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** Metal Sonic is supposed to be the final boss of ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' and the secret BigBad manipulating things behind scenes, and the game and its manual treat him as a mysterious figure, refusing to call him by his true name until the final moments of the game. Despite all this, Sega of America heavily promoted the game with Metal Sonic's image.
** Elise's bio in the English website of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' gave away the fact that she has Iblis sealed inside her and would release him upon crying. In-game, this bit of information is kept a secret until the player is well into Silver's story, with the only hint given prior to that being that Eggman wants her because she's key to the mystery of the Flames of Disaster.
** Before ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' was released, there was at least one trailer for EACH ZONE except the last, on BOTH versions of the game. What's worse is this: The trailers were each around a minute long, and usually showed both day and night stages. Each zone in the Wii/[=PS2=] version (save one) has ONE primary day stage, that can be easily beaten in somewhere around three minutes (a requirement for all medals, actually). Therefore, at least a sixth of each stage was spoiled. In at least two cases, this included the GOAL RING.
** One of the trailers for ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Sonic and the Black Knight]]'' reveals Excalibur Sonic.
** ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' was also bad about this. For a game all about reliving Sonic's history, they revealed literally every stage, boss, and rival in the game except for the final boss (the only one not to be from a previous game) in the trailers leading up to release.
** While not trailer-related, Sega of America is a huge offender when it comes to media and ads related to Sonic games. The American manual of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' has the story, but when you turn the page... ''BAM!'' The second picture shows a snapshot of the start of the final boss of the entire game. If you read the manual before turning on the game, good luck getting to it. The App Store page for the 2013 remake is just as bad about it, as [[http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Purple/v4/e4/5a/63/e45a63fb-7a72-b069-3049-4ae45668e214/screen568x568.jpeg the screenshot advertising the Boss Attack mode]] showed the ''exact same boss''. A ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog3 Sonic & Knuckles]]'' ad in English also shows screens of Sonic and Knuckles' respective final bosses.
** ''Sonic'' manuals tend to have a section listing the game's zones, with screenshots and descriptions. At least the Japanese manuals leave out the final level, unlike the English manuals, which even include the secret unlockable final zone.
** The launcher of the PC port of ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' shows nearly all zones (only missing ones are Hidden Palace Zone and the secret final level), with their names and accompanying screens.
** The back of the American ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Sonic CD]]'' box art shows the game's last two bosses and the last special stage.
* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
** The trailer for ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'' shows the final bosses of all three games. This could also be an example of LateArrivalSpoiler.
** Years before, [[https://youtu.be/__FmeAQpSoY one of the ads]] for ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'' showed a clip of the fight with the final boss of the game.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'''s live-action trailer runs through a brief highlight reel of Samus Aran's past, including her discovery of a baby Metroid (from ''II'') and the death of what is ostensibly the same Metroid (from ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'') as Samus reaches up towards it, thus spoiling part of the final fight for that installment.
* Done in the opening sequence of ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou''. It spoils the whole plot, alright, but the player won't realize it until they've beaten the game.
** Similar case with ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition'' - the first profiling sequence is a lightning-speed montage of every major twist and plot reveal.
* ''VideoGame/MaximoGhostsToGlory'' plays with it. It goes out of its way to spoil the plot twist that Sophia's Achille's DecoyDamsel, even mentioning it in her manual bio... and naturally she's none of the above.
* The final encounter with the Hive Mind in ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' is revealed in the pre-release trailer.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** The Japanese trailer for ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Sky]]'', which was also dubbed as an American ad, shows Grovyle, who is ''smiling'' at the main characters who are ''clearly worried about him'' dragging Dusknoir through the time portal. [[GoodAllAlong Well, there goes half the plot.]]
** The third anime special [[note]]not actually a trailer, but still a preview[[/note]], released around the same time as ''Explorers of Sky'', reveals that the hero, Grovyle, and Dusknoir are from the future, and that the hero will erase himself from the timeline to stop Primal Dialga.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'''s website lists 99% of ''every'' new Pokémon, Alolan Form and Ultra Beast (even Necrozma, though they don't name or describe it). The only one that doesn't get listed is Cosmoem, which is a WalkingSpoiler by itself. The trailers also gave away the return of past characters like [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Cynthia]], [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Wally]], [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Red and Blue]] at the Battle Tree; something the player's never told of until the main story is over.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'':
** Take the standard trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1AVNa8q8T8 here]]. Pretty much half the late game gets given away, and the Gamespot trailer actually goes further by showing even more. For that matter, one of the pre order sleeves for the game actually had a picture of the final battle on the front...
** Taken even further for ''Wind Waker HD'', which not only has a big picture of the final boss battle on the cover (in the special edition version), but also a free figurine of said boss which you can clearly see in the packaging.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' also has a trailer that spoils much of the game, namely its launch trailer for the 3DS remake. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DGWKAdIKcc said trailer]] spoils two major bosses, many of the game's masks, various sidequests and pretty much every major dungeon in the game. If you didn't know the general plot outline of ''Majora's Mask'' before watching it, you most probably did afterwards.
* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange2'' had a whole [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPpzm08JvRg gameplay trailer]] which was a playthrough of almost the entire prologue (a few scenes and many interactions were cut out/ignored). The spoiler comes from the fact that the death of Sean and Daniel's father Esteban Diaz was shown at the very end of the video. Hell, his death is even spoiled in the plot summary for the game. Granted, it would be pretty hard ''not'' to spoil his death considering that's the driving force of the plot, especially with the game's episodic nature often having to spoil previous episodes in order to recap them, but it's still possible.
** ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeTrueColors'' repeats this with the death of Gabe Chen, which was divulged as early as the announcement trailer (but not shown, unlike Esteban's death) and likewise serves as the driving force for the plot.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'':
** Early promotion material for ''[[VideoGame/HalfLife2 Half-Life 2: Episode Two]]'' revealed that Alyx dies, or at the very least gets incapacitated, although it's also avoided in that Alyx also gets better and her "death" (falling off a bridge in the promo) is totally different in-game. The trailer also reveals that the G-Man is back in a speaking role after being sidelined for the last game.
** The reveal trailer for ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'' features Eli's "Close your eyes, honey!" line from ''Episode Two'' re-recorded with his new voice actor, Creator/JamesMosesBlack, all but spoiling the inclusion of the respective scene from that game. It also spoiled the appearance of the G-Man, who is absent for most of the game only to be revealed as the prisoner that the Combine were keeping inside the Vault.
* ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'' has a twist where your character is captured midway through the game and turned into one of the bad guys. This would have been surprising if the press releases, trailers, and the back of the box didn't give it away.

* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'''s trailer spoils that Lan Di is seeking the mirrors' power, as well as an incident late in the game in which Nozomi gets kidnapped by Terry's gang.
* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'' had a trailer that ends with a montage showing Lord Emon looking around the shrine of worship, Mono sitting up from her resting place, and Wander lying on the ground with HORNS! Of course the last part goes by [[FreezeFrameBonus extremely quick]], but keen eyed viewers of the trailer either had an idea of what the ending was about, or at least got an early head start on how the game would tie into ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}'' (which before the game's release, [[BlatantLies was said to have no connection to the latter title]]).
* The ''VideoGame/AlterAila'' Genesis. some fans have stated that they avoided watching the trailer for fear of spoilers. Which is funny, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXk1mSaQ1Lw since it doesn't really contain any.]]
* In a possible attempt to subvert this trope, the E3 reveal trailer for ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'' featured an attack on the Papal carriage in 1503 Rome, the city and year in which Pope Alexander VI, aka Rodrigo Borgia, died. While both hold true in the game, unfortunately the circumstances are far less epic than the trailer implied.
** Played more straight with some European versions of the "Story" trailer (narrated by Cesare Borgia), which concludes with a showdown between him and Ezio Auditore atop a castle wall. The US version does not name it, but the European versions identify the setting as 1507 Spain, the year and country in which Cesare Borgia died in RealLife, ''de facto'' confirmed when the developers started name-dropping the site as Viana no less. Moreover, this showdown was much more accurate to the actual in-game event than the (completely inaccurate) E3 reveal trailer had been. It's not ''much'' of a spoiler though, since it's one of the first things seen in the game before a game-long HowWeGotHere.
* Divisive though it is among gameplay critics, there's little doubt that the developers of ''Franchise/StarWars: VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'' wanted the Apprentice Force-pulling a Star Destroyer out of orbit to be a significant point in the story. Not only was it depicted on the back of the box, it was also used for giant promotional posters designed specifically to be positioned at the entrance to game shops.
* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'':
** {{Zig Zagg|ingTrope}}ed in two different trailers for ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheLostFuture''. One shows Future Layton's clothes being flung away as a reveal. Anyone who played the last two games would have expected it to be Don Paolo in disguise, but it's actually Doctor Stahngun/Dimitri Allen. Quickly afterwards, however, [[MasterOfDisguise Don Paolo]] reveals himself to be disguised as the ''real'' Layton. In another trailer, Layton denounces Stahngun as the villain when he discovers that he is running the future London's mafia, however, the true villain of the piece is [[ManBehindTheMan Clive]].
** Almost every Layton trailer features a scene where Layton is GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger, but one promotional video for ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheDiabolicalBox'' blatantly shows who Layton is pointing at during the SummationGathering: [[spoiler:Flora Reinholt.]] The trailer for the game's UpdatedRerelease for IOS also includes the WhamLine "Grandfather no! Please stop!", while also making it clear who the line is referring to.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'''s previews, especially its "Fight for the Lost" campaign, gave away several plot points that the game's writers appear to have intended to be surprising reveals. Jack's sex and Archangel's identity are kept secret in-game until Shepard actually meets them, and the recruitment dossier sets Shepard up to recruit Okeer instead of Grunt; unfortunately, all three characters were featured heavily in the game's marketing, with Jack and Grunt even having their own interview-style promotional videos. And of course, the only way to somehow avoid knowing that Shepard is dead and the Normandy was destroyed at the beginning of the game would have been to avoid every piece of media Creator/BioWare released at the time of the game's development.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' had fans upset about Jill Valentine being killed prior to the story. One of the trailers had Albert Wesker removing the hood off one of his goons claiming it to be "One big family reunion", making it obvious who it was.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbjavQHDwDw This trailer]] for ''VideoGame/HaloReach''. Which is somewhat justified in that it is a prequel game and fans of the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series should know that [[DoomedByCanon Reach was a total disaster that pretty much sealed the fate of mankind]]. The story is written in a way that assumes the players know what will happen while the characters believe they still have a chance to save the day.
* One of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7dLQkNRWMI trailers]] for ''Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus'' flat out states that the Glukkons [[spoiler: are also torturing Mudokons for their tears]], a twist that is given an entire cutscene to emphasize more than halfway through the game. Some of the footage even flat-out shows parts of the BadEnding!
* Trailers for ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' clearly spoiled the fact that [=GLaDOS=] was still alive and would still be the main antagonist of the game. At least for half of it.
** Though, it's only a spoiler if you didn't believe the song at the end of the first ''Portal'', Still Alive.
* Extremely blatant in the case of ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising''. The information and trailers released prior to the game show off pretty much every stage, boss, character, and plot point up to Pit's final battle against Medusa. In addition, less than a month after the game's release, several new trailers came out, spoiling just about everything else.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/Uncharted3DrakesDeception'' with Charlie Cutter. In the trailers before the launch, Cutter is seemingly a thug for the main antagonist and they even continue this ruse into their one month multiplayer trial, where Cutter's Skin was a part of the Villains team. In the actual game, it turns out that Cutter was always a double agent; a fact that the heroes knew before the player, and his multiplayer skin is apart of the Heroes team.. However, it's played straight in the launch trailer, released a few days before launch, where it shows Cutter planning alongside the heroes.
* When ''[[VideoGame/{{CityOfHeroes}} City Of Heroes]]'' began their Signature Story Arc program, the very first one is "Who Will Die!?" It was pretty blatant that Statesmen was going to bite it, not only because many promotional images showed his iconic faceplate laying discarded, but because the dev whose moniker was Statesmen jumped ship when Paragon Studios split from Cryptic. Averted, whoever, in that he wasn't the ''only'' one...
* Thoroughly averted by ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward''. Though a promotional anime was released before the game, detailing the backgrounds of the characters and the setup of the Nonary Game, it neatly manages to hide ''the single biggest plot twist in the game.'' It shows Sigma's face.
* VideoGame/SleepingDogs had a mission shown on Website/YouTube to promote the game. Unfortunately the mission they chose was Mrs. Chu's Revenge and they even gave the spoileriffic ''name'' of the mission. Anyone who saw that video probably knew what would happen to Winston by the first fifteen minutes of the game.
** A trailer for the game included Wei mentioning that he was now one of the Red Poles.
* The second ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' intro shows you parts from the ending. If the player is wondering when certains scenes from the game are going to appear he will be spoiled.
* ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000SpaceMarine'' had a rather predictable reveal, a daemonic invasion headed by the chaos-infused mastermind. The trailer outright showed the protagonist fighting enemies which would only show up when something like that happened, spoiling the entire surprise.
** SubvertedTrope with regards to Inquisitor Drogan, shown in a pre-release trailer with him walking freely among Bloodletter demons, meeting 40K fans' expectations he'd be a TokenEvilTeammate as Inquisitors are apt to be. Not entirely true, so the trailer didn't spoil that he's actually totally dead at all points in gameplay, and his actions in gameplay were done by a demon possessing his corpse.
* Not a trailer, but a preview nonetheless of ''VideoGame/CaveStory'''s UsefulNotes/DSiWare port in ''Magazine/NintendoPower'' casually mentions that you play as a character named Quote, something that you should only learn late in the game if you fulfilled the complex conditions needed to obtain the GoldenEnding.
* The trailers for ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' make it clear from the very beginning that Jake Muller [[LukeIAmYourFather is the son of Albert Wesker]], which the game itself treats as TheReveal.
* The anime commercial for the Famicom version of ''VideoGame/{{Valis}}'' spoiled that Yuko has to fight against her classmate Reiko.
* In a gloriously subtle example, Creator/RockstarGames [[HiddenInPlainSight snuck a huge spoiler right by its fans]] when it released the very first official pieces of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' concept art. One of the sketches depicts [[PlayerCharacter Franklin, Michael and Trevor]] hovering over [[BigBadWannabe Devon Weston]], who is [[TrunkShot currently locked in their trunk.]] Despite being a scene from the ''very end of the game'', it was completely innocent out of context. Not to mention you couldn't see who was in the trunk.
* ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'':
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'': The back of the English box talks about exploring an Aetherian ruin, a major plot twist and point that does not come into play until the second half of the game.
** Those who pre-ordered ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' back in the day got an art book that, along with revealing all of the playable party members (as they were the only ones to get two pages devoted to them, along with a character synopsis,) but revealed the existence of Tethe'alla, and that Zelos is its [[TheChosenOne Chosen One]].
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'': The American cover for the [=PS2=] version depicts protagonist Luke with short hair, spoiling the fact that he would have an ImportantHaircut that portrayed the point of his beginning CharacterDevelopment. Noticably, the Japanese cover and manual averted this by only showing Luke with long hair. When the game was ported to the [=3DS=], and [[NoExportForYou finally released in Europe]], the Japanese and localized covers were identical and showed Luke with long hair to avoid the spoiler.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheTempest'': The game's opening cutscene shows Caius is a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Lycanthe.]] This is one of the game's major plot twists.

** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' carries the torch by having a completely different demo than the game in question; Makoto and Hajime from the prior two games show up, averting any spoilers from those games. The victim is [[RunningGag Hagakure]] yet again, two of the students sit out for the trial to make room for the returning characters, and the whole thing is revealed to be [[spoiler:an elaborate ruse by the the three of them and Monokuma to get the new protagonist adjusted to what they might have to face]].
* The "Neon Reveal" trailer for ''VideoGame/InfamousSecondSon'', as you'd expect, reveals the identity of the holder of Delsin's Neon ability: Abigail "Fetch" Walker. Fast-forward to the game's release day and the fact that the mission in which you first meet her surrounds her with mystery regarding her gender - such as running far too fast for Delsin's current abilities to reliably keep up with and having the news portray her as a sniper perpetually at a distance - becomes utterly irrelevant.
* At [[UsefulNotes/ElectronicEntertainmentExpo E3]] 2014, a trailer for a [=PS4=] UpdatedRerelease of ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' was shown, which at least had the decency to start off with a black screen showing the words "The following trailer contains spoilers".

* The website and promotional material to ''VideoGame/BaldursGate 2: [[ExpansionPack Throne of Bhaal]]'' made frequent referrals to Demogorgon, Prince of Demons, and his importance in the expansion pack's Watcher's Keep dungeon. Que the actual game where you're sent in there to deal with someone called the 'Imprisoned One', with the game dancing around the actual identity of the entity until you actually decide to pick a fight with it.
** Similarly, the twist of the PlayerCharacter's heritage, which was only revealed in the second-to-last chapter of the original game and put the entire narrative in a very different context, is common knowledge from the second game onwards. The introduction says it outright (and all but spoils Imoen's nature as well by making her almost as central as yourself), and in-game it gets so bad that CHARNAME may as well have a giant neon sign saying 'bhaalspawn' bolted to his/her helmet.
* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'''s description on sites like Good Old Games and Steam refers to a "otherworldly evil" as one of the factions that threatens the balance of power in the Forgotten Realms and infects the PlayerCharacter. This would have been more effective had not every single trailer released for the game made it clear that the Player Character is implanted with a Mind Flayer Tadpole (which also happens in the opening cinematic of the game, so it's not like it's a big plot twist or anything).

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SkMNII0EBQ teaser trailer]] for ''VideoGame/TheSecondRealityProject 2: Zycloboo's Challenge'' revealed that Zycloboo had kidnapped Princess Peach and the Yoshi eggs. The [[VideoGameRemake remake]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa8ZtzszasU counterpart]] [[AvertedTrope Averts]] this, since this scene and the one for the Cursed Fountain level were replaced with different scenes. In the remake itself, Lemmy Koopa, who had allied himself with Zycloboo by that point, appears in place of Peach and the eggs, and you have to fight him at the end of the level.
* One trailer for ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'', which seems to have been deleted from Atlus's Youtube channel, showed the party screen with every citizen unlocked, including two spoiler characters, the Alien and Photon. Another trailer makes things better by having a few characters still locked, but the Photon is still visible.
* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' attempts to play up the discovery of Tokyo as a WhamEpisode, but anyone who's checked out the trailers will already know of its existence. Although, ''why'' Tokyo exists in what is apparently the 15th century is another story altogether.
* The followup ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' does something similar with streams showing of the game ends up spoiling YHVH's presence in the story, but like with the game before it, the real spoiler is in the details surrounding it.
* Trailers for ''VideoGame/Persona5'' ''[[UpdatedRerelease Royal]]'' spoil the fact that Crow returns to the party after his stint as a GuestStarPartyMember, presumably for good. The rest of the trailers avert this though: anyone who's played the game will realize they use many clips from late-game cutscenes, but shown so briefly and so out-of-context that they spoil nothing. (For example, the side-angle shot of Justine and Caroline in the Velvet Room is from the scene where [[spoiler: they fuse into their true form]], the shot of Mishima seeing blood on a train and freaking out is from [[spoiler: the final dungeon's emergence, when Mementos encroaches on reality]])
* The launch trailer for the 3DS UpdatedRerelease of ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' contains a lot of late-game spoilers in a rapid montage towards the end. Thankfully, it's nice enough to warn you at the start of the video that it "contains scenes that may be considered spoilers".
* The launch trailer for ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' contains a lot of spoilers such as who the aliens that will live in New LA, Lao being a traitor, and [[ItWasHisSled Elma is an alien]].
* A main quest in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' involves Varric contacting an old friend who might know about the BigBad. The game plays up the reveal as a surprise, which it could have been to anyone who didn't see the trailer that prominently featured [[PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo an appearance from]] [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII Hawke]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'' has a case where trailers for one unreleased game spoiled another unreleased game. A year before ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse'' came out, Creator/WayForwardTechnologies began a Website/{{Kickstarter}} for the next game in the series, ''VideoGame/ShantaeHalfGenieHero''. If the title wasn't enough of a clue, the accompanying promotional video pretty much confirmed that, yes, Shantae will manage to get her magic back by the end of ''Pirate's Curse''.
* The American commercial for ''VideoGame/RocketKnightAdventures'' spoils the fact that Emperor Devligus Devotindos [[RoboticReveal is really a Terminator-like robot]] in the battle against him.
* Several trailers for ''[[VideoGame/PharaohRebirth Pharaoh Rebirth+]]'' spoil various parts of the level exclusive to the Steam version, including the second form of the BonusBoss.
* The trailer for ''VideoGame/{{Nier}}'', which also plays from the title screen, ''starts off'' by stating that the game takes place 1300 years in the future, while Kaine shouts at Weiss to snap out of his brainwashing by the Shadowlord - namedropping a character that isn't even known to exist for the first half of the game. It then goes on to show the lab beneath Emil's manor and experiment No.7, Kaine being impaled and possessed, Devola preparing to attack the player... all of which otherwise come [[WhamEpisode totally out of left field]] in the plot itself.
* ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'':
** Played straight in the demos that play on the title screen of ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'', which reveals a lot of concepts the game talks about but also the path the player needs to get the GoldenEnding. The 'Memories of Escape' section also point in the direction of the GoldenEnding.
** Averted for ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'' which has an OVA available as promotion which shows all the players gathered in the Warehouse A room and doesn't spoil the twist that Sigma is a 22-year old college student in the body of a 67-year old man.
** Also played straight for ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'' which, in its reveal trailer, shows Mira [[ReminiscingAboutYourVictims saying "His last words were just like my first's" rather happily]]. Not only does this scene reveal that Mira is a SerialKiller but it also hints that she killed her boyfriend's mother.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'': While the trailers and previews themselves manage to keep it a secret, in live dev streams, the developers and writers occasionally slipped and refer to [[EvilOverlord Kyros the Overlord]] with [[SamusIsAGirl "she" and "her"]]. However, the game itself makes it clear that [[AmbiguousGender Kyros' gender is unknown, never revealed, and ultimately irrelevant]].
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMx-aS7dyPs first trailer]] for ''VideoGame/{{Sakura Wars|1996}}'' premiered on the Flash Sega Saturn demo disc, which came with the Saturn console back in March 1996. Towards the end, however, it spoils Sakura's ending, in which she leaves on a train and eventually leaps into Ogami's arms.
* An interesting take on this trope: In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', the character of Dharkon was kept a secret throughout development, even after his mortal enemy Galeem was revealed... But then he was the first thing shown in the trailer for [[VideoGame/DragonQuest Hero]]. Granted, that came out after the game had been released and his identity was found out, but those who haven't gotten the game yet might not know who he is.
* Done as a meta-joke in ''VideoGame/TheMessenger2018''. At the climax of the first part of the game, the protagonist guesses he's getting close to the finale, and the Shopkeeper states he clearly hasn't seen the trailer, which shows off the game's ArtShift gimmick which the game hasn't gotten to show yet.

* ''VideoGame/Fallout2'': A screenshot on GOG.com show how Vault 13 has been taken over by intelligent Deathclaws. And also Frank Horrigan, but at least without context.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'': If you look closely at the beautiful front box art of the American version, it shows a mural of [[TheManBehindTheMan Malroth]] behind [[EvilSorcerer Hargon]] atop the alter.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'': Several trailers show the hero fighting alongside Heliodorian soldiers against an army of monsters, showing that the country and its forces eventually undergo a Heel–Face Turn. This scene is even shown in the opening montage sequence that plays when you load the game or if you let the title screen sit too long.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonstersJoker2'': More like "Credits Always Spoil", but similar principle. If you're paying attention during the ending credits, you'll notice it lists the various monsters in Joker 2 via what series they debuted in. Including ''VideoGame/DragonQuest Heroes: Rocket Slime.

* ''VideoGame/EscapeLala 2'': The end of the game's trailer shows the spirits of the wizard and the princess TogetherInDeath in the heavens, which you don't see in-game until the PostEndGameContent. However, because the spirits just look like floating orbs, the context of the scene in the trailer is not immediately obvious.
* The ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub [[UpdatedRerelease Plus]]'' promotional material spoils the [[SurpriseCreepy major twist]] that the game is psychological horror, not a cutesy dating sim. However, most people who know enough about the game to buy the expanded edition [[ItWasHisSled know this point already]]. Because Team Salvato's logic for making the original game free-to-play was so people who thought the game was an average dating sim wouldn't feel scammed for paying for it, and the ''Plus'' version of the game is paid, it makes sense that they'd be more upfront about the true nature of the game for ''Plus''.
* ''VideoGame/MyChildLebensborn'': In the trailer, one of the scenes showing Klaus being ostracized is a man in robes skipping him while giving out hosties in a church. While acting as the adoptive parent to Klaus or his female counterpart Karin in the game proper, the only time the player actually interacts with a church official is when asking for the local vicar's help while trying to get in contact with the child's biological family. The vicar refuses to help, which is in tune with what is seen in the trailer.

* The ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub [[UpdatedRerelease Plus]]'' promotional material spoils the [[SurpriseCreepy major twist]] that the game is psychological horror, not a cutesy dating sim. However, most people who know enough about the game to buy the expanded edition [[ItWasHisSled know this point already]]. Since Salvato's logic for making the original game free-to-play was so people who thought the game was an average dating sim wouldn't feel scammed for paying for it, and the ''Plus'' version of the game is paid, it makes sense that they'd be more upfront about the true nature of the game for ''Plus''.