Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / PlayableEpilogue

Go To

1->''"There's still work to do here in Arkham City."''
2-->-- '''Batman''' in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'', inviting players to keep playing after the story's over
3
4In the vast majority of {{RPG}}s, once you beat the FinalBoss and save the world, you don't get to freely explore and experience the world ''after'' it's been saved. If you're allowed to save your game file at all after the credits roll, it will probably just start you off from the [[NewGamePlus first chapter]] (or [[EndgamePlus final chapter]]) again.
5
6A playable epilogue is the exception to this rule.
7
8Sometimes this simply means that the cutscenes in the usual epilogue are interactive: You can walk around and chat with [=NPCs=] at your leisure, but not (e.g.) leave the town for some DungeonCrawling or LevelGrinding. (You probably won't have access to your usual SavePoint either, so reloading your save file will necessarily return you to where you last were before facing the FinalBoss.)
9
10Other times this is an actual bonus chapter set ''after'' the story's epilogue, which allows you to return to the game's world and explore it to your heart's content with no BigBad or TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt to threaten you. These are sometimes referred to as a "clear game" or "postgame", indicating that while you've cleared the ''game'' (i.e. story), the ''gameplay'' continues more or less as normal.
11
12When it's the latter case, expect to see a few bonus side quests or [[BonusDungeon dungeons]] to provide motivation to keep playing (but do ''not'' expect to see a NewGamePlus; though not unheard of, the two are rarely combined). Depending on the structure of the game/story, this may be the lurking place of the TrueFinalBoss.
13
14A form of ExtendedGameplay, loosely analogous to AndTheAdventureContinues. See also MiniGameCredits, in which only the closing company credits are interactive; and the video game version of DenouementEpisode, where instead of an interactive cut scene there's an actual mandatory level/quest set after the FinalBattle and before the ending of the game.
15
16This may extend to PostEndGameContent. Compare ModularEpilogue.
17
18----
19!!Examples:
20
21[[foldercontrol]]
22
23[[folder:Action-Adventure]]
24* ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons]]'' games are unique in canon in that you can continue playing after you win, to allow the password system that [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo connects the games]] to work. After the end, everyone comments on your saving the world and (in the first game only) a bunch of new [=NPCs=] show up ready to take passwords from the other game. If you play the second game in already-beat-the-other-game mode, though, [[TrueFinalBoss the ending]] is [[HijackedByGanon different]], and you can't save afterward.
25* The original ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' allowed the player to continue wandering around the various worlds and exploring after achieving the game's good ending, even though that's what the player had already spent the entire game doing. The remake, ''realMyst'', added an additional world that could be accessed at this point: it didn't deliver any more story, but offered a nice world-builder engine and a cameo appearance by VideoGame/{{Riven}}. There's also the opportunity to [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential shoot lightning bolts at whales]] (don't worry, they have [=NPC=] invulnerability). The UpdatedRerelease ''realMyst: Masterpiece Edition'' added a few {{Easter Egg}}s that can only be seen after completing the game.
26* In ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'', after defeating the FinalBoss, you can run around the Cardon Forest, Apple Market, and Downtown areas one last time talking to [=NPCs=], whose dialogues changes depending on what side quests you did. Talking to Roll will then continue the ending and [[{{Pun}} roll]] the credits.
27* ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin 2'' had a three-stage playable epilogue.
28* ''VideoGame/ToejamAndEarl'' and its sequel have epilogue levels where you just walk around and talk to the colorful alien characters.
29* After completing each episode of ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople'', you can access Extended Play via the Save/Load menu, which gives you an opportunity to access any unlockables you might have missed, and talk to all the characters. Episode 4 ("Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective") has the most in-depth Extended Play; Since the episode itself was a movie that the characters were filming, its Extended Play has some extra "Making Of"-style cutscenes.
30* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' lets you continue playing after beating the final boss so that you can finish up The Riddler's challenges. Or go for a couple [[CosmeticAward Achievements/Trophies]]. ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity Arkham City]]'' is the same, but it also has side-quests on top of the Riddler Challenges. ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins Arkham Origins]]'' does the same, and even opens up a new Most Wanted sidequest requiring Batman to round up 20 escaped Blackgate prisoners. ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight Arkham Knight]]'' has a slightly different form of this. You can keep playing after the ending, doing side missions and such but due to the circumstances of the story, you don't actually get to see the real ending until you choose to go to a certain place after the final boss is defeated, and in order to see the complete ending you have to actually finish all side-missions (not including the DLC ones), so playing the epilogue might actually be required to see the full ending.
31* Endless Summer from ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}.''
32* ''VideoGame/{{Overlord II}}'' lets you roam about the continent after defeating Solarius and thus killing or enslaving every human. Given that enemies never respawn in zones you've cleared, you can explore at your leisure without fear of losing Minions, extort tribute from the towns you've conquered, look for any collectables you might have missed, and spend some quality time with your Mistresses.
33* After beating the final boss in ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'', [[spoiler:players discover that defeating the ancient dragon restored power to one of the three goddesses, and to restore the other goddesses' power, you must defeat two more ancient dragons, each more powerful than the last.]] This unlocks the Hard difficulty setting the first time you beat the game, and [[HarderThanHard Infernal]] mode the second time. Players also unlock a BonusDungeon and PVP.
34* ''VideoGame/KameoElementsOfPower'' lets you run around as much as you want after you beat the BigBad.
35* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'' had two short playable sections in its epilogue.
36* ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' has the "get 100% completion" version of the playable ending, though you can also look up your surviving allies and find out how they're doing.
37* ''VideoGame/SteambotChronicles'' allows you to continue the game a year after the ending [[spoiler:starting from your returning from travelling abroad if you got the good ending, or spending a year in prison if you got the bad ending.]]
38* Every mainline ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' game typically lets you continue playing the game after the conclusion to do whatever you want in the world:
39** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'' left Desmond alone in the lab, giving him an opportunity to poke around and find all the plot hooks as well as go back into the Animus and replay the missions. Annoyingly, the only ''new'' bit of the lab that becomes available at the end is useless if you didn't [[spoiler:steal Vidic's USB pen]] earlier in the game, and once the [=NPCs=] leave there's no way to get it.
40** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' has this. Once the storyline is completed, you can traipse around Renaissance Italy to your hearts content, gather up trophies and complete side missions and whatnot. Of course, there's one single trophy that's missable - Fly Swatter can only ever be gotten during the mission with the flying machine. If you don't have that, well, it's 98% trophy completion for you, buddy! Luckily you can start a separate file to get it (albeit the flying machine is about two-thirds of the way through the story), or purchase the Battle of Forli DLC which adds a side mission where you can use the flying machine around the Wetlands and kick guards as much as you like.
41** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'' follows in the same vein as ''[=AC2=]'', although the side missions' flavor text don't take your story progress into account, i.e. descriptions remaining as if the [[spoiler:Borgia Regime were still in power]]. However, a post-credits voiceover suggests that this post-story "free play" is actually an attempt to [[spoiler:keep the [[HeroicBSOD now comatose]]-Desmond alive by putting him back into the Animus]], and the last memories of the ''Da Vinci Disappearance'' DLC were actually experienced ''during'' [[spoiler:this coma]]. (The opening dialogue of the DLC differs depending on whether you start its first memory before or after clearing the story.)
42** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' has one too, allowing you to explore the past-era world freely to complete any missed or unfinished sidequests; however, the new content is brief, including only some post-independence cutscenes and a pivot quest. There's also ''Tyranny of King Washington'', but it's DLC.
43** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' unsurprisingly contains this, especially so as the piracy aspects [[PanderingToTheFanbase were loved enough to return]] from ''III''. Players have the freedom to continue challenges on land, do the story perfectly, or just sail the seas to kill, plunder, and seek treasure.
44* The movie's plotline for ''VideoGame/TheGodfather: The Game'' ends with the assassination of the four Dons. After your promotion to Underboss by Michael, though, you're still able to take over the remaining enemy businesses, bomb the other four Family Compounds and collect stuff. You get to rise to Don with the bombing of all the enemy Family Compounds and Don of NYC by getting 90-something percent completion, and maybe fight parts of TheRemnant after that with your BraggingRightsReward of BottomlessMagazines.
45* In the ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' games, Samus has a penchant for blowing up the planet/space station you just spent hours exploring. Not so in ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', where she returns to the Bottle Ship to find [[spoiler:the late Adam Malkovich's helmet]], various missed items, and the TrueFinalBoss [[spoiler:Phantoon]], among other things. The ship does explode, but only after Samus completes her errands and escapes alive.
46* ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndHisDesktopAdventures'': Once you win, you're free to walk around the entire game world, though mostly only two people have new lines to say. Marcus says simply "Well done, Indy!", while [[HeKnowsAboutTimedHits Bonifacio the tutorial man]] explains to you how to begin a new game.
47* In the second ''VideoGame/{{Lego Island|2}}'' game once you defeat the Brickster you get a seemingly fitting cutscene to end the game on- then you simply get to run around the Island. It's actually somewhat boring, though- all anybody says is to congratulate you for defeating the Brickster, you can travel to some of the other islands but all you can do on Castle Island is talk to players and you can't even get out of the desert on Adventurers' Island, let alone talk to anyone from that area, and the only real EasterEgg is just an unusual way of doing the credits.
48* ''VideoGame/{{Ico}}'' allows the player to run along a stretch of beach after the game is finished [[spoiler: to discover that Yorda survived the castle' collapse.]]
49* ''[[Videogame/TombRaider2013 Tomb Raider]]'' and ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider'' both allow you to continue exploring the game world after completing the main storyline. This allows you to wrap up any challenges, missions, and tombs, and to pick up any other collectibles you might have missed along the way. This is especially the case in ''Rise'', where Lara discusses the future with Sofia when you Continue after the final cutscene, and can overhear Remnant survivors wonder about what they'll do next, or how the Trinity weapons they've salvaged are incompatible with the ammunition they picked up decades ago from the Soviets. Trinity soldiers respawn as well, and it's possible to overhear them discussing anything from how they're going to get out of there, to [[spoiler: the deaths of Konstantin and Ana, and that they believe ''Lara'' was the one who killed the latter]].
50* In ''Videogame/{{God of War|PS4}}'', after completing the main storyline Kratos and Atreus are free to explore the gameworld to complete any optional sidequest remaining. There are some changes to the story and setting, such as the constant snow, [[spoiler:signalling the coming of Ragnarok.]]
51* ''Videogame/GodOfWarRagnarok'' has a much more substantial post-game including some epilogue sidequests, unique conversations as well as the fact that [[spoiler:Atreus is now permanently replaced with Freya]].
52* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', beating the final boss triggers a TimeSkip of three months. Things are more or less back to normal, with Spidey handling street-level crooks again, plus whatever sidequests you haven't already completed. You can also now switch between day, evening and night at any Research Station.
53* In ''VideoGame/CatQuestII'', after defeating TheManBehindTheMan, two bonus dungeons (Cave of the Wolf/Lion) unlock, and [=NPC=]s have new dialogue that acknowledges the protagonists' ascent to kinghood.
54* After [[spoiler:defeating the exterminator]] in the ''VideoGame/OverTheHedge'' game, you can hang around [[HubLevel the woods]] once again to get some bonus conversations: the porcupine family and [[spoiler:Vincent]] watch ''{{VideoGame/Madagascar}}'' while Ozzie and Heather have a heart-to-heart regarding [[spoiler:Heather's rescue from Verm-Tech]]. Each of the four playable characters also gets epilogue-exclusive dialogue when switching to them.
55* ''VideoGame/LittleTailBronx'':
56** ''VideoGame/TailConcerto'' can let you roam around Waffle's room and neighborhood by loading up a completed save file, giving you the option to look over any photos unlocked or talk to the reformed Alicia, Flair and Stare. Unfortunately, due to it being Waffle's day off, he'll refuse to step outside of Porto, meaning any photo pieces not collected prior to starting the final stage will be rendered PermanentlyMissableContent.
57** ''VideoGame/SolatoroboRedTheHunter'' has additional quests that can only be played after beating the final boss and choosing to load the completed save instead of selecting the NewGamePlus option from the title screen.
58[[/folder]]
59
60[[folder:Fighting]]
61* ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterEX Street Fighter EX3]]'' lets you do this, mowing down {{Mook}}s with whomever you won the game with. One of the flunkies was a Hugo-esque bruiser who grew bigger every time you decked him. Although you are playing through the credits.
62* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', after beating [[spoiler:Tabuu]], the player can proceed to unlock three more characters after finding them in certain stages that were previously completed.
63* ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Gears of Destiny'' features one that you could unlock in Story Mode after beating the FinalBoss and winning the 4 [[HopelessBossFight hopeless]] FinalBossPreview matches at least once. The epilogue is set a few years after the events of the game and features the player controlling [[spoiler:[[FinalBoss Yuri]], who is now living in Eltria with her Materials and the Florian sisters. The matches in this epilogue are a series of practice battles Yuri is having with the rest of the group, and serves as an AndTheAdventureContinues conclusion for the {{God Created Canon Foreigner}}s of the game]].
64* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''
65** In ''The King of Fighters '97'', it is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e46x6VWe37Q possible to face]] the normal [[Characters/TheKingOfFighters Iori Yagami]] within the ending of the Japan Team and the dialogue will change according to the winner of the fight.
66** In ''The King of Fighters '99'', it is possible to face a secret boss within the ending of the game before displaying the ending of some standard team depending on the score they reached. If the player [[spoiler:has reached the minimum score, he will face [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEtseBbNb5U Iori Yagami]] and if he has reached the maximum score, he will face [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msc6fu79eZ8 the real Kyo Kusanagi]]]].
67[[/folder]]
68
69[[folder:First-Person Shooter]]
70* ''[[VideoGame/ModernWarfare Call of Duty 4]]'' features a playable epilogue set on a terrorist-hijacked plane in mid-flight. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the events in the game's story and is only accessible after watching the entire credits. The sequel, ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'', has a bonus mission set in the interactive museum that the credits play over. [[SchmuckBait Do not press the button.]]
71* The ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' mod Rubicon had three playable epilogue levels. Two that reveals the historical effects of the players actions, and one where you [[spoiler:revive Durandal after you just had killed him.]]
72* In ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', you get to play [[spoiler:Noble Six's last stand. You face an infinite wave of Covenant on a planet that's being bombed from orbit, and the level always ends with your death. Only the assurance that you have [[FlingALightIntoTheFuture Flung A Light Into The Future]] keeps the ending from being a downer.]]
73* In ''VideoGame/Killer7'', the seventh and final chapter (Target 06: Lion), serves this role, and has two highlights: The SadisticChoice that determines the fate of the world, all determined in whether or not you [[spoiler: kill Kenjiro Matsuoka or not]]. Then, the PostFinalBoss afterwards with the Last Shot Smile, who [[MindScrew has a completely unexplained identity, resembling two people.]]
74* ''VideoGame/FarCry4:'' After you have decided the fate of EvilOverlord Pagan Min, the credits roll, you get a cutscene, and then you return to the game world to clear up any outposts, missions or collectibles that are still outstanding. [[spoiler:You can also get a secret cutscene in which the RebelLeader you chose to put in power proceeds to KickTheDog, with the game then giving you the chance to kill them]].
75* ''VideoGame/UnrealChampionship2TheLiandriConflict'': Once the Ascension Rites, the main story mode, is completed, the player unlocks [[TheProtagonist Anubis]] as a playable character, and his own ladder. The ladder is set after the Rites themselves and includes [[spoiler:Anubis joining Thunder Crash, which he rejected during the Ascension Rites themselves]]. The ladder concludes with that year's Tournament finals, [[spoiler:a three-way between him and previous champions Gorge and Brock]].
76[[/folder]]
77
78[[folder:Music/Rhythm]]
79* ''Disney VideoGame/StitchJam'', a tie-in to the ''Anime/{{Stitch}}'' anime series, has a Bonus Story mode that is unlocked from playing Free Mode (which itself is unlocked from completing the main Story Mode). It's a simple three-stage epilogue where you play as Angel as she roams around Izayoi Island during her date with [[Franchise/LiloAndStitch Stitch]], who tries his best to impress and protect her throughout.
80[[/folder]]
81
82[[folder:Platform]]
83* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' lets you play even after you've beaten Gruntilda, just in case you may have forgotten some notes or forgot to get the infamous Stop 'n' Swap eggs. You can even visit Gruntilda's (methaphoric, as she is stuck but still alive) grave and dance on it. The sequels ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'' and ''[[VideoGame/BanjoKazooieNutsAndBolts Nuts And Bolts]]'' allow this as well.
84* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
85** Most 2D games with postgame bonus world(s), starting with ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'' and continuing with almost all ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' games. ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' is an exception, as you can play both the Star World and the Special Zone before defeating Bowser in the final standard level, so they don't count.
86** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'' features a playable epilogue in the game itself, and one for each major level.
87*** Levels start off filled with graffiti and enemies for which [[CriminalDoppelganger Shadow Mario]] is responsible. Once Mario cleans up the area and chases him down in Episode 7 of the level, Episode 8 is unlocked as a playable epilogue.
88*** After beating Shadow Mario in each level and winning the game, the player is given an updated [[HubLevel Delfino Plaza]]. It now has new [[NonPlayerCharacter NPC]] dialogue and messages, and a boat back to the game's [[VideoGameTutorial tutorial area]], where an extra challenge and Blue Coin await, is accessible near the portal to Ricco Harbor.
89** Once you finish the FinalBoss in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', you then get Purple comets, which makes more Stars to get. If you get all of these though, you still aren't finished. You can then [[spoiler:play as Luigi]] in a NewGamePlus, so you can play through the whole game again, beating the final boss again, then getting all the stars again, which unlocks [[spoiler:the Grand Finale Galaxy, which returns you to the Star Festival from the beginning of the game, and allows you to get one last star with each Mario brother and a congratulatory message from Nintendo.]]
90** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' has an entire world (World S) playable after the final Bowser battle. And after collecting every single star (normal and green), the [[spoiler:Grandmaster Galaxy]] is unlocked, having two new stars (and two of the hardest to get in the entire game, no less).
91** Both ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DLand'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' have special worlds unlocked after the FinalBoss is defeated. And in both cases, you unlock a secret character and (after meeting numerous conditions) a devious BrutalBonusLevel at the end.
92** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', after beating Bowser for good you unlock the [[NostalgiaLevel Mushroom Kingdom]], which like all the other worlds is filled with collectibles. You also unlock even more Power Moons to collect in the other worlds, including those given to you by Princess Peach after she and Tiara greet you in the visited Kingdoms. Lastly, by collecting enough Power Moons, you unlock two more locations (a setting for a BossRush and the game's ultimate BrutalBonusLevel) in the Moon.
93** The Story Mode of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker2'', upon completion, allows you to fund the build of a statue dedicated to Mario, for which you have to keep playing levels. You can also unlock and play some surprisingly difficult levels from Princess Peach.
94* ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage'' had a Playable Epilogue that unlocked the world Spyro was trying to get to in the first place--an amusement park full of mini-games that unlock the {{Cutscene}} Replay Theater. ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon'' had a Playable Epilogue for seeking HundredPercentCompletion after a TheEndOrIsIt ending to the FinalBoss, leading to the [[TrueFinalBoss really-really final boss battle]].
95* The first ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' lets you keep playing in each story after you've finished it, and the [=NPCs=] reflect that you've done so. Besides [=NPCs=] gaining new dialogue, you can find a card key to unlock Twinkle Circuit for characters who didn't visit Twinkle Park in their story. Curiously, [[GameplayAndStorySegregation Amy still has the bird with her, and one of the playable characters should be, well, kinda dead by the end of his story]]. Mission Mode in ''Sonic Adventure DX'' also seems to take place after the main story.
96* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2008'' has a playable [[spoiler:DownerEnding]] epilogue where you [[spoiler:free Ahriman, the BigBad you've just spent the entire game trying to stop, to bring Elika back to life.]] Confusingly, the DownloadableContent is called the Epilogue, but it's actually an ExpansionPack.
97* ''VideoGame/WarioLand4'' has an odd aversion of this, the game sends you back to the main area, but the bosses have been revived while the areas are still cleared (and the end 'dungeon' sealed off until you beat the four bosses again). What's truly quite strange is that after seeing the ending, the game actually tells you this: 'If you continue with this saved data, every boss will be revived! Start over and try and get all twelve treasures! - Wario.'
98* ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'', to a degree. After the credits and the ending sequence, the game decides to give you one more "screw you" moment. A piece of fruit starts falling, and [[KaizoTrap you have to dodge it or die. In the epilogue]].
99* If you complete ''VideoGame/DemonsCrest'' with a HundredPercentCompletion, you're given a password after the credits. Enter it in, and you can continue the game with the Crest of Heaven Firebrand gained from Phalanx, as well as a new end boss.
100* The [[spoiler:Golden Temple]] in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' serves this role. More so in the [=3DS=] version which has multiple levels instead of just one (Wii version). There's also Mirror Mode, but there the [[spoiler:Golden Temple]] and every other level is unlocked de facto, so it feels more like an open-ended NewGamePlus where you have to clear all levels again regardless of order. All of this holds true for ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'', only replacing Mirror Mode with the similar Hard Mode.
101* After beating the FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/GrappleForceRena'', players can explore Rena's hometown and talk to the people there.
102* Unlike the original ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', ''VideoGame/Psychonauts2'' doesn't stop with the end of the story, allowing Raz to freely explore the world and reach HundredPercentCompletion at your leisure. He can also talk to the [=NPCs=] who have some new things to say.
103[[/folder]]
104
105[[folder:Real-Time Strategy]]
106* ''VideoGame/AIWarFleetCommand'' and its sequel do put up a proper victory screen once the AI Home Command Stations/Overlords have been wiped out, and considers you to have won no matter what, but you ''can'' continue to play. The decapitated AI will continue to send waves and such at you, but AIP freezes in place so nothing you do will make it more dangerous; thus, you can finally feel free to conquer literally everything that is left, and finish kicking it off the galaxy forever. Cathartic, after a long, long campaign.
107* ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' series:
108** ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'' can be continued after [[spoiler:Louie is rescued]] and after every treasure in the game is collected, letting the player explore at their leisure. For each of those benchmarks, there is a new set of mails that are obtained at the end of the day.
109** ''VideoGame/Pikmin4'' continues after the FinalBoss and the main plot are concluded, despite the ending cutscene showing the Rescue Corps. departing the planet. When returning to a completed file, it appears as though their launch did not happen yet, being delayed either until all the treasures/castaways are gathered if the player had not done so, or until Rescue Corps. HQ is ready to take everyone in if the player already obtained HundredPercentCompletion. Unlike ''Pikmin 2'', going to the Playable Epilogue is required in order to complete every quest, as [[spoiler:it is the only way to do Louie's requests]].
110[[/folder]]
111
112[[folder:Role-Playing Game]]
113* ''VideoGame/{{Aveyond}} 2: Ean's Quest'': If Ean chooses to stay in the Land of Man after defeating the Snow Queen instead of returning to Elfwood with Iya, the players will be able to explore the world indefinitely afterwards.
114* A patch in ''Videogame/BaldursGateIII'' added in an epilogue taking place six months after the events of the game in the form of a party thrown by [[AllPowerfulBystander Withers]]. You get a chance to get reacquainted with your party members and learn what they've been up to, though depending on the fates of you or your companions the party might not go so well.
115* Used in the first ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos''; [[EldritchAbomination Malpercio]] has been vanquished, [[FloatingContinent the islands]] have descended upon [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield Earth(?)]], [[spoiler:and you fight a PostFinalBoss in the form of TheEmperor]].
116* ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheGatheringStorm'' has both the first type and the second! After beating the final bosses, you get to wander around town and reunite with all the friends you’ve made, before getting in the carriage that will take you home. Then, after the credits roll, you end up back in the Sphere with plenty of new post-game sidequests to do. If you’ve played your cards right, there are even two new, bonus endings to unlock!
117* ''VideoGame/BugFables'' continues after beating Chapter 7 and [[spoiler:stopping the Wasp King]], with a separate achievement for truly completing the game after completing some post-Chapter 7 and all other tasks in the game, bar the Cave of Trials and the B.O.S.S. system.
118* ''VideoGame/ChocobosDungeon'' for the Wii lets you wander around the city and access several bonus dungeons after the final boss is defeated.
119* In the "canon" ending (and the ending when you [[spoiler:keep Crono dead]]) for ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', you visit [[WhereItAllBegan Leene Square]] one last time before the credits roll. The DevelopersRoom ending is also playable, but it doesn't really count. The ending in which [[spoiler:Frog marries Queen Leene and becomes the new ancestor of Marle]] is playable as well.
120* ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' has six endings[[note]]five if you consider the suicide and the secret ending the same thing[[/note]], four of which see V survive and hence feature a playable epilogue where you control V ([[spoiler:or Johnny [[GrandTheftMe in V's body]]]]) through a simple series of optional dialogues and interactions on the way to the respective final cutscene and credits. Specifically, in "Where Is My Mind?" ("The Devil" ending), [[spoiler:V is separated from Johnny by the Arasaka techs, but is informed that their brain damage has progressed too far for them to live, and must decide on a sub-ending of either being digitized completely, or living out their final months on Earth]]; in "All Along the Watchtower" ("The Star"), [[spoiler:V helps Panam and the Aldecaldos smuggle their hovertank out of Night City, as all of them leave it for good]]; in "Path of Glory" ("The Sun"), [[spoiler:V gets to say goodbye to their [[RomanceSidequest love interest (if any)]] before departing for the heist of their lifetime]]; finally, in the "New Dawn Fades" ("Temperance"), [[spoiler:V lets Johnny have their body and disappears into cyberspace, while Johnny visits the NC Columbarium before leaving Night City for good]].
121** The ''Phantom Liberty'' [=DLC=] adds another base game ending ("The Tower"), culminating in the epilogue mission "Things Done Changed" which plays out similarly to the originals in terms of being told through simple dialogue choices and interactions. [[spoiler:V returns to Night City after a two-year coma that renders their body unable to tolerate cyberware implants, and spends time with Vic and Misty again, having been given up for dead by most of their allies and any potential lovers.]]
122* ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' lets you continue exploring the world after saving it. The one difference is that, as [[spoiler:you had restored the whole world to how it was before]], you no longer need the [[AppliedPhlebotinum magical blue stone]] on your glove. Plus there is still a BonusDungeon.
123* ''VideoGame/DarkCloud 2'' takes the Playable Epilogue to its logical extreme, combining it with the InfinityPlusOneSword for an entire extra chapter. And once that's completed you still have a Playable Epilogue. At the end you fight none other than [[spoiler:the Dark Genie, who was the final boss of the first game]].
124* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' allows Kris to wander around hometown after sealing the Dark Fountain of each chapter, chatting with the residents and interacting with various areas before going home. Even before sealing the fountain, Chapter 1 features a nod to ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'''s use of this trope, allowing Kris and Susie to briefly go back and say goodbye to everyone that they met and spared. Chapter 2 has a post-sealing equivalent by allowing the pair to revisit Ralsei's Dark World and chat with every Cyber World enemy that the player successfully recruited.
125* The "Reaper of Souls" expansion to ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' adds this in the form of Adventure Mode, to replace the original game's NewGamePlus.
126* ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}'' games since ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}'' puts you at the epilogue after beating the final episode instead of booting you right into NewGamePlus, and they usually involve settling the score with previous bosses or guest characters showing up and acting weird. Being a series heavy on PostEndGameContent, you'll need to get serious on grinding to beat the dozens of levels and bosses left to do. This is true to a lesser extent for Disgaea's 1 and 2 where you can do all the optional sidequests and endless grinding before you finish the game, but there's little point.
127* The original four ''[[VideoGame/DotHackR1Games .hack]]'' games as well as the [[VideoGame/DotHackGU G.U. games]] have playable epilogues which let the player recruit bonus characters as well as play through a BonusDungeon for the epilogue. After you finish a volume you can keep playing even though the story won't proceed until you put in the next game. In fact it was recommended to grind items here when the games originally were coming out and there were months of this before the next Volume was released. However story-wise once you loaded a previous save in the next game it would pick up right from where the story left off, even if you had a month of grinding, though you would keep all the items and levels.
128* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
129** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has a brief moment after the final boss and subsequent cutscene where the Warden get to walk around and speak to the party members and related NPC folk about what happened, ask them what they're going to do, and generally sort of fill out the epilogue before the final FINAL cutscene of the game. That is, of course, assuming that [[spoiler:the Warden didn't die killing the Archdemon]], in which case it is a good ol' cutscene (with a lot of variations, depending on your earlier choices).
130** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' does a variation similar to ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'': after the credits, you will find a "Post-Game Save" among your saved games, which contains the state of your party immediately after the FinalBattle. If you load it, you'll find that the regular locations from the game have become unavailable and you can only access the Hawke mansion and the DownloadableContent (which was probably the whole point of this).
131** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' lets you continue to explore the world after the main story; the biggest difference is that [[spoiler: Solas]] leaves no matter what. This is also what the Trespasser DownloadableContent is, depicting what happens two years after the main game, and you cannot continue playing in the open world after starting it.
132* In ''VideoGame/DragonballZTheLegacyOfGoku II'' and ''Buu's Fury'', once you defeat Cell/Kid Buu you can continue playing for as long as you like before speaking to Dende/going to Bulma's party to activate the final cutscenes. In fact, in the former game, it's only in the Playable Epilogue that you can unlock the {{Secret|Character}} JokeCharacter Hercule, which allows you to choose an alternate ending cutscene if you max out his level; in the latter, [[FusionDance Gogeta]] can be unlocked during the epilogue.
133* ''Franchise/DragonQuest'':
134** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'', ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'' are the TropeMaker here: after beating the Final Boss, you can wander around a monster-free and hazard-less world as long as you want until you decide to go to meet the King and see the end credits.
135** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'' for the DS does this to a far greater extent than the first game, partially because you can save your game and continue to explore the world after defeating the final boss. After defeating said final boss, there are some loose ends to tie up, after which there's an almost endless variety of randomly generated grottoes to find and explore, extra sidequests to complete, things to make using the Alchemy Pot, a veritable army of {{Superboss}}es and even a bit more backstory is revealed. Some dare say that the whole 40+ hour main story is only the beginning of your adventures.
136** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'''s post-game is an entire storyline in itself. It takes you to [[spoiler:the past so that you can [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong prevent Mordegon]] from corrupting the Sword of Light and get a head start in defeating him. While this prevents Veronica's death and the world from [[VillianWorld plunging into darkness]], it also meant Mordegon wasn't there to prevent the chaos god Calasmos from being unsealed, becoming the new antagonist.]]
137* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
138** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' allow you to keep playing after you've beaten the main quest. In addition to completing [[SidequestSidestory Faction questlines]] and [[LoadsAndLoadsOfSidequests sidequests]], each game also typically offers some new quests and special items to acquire that are only available once you've beaten the game. Most [=NPCs=] also recognize your accomplishments and comment accordingly, though [[DudeWheresMyRespect don't expect much more than that from them]].
139** The ''Oblivion'' total conversion mod ''[[Videogame/{{Nehrim}} Nehrim: At Fate's Edge]]'' does this with a lengthy quest chain that activates upon completion of the game's main quest. It serves to wrap up one loose end of the main story.
140* All games in the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series have this. After the player conquers the first five strata (dungeons), defeats the standard FinalBoss and wraps up the main story, they can return for more. Characters will congratulate you for conquering Yggdrasil, you'll be given quests where you can locate and challenge the {{Superboss}}es, and return to the labyrinth to discover that there is actually a sixth stratum, much more difficult and devious, only reserved for truly resolved explorers. Once you do all of that (or reach a point for which you're not prepared yet), you can go to the title screen to restart your playthrough via a NewGamePlus (thus managing to combine both tropes).
141* ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'':
142** ''VideoGame/{{Fable|I}}'' and the expansion/upgrade ''The Lost Chapters'' lets you run around and finish up anything else you want once you beat [[spoiler:Jack of Blades]].
143** ''VideoGame/FableII'' promises that there are quests available only after defeating the BigBad. These quests amount to very little: the only quest that's truly only available after finishing the story is exploring a castle to find a GenderBender potion, as well as the option to finish any quest you haven't already done.
144** ''VideoGame/FableIII'' was better in this regard, several quests only becoming available after you've driven off the FinalBoss.
145* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
146** In ''VideoGame/Fallout2'', you get the obligatory "congratulations" round in most cities, and a free max level/skills item.
147** The original release of ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' had a definite ending [[spoiler:where TheHeroDies]], the circumstances of which lead to massive fan outcry. The ''Broken Steel'' DLC lets you TakeAThirdOption that continues the main storyline and lets you keep playing even after completing it.
148** The developers of ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas'' considering setting content after the Battle of the Hoover Dam, but concluded every one of the MultipleEndings would drastically change the game world too much to properly reflect in-game. All of the expansions are set before the game's ending. However, the areas added by three of its four story [[DownloadableContent DLCs]] could be revisited after their main quests wrapped up, with ''Lonesome Road'' having two potentially unlockable areas (depending on the player's actions) that could only be accessed after its [[FinalBoss Final]] BossBattle.
149** A brief end cutscene (with no credits) plays in ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' when you make one of the four major factions the dominant one, then the game continues as usual. There are a few minor differences reflecting which ending occurred and quests set after the game's ostensible ending.
150* ''VideoGame/FossilFighters'' gives you access to a huge number of new things after beating the main game. Not only do you gain access to two new areas (which you will need to visit in order to [[GottaCatchEmAll find every viviosaur]]), nearly every storyline character you've fought throughout the entire game becomes a {{Superboss}}! Beating ''these'' lets you earn access to [[UnusableEnemyEquipment previously]] [[ATasteOfPower ungettable]] 'saurs, and you can even face the ''ultimate'' superboss, consisting of the three most powerful characters in the game.
151* ''VideoGame/GodEater1'' initially only had some new base conversations after the FinalBoss, with gameplay limited to repeating the endgame quests to improve your equipment. The first UpdatedRerelease, ''Gods Eater Burst'', added a new story arc nearly as long as the main game itself, with new characters and new monsters to hunt helping tie up some of the game's unresolved plot threads. Then the second UpdatedRerelease, ''God Eater Resurrection'' (itself a free addition to ''VideoGame/GodEater2: [[UpdatedRerelease Rage Burst]]'') added another plot arc complete with TrueFinalBoss, connecting it more firmly with the sequel. In other words, the ''Resurrection'' version of the game has more playable epilogue than original plot.
152* All three ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' games end with you in the last town in the game (Lalivero in the first, Prox in the second, and Belinsk in the third). Though you can't leave, the towns are all still fully explorable and most of the [=NPCs=] have new dialog reflecting on the events of the game. In the first game, it was actually possible to get stuck by saving here, [[UnintentionallyUnwinnable trapping the player in Lalivero and preventing them from completing any sidequests or locating Djinn they may have missed]]. The sequels fixed this by making it impossible to save the game after beating the FinalBoss.
153* ''VideoGame/GrandiaII'' had an epilogue where you took control of Roan who, some time after the FinalBattle, goes [[spoiler:KingIncognito again]] to visit his friends [[TheFellowshipHasEnded now living all across the land]].
154* In ''VideoGame/HolyUmbrella'', after defeating the FinalBoss, you get a chance to say goodbye to everyone in Thurgical before going back to your own world.
155* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfXentar''. No more monsters or quests, just new lines of dialogue for almost everyone.
156* The first 40 chapters of ''VideoGame/TheLastStory'' are the main campaign, while chapters 41 to 44 are the epilogue. And outside the chapters' stages, there's the possibility to play (most) previously completed dungeons, as well as some unique events like [[spoiler:a souped-up duel with Therius]] and the third and last battle royale in the Arena (which ends with a {{Superboss}}). It's also one of the few games to combine this with a NewGamePlus, because talking to a specific character proceeds straight to [[spoiler:a memorial for Dagran]] and Zael's knighting ceremony (after which the credits roll), eventually prompting you to restart the game with your latest level and stats.
157* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'': In the Distant Future chapter, after defeating OD-10, you can explore the ''Cogito Ergo Sum'' with Cube to get some secrets and gears before talking to Darthe to end the story.
158* ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'' has a playable epilogue that is rather long and completes the game with a happy ending.
159* The remake of ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'' also has a playable epilogue, though all you can really do is wander around Meribia and watch all the secondary characters wrap up their story arcs.
160* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'' has a playable epilogue, [[spoiler:though it is really just a disguised path to the unexpected PostFinalBoss.]]
161* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
162** ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' lacked this, meaning that if you start the sequel immediately after beating it, you go ''directly'' from Saving the Entire Universe to [[spoiler: the destruction of the ''Normandy'' and your character's death by asphyxiation (with kersplat from high orbit thrown in gratis)]].
163** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' allows you to continue playing after you complete the final mission. You can talk to your surviving party members about your endgame decisions, continue to mine ore, complete any sidequests you have left over, or just explore for any anomalies you missed. Any DLC you did not complete is also still available, with the ability to complete sidequests and the DownloadableContent with ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' leading to the HilariousInHindsight moments where the Illusive Man helpfully points you toward these missions ''after'' you've quite possibly [[spoiler:destroyed the Collector Base he wanted, transferred the loyalty of the Cerberus crew of the ''Normandy 2'' from Cerberus to you, made two of his senior lieutenants quit Cerberus to also join you, have basically stolen the massive investment that was the ''Normandy 2'' (which EDI reveals makes up a rather significant chunk of Cerberus personnel and capacity), and probably told him to go fuck himself]]. The only DLC that doesn't fall into this is "Arrival," which has you working on behalf of [[BigGood Admiral Hackett]] instead. ''Mass Effect 2'' is a bit unique in that you can not only continue playing after beating the main game, but you can also start a NewGamePlus with bonuses and some things carrying over.
164** ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'': After the credits roll, the player gets to keep on playing, starting with a celebration of kicking the BigBad's behind, followed by the ability to go out and finish up any quests they may have left unfinished (one or two of which will play out differently).
165* Every single game in the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series bar the sixth game has these, usually revolving around fighting the extraordinarily powerful Navis that reside in the Undernet. You may get a few glimpses of them in the main storyline, particularly in ''Battle Network 3.''
166* All the ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'' [=RPGs=] (except 2 and 3) let you wonder around the world and complete any unfinished side quests after you've beaten the main game; you can also save at any point after the ending. ''World of Xeen'' was a special subtype because after completing each of the two main quests (one for ''Clouds of Xeen'', one for ''Darkside of Xeen'') the game would save then send you back to the main menu. Restoring the game would then let you continue on to the next main quest.
167* In many ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' games, defeating the FinalBoss in the single-player campaign will unlock extra quests consisting of powerful monsters (including, in rare cases, Elder Dragons). In the case of the online or local multiplayer campaign, your reward will be either the ability to indefinitely raise your Hunter Rank, or at least the highest rank available, allowing you in both cases to unlock and tackle [[BrutalBonusLevel the hardest quests]], some of which include unique {{Superboss}}es. Later games and expansions go further and add more unique postgame elements to keep the player hooked, such as the Guiding Lands exploration in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld Iceborne'' and the hunt of afflicted monsters (including Risen Elder Dragons) in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise Sunbreak''.
168* ''Mother'':
169** In ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'', you can explore the world in its entirety after beating the final boss. Many {{Non Player Character}}s in the game are given new and distinct dialogue, and for the first time since before Paula joined the party, you get to ride your bicycle after you take her home (even resulting in a completely new sound effect if you do so in a swamp).
170** ''VideoGame/Mother3'' has a form of this. [[spoiler:The world is torn apart and you're left to control a "The end?" text as your avatar in a black screen while the characters thank you, wish you well and [[TakeOurWordForIt assure you that they're OK]].]]
171* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'' and ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'', after beating the TrueFinalBoss, you can keep exploring the world and finish sidequests and do other stuffs as you like until you start the ending. Additionally, in ''2'', after the epilogue starts, you control the first traveler you chose (Or Pala if you chose Agnea since the latter is working at the theatre) to gather other travelers and head to the theatre, and you can talk to the various [=NPCs=] on your way too.
172* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' and ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' have these. The first ''VideoGame/PaperMario64'' has one too, but [[PointOfNoReturn only]] where it's a means to get you to the last cutscenes.
173* ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'''s post-game content are done in the form of maps. These maps are items that can be used on a Map Device to create a zone of various environments and bosses. Like most other items in the game, they can be [[DesignItYourselfEquipment crafted]] to add difficulty modifiers to improve item drops. The first post-game focused expansion, ''Atlas of Worlds'', added story to the post-game and introduced the titular Atlas as a way to navigate and discover interconnected maps, with the goal of reaching its core to face its mysterious keeper, the Shaper. ''War of the Atlas'' adds [[EldritchAbomination the Elder]], a wandering enemy that fights for influence over the Atlas against the Shaper and the source of his madness. ''Conquerors of the Atlas'' serves as the sequel, following the defeat of the Shaper and the Elder, and the exiles that slayed them becoming the new antagonists. ''Echos of the Atlas'' introduces the Maven, an otherworldly entity with a curiosity for conflict, who can create a BossBonanza for you to defeat and reward you for. ''Siege of the Atlas'' continues the storyline after the defeat of the Conquerors, replacing them with two new entities: the Searing Exarch and the Eater of Worlds.
174* ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave's'' playable epilogue pits the player against the main characters of ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea|Hour of Darkness}}'', plus a little extra background on the world itself.
175* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
176** In several of the games, especially the first, third, and sixth generations, defeating the Elite Four only ends the ''story''. After the credits roll, a high-level challenge, like the Battle Tower[=/=]Frontier, opens up and gives you a chance to work on getting the Pokémon your Pokédex lacks.
177** ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' ''literally'' goes the distance with this, putting it on the border between [[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle fake/nominal ending]] and ExpansionPack: It turns out there's an entire ''region'' left to explore, one that should be very familiar to players of the original games or ''[=FireRed=]'' and ''[=LeafGreen=]'' and you need to get another eight badges to face [[PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo the protagonist of the last game]] to get the real ending.
178** In ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen]]'' you visit three new islands south of Kanto after defeating Blaine. The thing is, their name, Sevii Islands, clearly references the number seven. The reason for this? After defeating the Elite Four you go back to the three islands you visited before to tie up some loose ends, after which the other four are opened up. Pokémon originally found in ''Gold'' and ''Silver'' can be found here, which puts the National Pokédex you received before to good use.
179** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'', as well as ''Platinum'', didn't have much in the way of new areas (mostly a small island with three small settlements), but there are several Pokémon to catch that weren't available previously, especially in the original duo of this generation.
180** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': After you beat [[spoiler:N and Ghetsis]] and the story has clearly ended, you still haven't even beaten the Elite Four and become Champion, which was your goal in the first place! Becoming Champion is your main goal to work for during the postgame sidequests. In addition, defeating the above allows you to explore the areas of Unova you probably noticed on your map but were blocked by literal {{Broken Bridge}}s.
181** In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', which take place two years after their predecessors, the plot is tied up after you become champion, but on the other hand you get to visit areas from these games' predecessors that were blocked off until then, including the previous games' protagonists' hometown. The reason they weren't visited before is because several post-game areas in the previous games are normal areas here, and vice versa.
182** In ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'', you are tasked to capture the Ultra Beasts by Anabel. Also, because you just became champion, there are 10 other trainers that want your title. In ''Videogame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'', Team Rocket resurfaces as Team Rainbow Rocket and has become a full-fledged LegionOfDoom consisting of alternate universe versions of previous villains.
183** ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' has a rather long Epilogue quest. At this point, you still haven't captured Zacian nor Zamazenta. You have 2 new antagonists, Swordward and Shieldbert, causing trouble for you by causing Pokémon to Dynamax Rampage on gyms, in which you need to defeat them. Afterwards, you would then battle the antagonists. Then after, you would battle the mascot to try capturing.
184** ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' has comparatively little to do in the post game. You can undertake a short sidequest to rematch the Gym Leaders, which unlocks the Academy Ace Tournament, which in turn is one of the requirements to unlock six-star Tera Raids. You can also return to TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon to catch [[spoiler:the second Raidon]].
185* ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger: Shadows of Almia'' has one of these. After you start up your save file, you're promoted to the highest Ranger Rank (in honor of SavingTheWorld and all that), and your rewards are access to your player records and the hidden [[MonsterArena Capture Arena]], as well as additional {{sidequest}}s.
186* ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier'' was speculated to have an extreme example in Blue's storyline. When you beat the final boss in his quest the game ... fades to the title screen. There is no epilogue, no ending theme, no "a winner is you," nothing. This caused many confused fans to theorize what happened. Since the whole purpose of Blue's quest was to master magic and defeat his brother, and since you were shown the credits after doing so, a popular fan theory was that everything that happened after you defeated your brother was an interactive ending. Developers later admitted they simply ran out of time and money, and described the ending Blue's campaign would have had if they finished it.
187* While most routes in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' end immediately after the FinalBoss of the ending, the Neutral ending, where you fight both main Final Bosses, allows you to go anywhere you like after beating [[spoiler:Lucifer]], even areas that were previously locked off during the final arc. As long as you don't go to [[spoiler:Cafe Florida in Shinjuku]], where the ending proper will start, you can do anything, including quests in [[spoiler:the alternate Tokyos]] and [[{{Superboss}} the Fiend fights]].
188* Once you beat the FinalBoss in ''[[VideoGame/DevilChildren DemiKids]]'', part of the ''Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children'' series, you're actually given ''three'' different options: letting you proceed with a Playable Epilogue, go back a little bit in time to an EndgamePlus, or starting all over again with all of your things intact in a NewGamePlus. The Playable Epilogue can be considered the "real" ending: In addition to [[spoiler: bringing all your deceased friends BackFromTheDead]], it lets you recruit a whole host of OlympusMons, including [[spoiler: Lucifer, the BigGood himself.]]
189* Some of the ''Shin Megami Tensei: Persona'' games do this.
190** ''VideoGame/Persona3'' features one of these; although you're really doing little more than advancing the plot by this stage, you can still revisit the different parts of the city between the final battle and the actual end of the game. And in FES, you can talk to people you've established full relationships with to get an extra scene. The ''FES'' UpdatedRerelease, meanwhile, features The Answer, an entire mini-campaign and extension to the core game's epilogue, dealing with the fallout from the game's ending.
191** In ''VideoGame/Persona4'', like in the FES version of the previous game, you can talk with every Social Link you've maxed out on the final day after you achieve the Normal ending. [[spoiler:If, however, you decide not to go home when prompted, instead heading back to Junes, you'll get to another dungeon, the real final boss, and the True Ending.]]
192** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' also allows you to talk to any Confidants you have maxed out between the final boss and the ending. Confidants that you have maxed by the end of the game will give you an item that can be carried over to a NewGamePlus to unlock one of their Confidant abilities in a second run.
193* ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'' has a Playable Epilogue of sorts; after beating the FinalBoss, you're able to wander around the world freely (only without the ability to add anyone to your party). However, certain actions will still trigger one of the MultipleEndings, you can't add any more party members and you can't return to playing after that.
194* ''VideoGame/SwordOfVermilion'' had a minor one. After defeating the FinalBoss and obtaining the last of the PlotCoupons, there are no more RandomEncounters and you can freely visit all towns and talk with the {{Non Player Character}}s, which complimented you with your achievements. But there is little else left to do except taking the PlotCoupons to their rightful place and watching the credits roll.
195* ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheDrunkenPaladin'': Not only can the player continue playing after beating the FinalBoss of Hobotropolis, there are many optional quests that involve tying up loose ends from the boss's defeat.
196* ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces F'' has a playable epilogue 3/4 the size of the main game.
197* ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'' doesn't so much have a playable epilogue as a ''second half''. The credits roll before you get there, though.
198* Both ''VideoGame/TaskMaker'' and ''VideoGame/TheTombOfTheTaskMaker'' have a final level that only appears after defeating the final boss: The former features the game's programmers as [=NPCs=] and several random thank-yous, while the latter is a row of [=NPCs=] whom the player has encountered earlier in the game all giving randomly-generated statements of praise.
199* At the end of ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'', Ark gets to go back to Crysta and relive the good old times with all his friends from there [[spoiler:for one day before all of them cease to exist]].
200* The ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' games usually let you wander around and talk to people after beating the game, thus letting you see the aftereffects of your journey, much like in ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}''. There's not much to accomplish at this point, though.
201* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has one after the [[spoiler:True Pacifist Final Boss,]] where the player is free to explore the areas of the game and see the new dialogue that every NPC has (and this is the one time the game really encourages you to TalkToEveryone). All random encounters are gone, but the clever [[BrickJoke loose ends that get tied]] and little changes are reward enough for many players. Once you're done, you initiate the end sequence, including the credits. You can reload to a save from right before initiating the credits if you wanted to see more, [[spoiler:though you'll also get a pleading request not to reset the game]].
202* ''VideoGame/{{Wasteland}}'' let you wander around after killing off the BigBad. Then again, the world was still saved but crawling with dangerous creatures.
203* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' continues after Chapter 12 with the quote [[spoiler:"this story never truly ends"]]. Completing the game unlocks new missions, new Skells, new equipment, and new enemies (including the optional superbosses) you were unable to fight before. By the time you complete the main game itself, you most likely completed less than 50% of it. Have fun spending the rest of your hours getting a 100% completion. On the good side, you can play online multiplayer with less worries. However, likely as a reminder of the aforementioned quote, some things are left unfinished: [[spoiler:You cannot get Lao back, but at least you know he's still alive. You cannot locate the unknown knight. You cannot find Ghosts in this game. You cannot eradicate the entire Ganglion race in Mira. And certain matters pertaining the supporting characters, such as those between Gwin and Irina, are left unresolved.]]
204* The ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' games from SSI let you keep playing after completing the game. In the first game in particular you could revisit the villages who helped you in the final battle and they would all acknowledge your efforts.
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:Roguelike]]
208* In ''VideoGame/AncientDomainsOfMystery'', the game just doesn't end after you close the chaos gate (which is the standard victory condition), so you can go on roaming the Drakalor Chain and even die. Rather, it ends only after you leave the Chain -- which, if you do it earlier, is a NonstandardGameOver (as in, sure you can just give up and leave before you've beaten the game if you want).
209* In ''Videogame/{{Hades}}'', after [[spoiler:Persephone returns to the underworld]] Zagreus can continue to attempt to "escape" on the basis of helping Hades test out his security systems. As well as additional dialog and story events, there are also more unlockable items with other characters.
210* All of the ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' games have a sizable amount of dungeons to explore that only become available after the ending, along with some extra story bits that tie up the loose ends left after the main plot.
211** ''Rescue Team'' has additional story that explains that [[spoiler:Gengar was the human who got Gardevoir cursed by accident, and you have to bring him to Gardevoir's resting place in the hopes of bringing her back, and you can later visit the meteor that threatened the world, which contains Deoxys as a {{Superboss}}]].
212** ''Explorers'' gives even more to the story, but darker and edgier. [[spoiler:You find out that it was Darkrai who set up the EvilPlan to destroy Temporal Tower and plunge the world into darkness, and he's the reason you and Grovyle got separated and you got transformed in the first place.]] The sister game, ''Explorers of Sky'', adds Shaymin as a recruit should you finish the Sky's Peak.
213** ''Gates to Infinity'' keeps it short but sweet, [[spoiler:showing a few days of the team's life (Hydreigon and Keldeo now a part of it) during the hero's absence before they ultimately discover a way to bring them back]].
214[[/folder]]
215
216[[folder:Simulation]]
217* City-building games will often give you the option, after completing your set objectives, to either move on to a new game or stay to perfect the city you're working on. Some examples are ''VideoGame/{{Pharaoh}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Majesty}}'' and ''VideoGame/SimCity''
218* While getting married in some ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' games will make the credits run, this is ''very'' rarely the end of the game. (If you're playing ''Harvest Moon: Back To Nature For Girl'', it is). In fact, there's quite a bit more to do after getting married; aside from eventually getting a child, there's new events to see, sometimes new villagers to befriend, HundredPercentCompletion to achieve--some items and events are even cut off from you ''until'' you get married.
219** It also ends at marriage when you play as Sara in the third Platform/GameBoy game and get married.
220** In ''Harvest Moon DS'', the game ends after marriage if you marry a Mineral Town girl. This was fixed in [[DistaffCounterpart Cute]], where marrying a Mineral Town boy doesn't end the game.
221** This gets subverted in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife'' and ''[[DistaffCounterpart Another Wonderful Life]]''. In those games, if you don't get married by the end of the first year it's actually [[NonStandardGameOver game over]]. ''Another Wonderful Life'' and the Platform/PlayStation2 enhanced version has an actual epilogue that the Platform/GameCube version lacks, called "Heaven".
222** Heaven mode--now called "Beyond"--is present in ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsAWonderfulLife'', letting players play past the end of the story [[spoiler:after you die]].
223** The offshoot ''VideoGame/RuneFactory'' games also let you keep playing normally after the end of the main plot. ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' specifically included a BonusDungeon where you could put all of the powerful armor and weapons to use.
224** The fourth installment ends with [[spoiler: your friend and guardian dragon Ventuswill sacrificing herself to defeat Ethelberd and save the town]], followed by a 15-minute ending cutscene and credit roll. Stick around for long enough after the ending and [[spoiler: the villagers eventually put together a plan to resurrect her]].
225* In ''VideoGame/HometownStory'', the story ends when you complete the first blue feather and use it to grant someone's wish, which will usually trigger the credits. However, you can continue tending your store after this, which will reward you by giving you blue feather fragments at a higher frequency than during the main game and enable you to grant the wishes for which you didn't use the first blue feather. On top of this, the PlayerCharacter's wedding and Lamisa's wish both have follow-up cutscenes that you will only see if you keep playing after using the blue feather for them.
226[[/folder]]
227
228[[folder:Stealth-Based Game]]
229* If you complete at least two of three story objectives (save the cruise ship, save Hisham Hamza and save or kill Lambert) in ''VideoGame/SplinterCellDoubleAgent'', you get to play one brief segment after the credits roll out where you sneak onto a coast guard boat, take down [[TheDragon Carson Moss]], and disarm the Red Mercury bomb before fleeing the exploding ship and getting "To Be Continued..."
230* ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney'' has an interesting variant. The game leads up to the supposed death of Mr. 47, and if you sit through the ending credits you will see his funeral. However [[spoiler: you will notice that his health meter is on the screen during the credits, with just a ''pulsing'' sliver of health, and if you mash the controls enough he will revive from his death-like coma and the ending credits are interrupted while you play the truly final mission of the game.]] However, this is totally optional and easily missable - if you don't do this, [[spoiler: [[DownerEnding 47's still-comatose body is lowered into an incinerator.]]]]
231* ''VideoGame/HitmanAbsolution'' has a playable epilogue which takes place in a cemetery. The Agency is trying to locate [[TheChessmaster Diana Burnwood's]] dead body because [[BigBad Benjamin Travis]] has become [[ProperlyParanoid extremely paranoid that Diana might not be dead.]] [[spoiler: She isn't.]]
232[[/folder]]
233
234[[folder:Strategy]]
235* The ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' games have the "Wait! [[JustOneMoreLevel Just...one...more...turn!]]" option to play on after you've won a victory.
236* ''VideoGame/SpacewardHo'': "When you kill all enemy colonies, you win. You're free to keep playing, but there won't be any resistance from the bad guys, since they're dead."
237[[/folder]]
238
239[[folder:Survival Horror]]
240* ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'' features a very elaborate one, where you play as child Jennifer, walking around the orphanage to say farewell to the precious memories she had about the place despite of all the bad that happened. It culminates the storyline masterfully and provides some of the strongest TearJerker fuel in video game history.
241* ''VideoGame/{{SOMA}}'', after the credits roll, provides a nice surprise. [[spoiler: Before the credits, Catherine's cortex chip shorted out mid-sentence after an angry telling-off from Simon Jarret, leaving him all [[AndIMustScream alone, underwater, with no power to the building he's in]]. But both of them were copied onto the ARK just before it launched, and the epilogue shows us what happened to those copies. We see Simon, looking like he did when he first was in Toronto, within the simulated world of the ARK. After a slow walk in the daylight through a forest, and a brief survey at a kiosk, he arrives at a cliff looking out at a huge futuristic city, and Catherine as a full human. Then as she turns to him and assures Simon that everything's all right, the camera fades to the ARK as a satellite in space, slowly drifting away from a devastated Earth.]]
242[[/folder]]
243
244[[folder:Third-Person Shooter]]
245* ''VideoGame/MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries'' allows the player to take on random missions even after completing the last campaign, keeping all of the assets they have acquired.
246* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' has one that is only unlocked by [[spoiler: shooting the Konrad hallucination.]] A rescue squad shows up [[spoiler: for Walker, but what the player does from that point will result in 3 different endings.]] [[spoiler: Shooting the guy trying to help you will result in the entire squad opening fire. Dying in the confrontation will yield a DownerEnding, taking down the entire squad will yield a [[NightmareFuel horrifying ending.]]]] [[spoiler: Dropping your weapon however, will yield what is at best, a BittersweetEnding.]] It's quite the understatement to say that the game doesn't end happily.
247[[/folder]]
248
249[[folder:Turn-Based Strategy]]
250* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' allows Marche and his party to continue to explore Ivalice after defeating the Final Boss, and some of the newly recruitable story characters will mention the absence of [[spoiler:Mewt]].
251* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' returns the player to the world map after the final chapter is complete and starts the "Creature Campaign", allowing them to fight random skirmishes and go through the [[PeninsulaOfPowerLeveling Tower of Valni and Lagdou Ruins]] at their leisure. There's also a number of units that can only be obtained in the Creature Campaign by reaching certain milestones in the Tower and the Ruins.
252* Subverted in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses''. If the player chooses the [[spoiler: Silver Snow]] route, after Chapter 20, there are apparently no more enemies, but the player can still explore the monastery and talk to people, give tutoring sessions, and go out to side battles. But when the player gets to the end of the month [[spoiler: or just says yes to Seteth,]] the mission suddenly changes to "The Final Battle." Why? [[spoiler: Rhea goes berserk, forcing the player into one last mission to MercyKill her.]]
253[[/folder]]
254
255[[folder:Visual Novels]]
256* Downplayed in ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}''. [[spoiler:The Girl Next Door Ending and the Cool Aunt Ending both have these, but they’re limited to choosing a bonus sex scene out of two.]]
257[[/folder]]
258
259[[folder:Wide Open Sandbox]]
260* ''VideoGame/AlbaAWildlifeAdventure'': After the end credits, you're let loose on the island for your last day with no time limit, allowing you to talk to everyone, finish off any remaining quests, and find those last few animals.
261* The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games featured this, especially the GTA 3 story arc games. In ''San Andreas'', CJ even mentions he just wants to go around. This is useful for those who are looking for HundredPercentCompletion and figure the first step is to finish those annoying storyline missions...or for those who just like the game for its more cathartic qualities. Also, beating the last storyline missions ends [[spoiler:the riots in Los Santos]], which was a state of the world a lot of players really ENJOYED, so they would leave the last mission unfinished rather than blemish their completion rating (prior to 100%) by using a cheat code to achieve the same result or save to a different file.
262* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' features this, with various depending on the ending you chose: [[spoiler: if you chose to kill either Michael or Trevor, you will be left unable to party up Franklin with the survivor, and whoever you chose to kill is KilledOffForReal. If, on the other hand, you chose the ending with Michael and Trevor surviving, you can have them travel together. There is even special dialogue between the characters which wraps up the interpersonal conflict between Michael and Trevor, in addition to a post-game mission featuring Trevor's mother.]]
263* ''[[VideoGame/JustCause Just Cause 2]]'' calls it Mercenary Mode. Not much really changes after you finish the last story mission, except that each time you load the game or respawn, it shows '''MERCENARY MODE''' in big red lettering, and whenever you find an item, complete a challenge or mission or destroy a piece of government property it shows your increasing [[HundredPercentCompletion completion percentage]].
264* The ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' titles feature Premium Adventure mode, which can act as either this or NewGamePlus if you decide to use your complete save file or not. If you choose to do so, you are free to explore the game's open world and finish off any substory you haven't cleared yet as well as all progress on the Completion List. Some titles that feature Kiryu and Haruka let you choose to bring her along in order to play minigames together.
265* A variant of this happens in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption''. After [[spoiler:John Marston dies]] and the "final cutscene" plays, you will have control over [[spoiler:Jack Marston]], and you can continue on in freeplay mode. However, the end credits won't play until you head to Blackwater, talk to a random bystander and complete the [[spoiler:"Remember My Family" mission, where Jack finds and kills former Blackwater Agent Edgar Ross - achieving his revenge]].
266** ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemptionUndeadNightmare'', a WhatCouldHaveBeen [=DLC=], plays this trope; following the credits, [[spoiler: the non-[=DLC=] normal story ending comes about (wherein John is killed), only with the twist that Seth steals the treasure that caused the dead to rise before when taken, thus bringing the dead (including John) back to life, allowing the player to finish side quests and to free roam.]]
267* Like its predecessor, ''Videogame/RedDeadRedemption2'' also has an epilogue that takes place after [[spoiler:the death of the main protagonist]]. In it, [[spoiler:you play as John Marston about eight years after the events of the main game]]. This time however, the epilogue is much longer and consists of several missions, culminating in [[spoiler:an assault on Micah Bell's gang with Charles Smith and Sadie Adler]].
268* All of the ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' games (except the first one) let you play after the credits roll, allowing you to continue participating in activities and diversions. However, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'', in addition to already allowing you to replay past missions, also has one last mission for the player to pursue after the credits: [[spoiler:unraveling the mystery of who tried to kill you in the yacht explosion from the end of the previous game.]]
269[[/folder]]
270

Top