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** While ''Sonic Adventure 2'' wasn't the last story-driven 3D Sonic game, there still hasn't been a true ''Sonic Adventure'' game since it. [[note]]Unless you count ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', which went back to ''Adventure''-style gameplay and made use of a HubWorld much like [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure the original]], and/or ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', which started production as ''Sonic Adventure 3'' and is titled ''Sonic World Adventure'' [[MarketBasedTitle in Japanese]].[[/note]] As such, it could still be considered the ''Adventure'' series' GrandFinale.
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** While ''Sonic Adventure 2'' wasn't the last story-driven 3D Sonic game, there still hasn't been a true ''Sonic Adventure'' game since it. [[note]]Unless you count ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', which went back to ''Adventure''-style gameplay and made use of a HubWorld much like [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure the original]], and/or ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', which started production as ''Sonic Adventure 3'' and is titled ''Sonic World Adventure'' [[MarketBasedTitle in Japanese]].[[/note]] As such, it could still be considered the ''Adventure'' series' GrandFinale.GrandFinale.
* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} 3: Reign Of Chaos'' ends with the Burning Legion defeated. Medivh (the only character from part 2) settled his unfinished business and vanished back into oblivion. ''The Frozen Throne'' details the rise of the Undead as the new BigBad faction of the game.
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* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} 3: Reign Of Chaos'' ends with the Burning Legion defeated. Medivh (the only character from part 2) settled his unfinished business and vanished back into oblivion. ''The Frozen Throne'' details the rise of the Undead as the new BigBad faction of the game.
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** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'' had an air of finality to it and was supposed to be the finale, with the game taking place 30 years after Freddy Fazbear's Pizza closing down for good, the Purple Man getting his [[LaserGuidedKarma punishment]] for his actions, and the murdered children being set free after decades of being stuck inside the animatronic. Overall, it felt like a fitting end to the series that never happened.
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** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'' had an air of finality to it and was supposed to be the finale, with the game taking place 30 years after Freddy Fazbear's Pizza closing down for good, the Purple Man getting his [[LaserGuidedKarma punishment]] for his actions, and the murdered children being set free after decades of being stuck inside the animatronic.animatronics. Overall, it felt like a fitting end to the series that never happened.
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* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' seems like it was designed to be the finale of the series. Original protagonists Chris and Jill reunite (under some very unique circumstances) and series BigBad Wesker finally takes direct action after several games of plotting from behind the scenes. The game also brings the Umbrella Corporation to a final end with the death of founder Oswell E. Spencer, and reveals the true origins and motives of the evil pharmaceutical company. In the end only a few plot threads were still left hanging, mostly involving [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 Sherry and Ada Wong]]. Subsequent games have either been [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations interquels]] or had the feel of a [[PostScriptSeason post-script]] ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 game]]'' ([[BreadEggsBreadedEggs or a post-script]] [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2 interquel]]). And then ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7'' came out, extending the series in an entirely new way while maintaining the same overall themes.
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* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' seems like it was designed to be the finale of the series. Original protagonists Chris and Jill reunite (under some very unique circumstances) and series BigBad Wesker finally takes direct action after several games of plotting from behind the scenes. The game also brings the Umbrella Corporation to a final end with the death of founder Oswell E. Spencer, and reveals the true origins and motives of the evil pharmaceutical company. In the end only a few plot threads were still left hanging, mostly involving [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 Sherry and Ada Wong]]. Subsequent games have either been [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations interquels]] or had the feel of a [[PostScriptSeason post-script]] ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 game]]'' ([[BreadEggsBreadedEggs or a post-script]] [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2 interquel]]). And then ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7'' ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'' came out, extending the series in an entirely new way with a new story arc involving the new protagonist Ethan Winters while maintaining the same overall themes.
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* ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}} IIDX 16 EMPRESS + PREMIUM BEST'' was intended to be the final consumer version of ''beatmania IIDX'', featuring the usual bells and whistles of an arcade-to-[[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] port as well as a ''PREMIUM BEST'' disc that features a compilation of songs from the original ''IIDX'' to ''beatmania IIDX 15 DJ TROOPERS'', with 198 playable songs between both discs. However, ''beatmania IIDX INFINITAS'' would come along for PC six years later.
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* ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}} IIDX 16 EMPRESS + PREMIUM BEST'' was intended to be the final consumer version of ''beatmania IIDX'', featuring the usual bells and whistles of an arcade-to-[[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 arcade-to-[[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]] port as well as a ''PREMIUM BEST'' disc that features a compilation of songs from the original ''IIDX'' to ''beatmania IIDX 15 DJ TROOPERS'', with 198 playable songs between both discs. However, ''beatmania IIDX INFINITAS'' would come along for PC six years later.
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** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' is suggestive of this, likely because Creator/{{Sega}} knew the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast would be discontinued that year. Officially it was the most ambitious game in the series at the time, serving as a celebration of Sonic's 10th anniversary. It ends with all the characters -- including [[BigBad Dr. Eggman]] -- teaming up to save the world, and ends on a solemn note as they bond over [[spoiler:Shadow's supposed death]]. The real kicker is the preview to the Hero Story, which outright says: "Farewell, Sonic. Forever." However, Sega became a third-party company and released ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' three years later.
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** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' is suggestive of this, likely because Creator/{{Sega}} knew the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Platform/SegaDreamcast would be discontinued that year. Officially it was the most ambitious game in the series at the time, serving as a celebration of Sonic's 10th anniversary. It ends with all the characters -- including [[BigBad Dr. Eggman]] -- teaming up to save the world, and ends on a solemn note as they bond over [[spoiler:Shadow's supposed death]]. The real kicker is the preview to the Hero Story, which outright says: "Farewell, Sonic. Forever." However, Sega became a third-party company and released ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' three years later.
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* ''VideoGame/{{Futurama}}'': The game was originally conceived as another possible series finale, as it ends with Fry, Bender and Leela's deaths. With the series being revived years later, the events of the game were pushed to CanonDiscontinuity.
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A recent video by DYKGaming
debunked this rumor. The source comes from an interview with Tsunekazu Ishihara, who claimed that Gold and Silver were originally going to be the last games he would personally work on, not that they would be the last games in the series.
debunked this rumor. The source comes from an interview with Tsunekazu Ishihara, who claimed that Gold and Silver were originally going to be the last games he would personally work on, not that they would be the last games in the series.Deleted line(s) 38 (click to see context) :
* ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' were designed with the assumption they would be the last installments in the franchise, as nobody at Creator/GameFreak was certain at how long the series' popularity would last. The main story features the dissolution of Team Rocket, and the second half of the game focuses on the player revisiting the Kanto region and challenging the old Gym Leaders. The game climaxes with [[DuelingPlayerCharacters a fight against Red]], the player character from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Red & Blue]]'' and the TrueFinalBoss. Ultimately, ''Gold & Silver'' were wildly successful and proved that ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' had enough staying power to continue work on the franchise.
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* ''[[VideoGame/{{Richman}} Richman 8]]'' was initially announced to be the last installment of the ''Richman'' series by WordOfGod in 2009, but in 2016, the series gets UnCanceled by ''Richman 9''.
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** Ironically, ''Halo 4'' itself is an example. If it weren't meant to be the start of a new trilogy and era of ''Halo'', one could ''very'' easily presume ''4'' is meant as a GrandFinale to wrap up the few plot threads remaining after ''3'', as it does just that and closes on a very conclusive BittersweetEnding that doesn't show any immediate potential for sequels. [[spoiler:[[KilledOffForReal Cortana is dead]] and Master Chief is [[TheLastDJ alone as a broken, traumatized relic in a postwar galaxy that's leaving him behind]], but they saved the universe one last time by defeating [[GreaterScopeVillain the Didact]], a new generation is rising to defend the galaxy in their place, Cortana went out on her own terms, and Chief got the closure he needed, with his last scene making clear that he's gonna be alright]]. While the ''Spartan Ops'' mode and ExpandedUniverse material sets up potential new stories in the universe, Master Chief's journey seems very definitively ended here, which may be why ''VideoGame/Halo5'' and ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'' seem to spend a lot of time undoing ''4's'' status quo shifts in favor of different ones.
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** Ironically, ''Halo 4'' itself is an example. If it weren't meant to be the start of a new trilogy and era of ''Halo'', one could ''very'' easily presume ''4'' is meant as a GrandFinale to wrap up the few plot threads remaining after ''3'', as it does just that and closes on a very conclusive BittersweetEnding that doesn't show any immediate potential for sequels. [[spoiler:[[KilledOffForReal Cortana is dead]] and Master Chief is [[TheLastDJ alone as a broken, traumatized relic in a postwar galaxy that's leaving him behind]], but they saved the universe one last time by defeating [[GreaterScopeVillain the Didact]], a new generation is rising to defend the galaxy in their place, Cortana went out on her own terms, and Chief got the closure he needed, with his last scene making clear that he's gonna be alright]]. While the ''Spartan Ops'' mode and ExpandedUniverse material sets up potential new stories in the universe, Master Chief's journey seems very definitively ended here, which may be why ''VideoGame/Halo5'' ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'' and ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'' seem to spend a lot of time undoing ''4's'' status quo shifts in favor of different ones.
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* ''VideoGame/Halo3'' was meant to be the conclusion to the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series. It was even marketed with the tagline, "Finish the Fight". But seeing as how ''Halo'' is Microsoft's main series, they couldn't stop making ''Halo'' games, so they made some spin-offs, and then a [[VideoGame/Halo4 direct sequel]] to ''3''. To be fair, the new saga does deal with a different fight.
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* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** ''VideoGame/Halo3'' was meant to be the conclusion to the''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series. series and very definitively wraps up most of the outstanding plotlines while sending Master Chief and Cortana onto an AndTheAdventureContinues sort of ending. It was even marketed with the tagline, "Finish the Fight". Fight" and the advertising generally made a big deal about this being the final installment. Even when the series continued, the next games and stories were only ever spin-offs like ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' which took place before the ending of ''3''. But seeing as how ''Halo'' is Microsoft's main series, they couldn't stop making ''Halo'' games, and so once Creator/{{Bungie}} [[GodDoesNotOwnThisWorld lost creative control]], Microsoft created 343 Industries to continue the series with ''VideoGame/Halo4'' and it's own follow-ups and spin-offs. In fairness, the 343 games do involve a completely new fight years later, so there's not really any HappyEndingOverride going on.
** Ironically, ''Halo 4'' itself is an example. If it weren't meant to be the start of a new trilogy and era of ''Halo'', one could ''very'' easily presume ''4'' is meant as a GrandFinale to wrap up the few plot threads remaining after ''3'', as it does just that and closes on a very conclusive BittersweetEnding that doesn't show any immediate potential for sequels. [[spoiler:[[KilledOffForReal Cortana is dead]] and Master Chief is [[TheLastDJ alone as a broken, traumatized relic in a postwar galaxy that's leaving him behind]], but theymade some spin-offs, saved the universe one last time by defeating [[GreaterScopeVillain the Didact]], a new generation is rising to defend the galaxy in their place, Cortana went out on her own terms, and then a [[VideoGame/Halo4 direct sequel]] to ''3''. To be fair, Chief got the new saga does deal closure he needed, with his last scene making clear that he's gonna be alright]]. While the ''Spartan Ops'' mode and ExpandedUniverse material sets up potential new stories in the universe, Master Chief's journey seems very definitively ended here, which may be why ''VideoGame/Halo5'' and ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'' seem to spend a lot of time undoing ''4's'' status quo shifts in favor of different fight.ones.
** ''VideoGame/Halo3'' was meant to be the conclusion to the
** Ironically, ''Halo 4'' itself is an example. If it weren't meant to be the start of a new trilogy and era of ''Halo'', one could ''very'' easily presume ''4'' is meant as a GrandFinale to wrap up the few plot threads remaining after ''3'', as it does just that and closes on a very conclusive BittersweetEnding that doesn't show any immediate potential for sequels. [[spoiler:[[KilledOffForReal Cortana is dead]] and Master Chief is [[TheLastDJ alone as a broken, traumatized relic in a postwar galaxy that's leaving him behind]], but they
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* In a dual example, ''Franchise/SamAndMax'' was intended to end with ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxTheDevilsPlayhouse'', acting as the ending point to the 23 years of the series up until then. Fast forward 10 years later and it was announced the original trilogy that ''Devil's Playhouse'' is a part of was confirmed to get remastered starting in 2020.
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SeriesFauxnale in VideoGames.
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* The first five games of ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' were focused on the story of Desmond Miles and his ancestors, with ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' set up as the GrandFinale of his exploits; The franchise was followed immediately with ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' and the subsequent games now follow the consequences of Desmond's adventures and are more MythArc driven than actually following a single storyline.
* Though ''Franchise/BaldursGate'' wasn't supposed to end at its second instalment, its DLC had the main protagonist [[FanNickName Charname]] face off against a BigBad who was involved in the start of the ''reason'' behind all of the adventuring, and ended the Bhaalspawn Saga. Yet in October 2020 Baldur's Gate 3 got released in Early Access, and though as of writing this entry in March 2022 the game hasn't released fully, the "Saga" around Baldur's Gate continues. [[note]]Though it could be brand naming, it could also be continuening the story, its uncertain at this time.[[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}} IIDX 16 EMPRESS + PREMIUM BEST'' was intended to be the final consumer version of ''beatmania IIDX'', featuring the usual bells and whistles of an arcade-to-[[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] port as well as a ''PREMIUM BEST'' disc that features a compilation of songs from the original ''IIDX'' to ''beatmania IIDX 15 DJ TROOPERS'', with 198 playable songs between both discs. However, ''beatmania IIDX INFINITAS'' would come along for PC six years later.
* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac: Afterbirth+'' was intended by Creator/EdmundMcMillen to be the final DLC for the remake, with its new ending [[MindScrewdriver clarifying several plot points established by previous endings]]. But a popular GameMod, ''[[VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaacAntibirth Antibirth]]'', was released just a couple weeks earlier, and Edmund liked it so much that he decided to officially re-release it as part of the ''Repentance'' expansion, which has a new [[TheEndingChangesEverything even more conclusive]] ending.
* Creator/TravellersTales wanted to end ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' with ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheWrathOfCortex The Wrath of Cortex]]'', which billed itself as the game where Crash defeats [[DragonInChief Cortex]] for good and seemingly makes good on its promise in the real ending where Cortex and Uka Uka are banished to the arctic. Vicarious Visions then got hold of the series, releasing ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheHugeAdventure The Huge Adventure]]'', ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2NTranced N-Tranced]]'', and ''VideoGame/CrashNitroKart'', which are set in VV's own timeline and give Cortex a SnapBack, before TT continued the series with ''VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity'', which is set 3 years after ''Wrath'' and starts with Cortex escaping his banishment.
* ''VideoGame/DeadSpace3'' seems to end on a decisively final conclusion for Isaac, the Markers, and the Necromorphs. Then the ''Awakening'' DLC comes along to continue the story, ending on a grim cliffhanger. Shortly afterwards the series was put on indefinite hiatus due to "poor" sales performance, leaving the plot hanging on a very dark note.
* While ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' and [[VideoGame/DiabloII its sequel]] both had open/cliffhanger endings, the expansion pack ''Lord of Destruction'' ended on a pretty final note. All of the Prime Evils' Soulstones had been destroyed, permanently killing them off. Of course, that didn't stop Creator/{{Blizzard|Entertainment}} from making ''VideoGame/DiabloIII: [[Film/{{Spaceballs}} The Search for More Money]]''.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': Creator/BioWare fully admits they didn't know if the game would sell well enough to launch a franchise, so they added more detailed player choices, lasting consequences, and [[WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue epilogue slides]] detailing the fates of each character and location for decades to come to wrap things up. When ''Origins'' sold well enough to launch the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' franchise, Creator/BioWare gently {{retcon}}ned the end slides to be [[UnreliableNarrator in-universe "rumors"]], and avoided adding too detailed player choices and end slides for subsequent games, to keep future stories open.
* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'':
** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'' had an air of finality to it and was supposed to be the finale, with the game taking place 30 years after Freddy Fazbear's Pizza closing down for good, the Purple Man getting his [[LaserGuidedKarma punishment]] for his actions, and the murdered children being set free after decades of being stuck inside the animatronic. Overall, it felt like a fitting end to the series that never happened.
** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4'' was supposed to be the finale like the third game, showing some of the first events in the series, what happened at Fredbear's Family Diner, and [[AmbiguousSituation possibly]] explaining the origins of one of the characters in the series, but too many mysteries were left, which led to the creation of the following games.
** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'' was ''also'' supposed to be the finale, focused on the Purple Man (now revealed to be called [[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysWilliamAfton William Afton]]) and his family. But the ending left many questions in it, with it ultimately getting a sequel.
** ''VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator'' was probably the closest to the GrandFinale: The last surviving robots are brought together, mysteries from the past are solved, and it all ends with [[spoiler:the animatronics (including [[AssholeVictim Afton]]), the protagonist (the same person as in ''Sister Location'') and Henry, the GreaterScopeParagon who was the founder of Freddy's and mastermind behind the events of the game, all dying in a fire]], seemingly ending the legacy of Freddy Fazbear for good. The game following it, ''VideoGame/UltimateCustomNight'', is heavily implied to be the epilogue where William Afton gets tortured for eternity... but then ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysVRHelpWanted'' came out, and all the games following it. Looks like we're not getting a true finale anytime soon...
* ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'': The Season 10 finale event ends with the island, all of the skins and the universe being sucked into a black hole. The game then goes offline, only showing the black hole, with its social media pages blacked out, and even being removed from the Epic Games Store banner. Serious dedication.
* ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}} III''[='s=] GoldenEnding not only solves the main conflict of the series (the proxy war between the gods), it also places the Nameless Hero into an entirely new world with no return. It's directly stated that peace will ensue and that there is no way this happy ending could be reversed. However, thanks to ExecutiveMeddling by the publisher, the infamous Gothic III: Forsaken Gods was made, in which [[HappyEndingOverride the war didn't end, so the Nameless Hero had to return to Morgrad]], which turns the original Gothic III into this.
* ''VideoGame/Halo3'' was meant to be the conclusion to the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series. It was even marketed with the tagline, "Finish the Fight". But seeing as how ''Halo'' is Microsoft's main series, they couldn't stop making ''Halo'' games, so they made some spin-offs, and then a [[VideoGame/Halo4 direct sequel]] to ''3''. To be fair, the new saga does deal with a different fight.
* The ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series has not only one, but two fake grand finales:
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' was made, according to WordOfGod, to serve as a potential GrandFinale and wrap up nearly all loose ends from ''VideoGame/{{Kingdom Hearts|I}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'', with Organization XIII and both Xehanort's Heartless and Nobody destroyed, and Sora, Riku, and Kairi finally reunited on Destiny Islands. But it ended up being a huge success, and of course [[CashCowFranchise Disney and Square weren't going to let a moneymaker like that go]].
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' was intentionally designed as the GrandFinale of the Dark Seeker MythArc, 17 years in the making, which was started with [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI the first game]]. The story that revolves around the Destiny Islands, the Sea Salt, and the Wayfinder trios are wrapped up and the main antagonists, Master Xehanort and the Real Organization XIII, are defeated for good. However, the game has plenty of {{Sequel Hook}}s serving as a continuation of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'', which was supposed to be a standalone title. Only Sora has been confirmed to return as protagonist in the next myth arc, while the Foretellers from ''χ'' will return as the antagonists.
* ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' presents itself as the finale of the 2D ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' games. The game features many game mechanics previously exclusive to certain earlier games, such as a modified Helper system from ''[[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Super Star]]'', AbilityMixing from ''[[VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards Kirby 64]]'' (albeit in the form of [[SpellBlade elemental weapon imbuement]] more resembling ''[[VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad Squeak Squad]]''), and [[CoOpMultiplayer four-player co-op]] from ''[[VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand Return to Dream Land]]''. Additionally, the game features a multitude of playable characters in addition to Kirby, the regular Helpers in the Dream Friends, comprised of the other three playable characters from ''Return to Dream Land'' in addition to many returning characters such as Rick, Kine, Coo, Gooey, Marx, Daroach, Magolor, and Susie who likewise represent other individual games, and [[spoiler:the final boss being very obviously connected to the series BigBad Dark Matter and, according to the Japanese Pause Descriptions, also being the GreaterScopeVillain of the whole series]]. While it wasn't the end of ''Kirby'' as a whole, due to the game's direct mainline successor, ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'', being the series's VideoGame3DLeap, ''Star Allies'' can still be viewed as the ultimate culmination of the series to that point.
* While it was unlikely to be the end of [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda the franchise]] as a whole, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' is clearly written to be a finale to the loose "Hero of Time Saga" started by ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' and continued by ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]''. ''Wind Waker'' itself takes place in the timeline left behind by the Hero of Time when Zelda sent him to a new timeline that would lead to ''Majora's Mask'', and ''Wind Waker'' reveals throughout the game that Ganon escaped his imprisonment and destroyed much of Hyrule with no hero to stand up to him, leading to the survivors pleading to the gods to intervene, itself leading to the creation of the Great Sea and the ruined Hyrule put in stasis. The game as a whole also delivers a CentralTheme of "let the past go", with Ganondorf wanting to bring back Hyrule as part of his stubborn refusal to give up his ambitions and the old King Daphnes wanting to let Hyrule and Ganondorf wash away beneath the waves. Overall, it served as a fitting end to the legacy of the Hero of Time, but ''Wind Waker''[='=]s direct successor, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' would further explore the consequences of the Hero of Time being transported to the timeline of ''Majora's Mask'', albeit in a way that didn't factually invalidate ''Wind Waker'' due to ''Twilight Princess'' being concurrent in the AlternateTimeline.
* The ''Franchise/MassEffect'' games followed the adventures of Commander Shepard against the Reapers and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' was the conclusion to the "Shepard Saga"; however the franchise continued with ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda''.
* Most ''Franchise/MegaMan'' subseries have had this at least once:
** The classic ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}'' games were evidently intended to wrap up with ''VideoGame/MegaMan6''; this is apparent in the tone of the music, particularly the songs used for the title screen, final stages and final boss, and after the final boss Mega Man arrests Dr. Wily. [[note]]Although after the credits, there is a ToBeContinued, but who knows if it was meant to refer to ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' or the eventual ''VideoGame/MegaMan7''.[[/note]] ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'' came along and opens with [[HappyEndingOverride Wily escaping from prison six months later]], then ''[[VideoGame/MegaMan8 8]]'' came along and became ''another'' Series Fauxnale before ''[[VideoGame/MegaMan9 9]]''.
** The ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' games were intended to end with ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' then segue into the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series, until they made ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX6 X6]]'' without Creator/KeijiInafune's involvement and the series continued with ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX7 X7]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX8 X8]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission Command Mission]]''.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManZero3'' would have concluded the trilogy if ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero4 Zero 4]]'' wasn't made. Despite all the revelations thrown in the player's face and the climax involving [[spoiler:Zero--in an inferior copy of his original body--facing off against said original body]] followed by [[spoiler:the implied deaths of [[BigGood X]] and the Four Guardians]], the developers realized they had one major plot thread left hanging: the BigBad of ''3'' was still alive [[FromBadToWorse and now in control of Neo Arcadia]]...
** ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' was evidently intended to end with ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork3WhiteAndBlue 3]]'', and much like ''Mega Man 6'' had an air of finality in some parts of its soundtrack, but still continued for [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork4RedSunAndBlueMoon three]] [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork5TeamColonelAndTeamProtoMan more]] [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork6CybeastGregarAndCybeastFalzar games]] and several spin-offs. The last game also ended with a DistantFinale that has yet to be continued from, as [[VideoGame/MegaManStarForce the next games in the timeline]] taking place long after the Hikaris as we know them would be dead.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManXMavericks'' seemed like its fourth game was going to be the last. It pretty clearly concluded the plotline that had been set up since the first game and brought back all the party members for the final showdown. It even lacked a stinger like the previous installments. It turned out to be this when a fifth game was announced a few years later.
* For the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' goes to painstaking lengths to make sure no potential for sequels exists after its ending. [[spoiler:Solid Snake is an old man with a few months left to live; the mystery surrounding The Patriots is cleared up right before they're promptly destroyed, the off-screen fates of several characters from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' are revealed; EVA, Vamp, Naomi, Ocelot, Zero and Big Boss all die; the remaining characters finally get their happy ending and the game recontextualizes all the canon games up to that point as specifically leading up to ''Guns of the Patriots''.]] This didn't stop Konami from trying to continue the story in several ways: ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV'' are main series interquels that focus on gameplay and themes rather than the overarching plot (with ''MGSV'' specifically revolving around clearing up a ''single'' plot hole that the extended series caused in the ''first game''[[note]][[spoiler:Specifically, how Big Boss survived despite definitely being killed in ''VideoGame/MetalGear1'']][[/note]]), while ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' is a spin-off sequel to ''4'' that's contrived to the point of parody.
* The ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series has had two of these:
** ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' was originally meant to be the ending of the series. In this game, the Metroid species goes extinct, and all of Samus's enemies in the Space Pirates are destroyed for good. And for a long time, this game was indeed the end of ''Metroid'': it took another 8 years for new installments in the franchise to release, with ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' being a continuation.
** For the ''Metroid Prime'' games, ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' was also meant to be the end of that series: in that game, Metroid Prime/Dark Samus is KilledOffForReal, and all Phazon in the universe is destroyed. Then ten years later, ''Metroid Prime 4'' was announced (although it's arguable that one year earlier, ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeFederationForce'' already resulted in this).
** Defied with ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'': series creator Yoshio Sakamoto confirmed that ''Dread'' will be the end of the Metroid story arc that began with [[VideoGame/Metroid1 the first game]], but it will not be the end of Samus Aran's adventures.
* ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' were designed with the assumption they would be the last installments in the franchise, as nobody at Creator/GameFreak was certain at how long the series' popularity would last. The main story features the dissolution of Team Rocket, and the second half of the game focuses on the player revisiting the Kanto region and challenging the old Gym Leaders. The game climaxes with [[DuelingPlayerCharacters a fight against Red]], the player character from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Red & Blue]]'' and the TrueFinalBoss. Ultimately, ''Gold & Silver'' were wildly successful and proved that ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' had enough staying power to continue work on the franchise.
* The ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' series was initially planned to be a trilogy (and was announced in Japanese as such), which is why ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture'' wrapped everything up. But neither the fans nor the staff wanted the series to stop at three games, and Creator/{{Level 5}} continued the series by announcing a trilogy of prequels (similar to ''Franchise/StarWars'' minus the giant gap in release dates).
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' seems like it was designed to be the finale of the series. Original protagonists Chris and Jill reunite (under some very unique circumstances) and series BigBad Wesker finally takes direct action after several games of plotting from behind the scenes. The game also brings the Umbrella Corporation to a final end with the death of founder Oswell E. Spencer, and reveals the true origins and motives of the evil pharmaceutical company. In the end only a few plot threads were still left hanging, mostly involving [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 Sherry and Ada Wong]]. Subsequent games have either been [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations interquels]] or had the feel of a [[PostScriptSeason post-script]] ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 game]]'' ([[BreadEggsBreadedEggs or a post-script]] [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2 interquel]]). And then ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7'' came out, extending the series in an entirely new way while maintaining the same overall themes.
* ''[[VideoGame/RType R-Type Final]]'' was supposed to be the last of the series. However, it was soon followed by spinoffs ''R-Type Tactics'' in 2007 and ''R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate'' in 2009. Then it was fully subverted with ''R-Type Final 2'' releasing in 2021.
* ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' originally ended with ''[[VideoGame/SakuraWars4FallInLoveMaidens Fall in Love, Maidens]]'', which concluded Ichiro Ogami's storyline from the first four games. However, Creator/{{Sega}} released the next mainline title, ''[[VideoGame/SakuraWarsSoLongMyLove So Long, My Love]]'', in 2005.
* The endings of both [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves the second]] and [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves third]] ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' games were designed so the series could feasibly end there. Then came ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'' in 2013.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' is suggestive of this, likely because Creator/{{Sega}} knew the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast would be discontinued that year. Officially it was the most ambitious game in the series at the time, serving as a celebration of Sonic's 10th anniversary. It ends with all the characters -- including [[BigBad Dr. Eggman]] -- teaming up to save the world, and ends on a solemn note as they bond over [[spoiler:Shadow's supposed death]]. The real kicker is the preview to the Hero Story, which outright says: "Farewell, Sonic. Forever." However, Sega became a third-party company and released ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' three years later.
** While ''Sonic Adventure 2'' wasn't the last story-driven 3D Sonic game, there still hasn't been a true ''Sonic Adventure'' game since it. [[note]]Unless you count ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', which went back to ''Adventure''-style gameplay and made use of a HubWorld much like [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure the original]], and/or ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', which started production as ''Sonic Adventure 3'' and is titled ''Sonic World Adventure'' [[MarketBasedTitle in Japanese]].[[/note]] As such, it could still be considered the ''Adventure'' series' GrandFinale.
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* The first five games of ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' were focused on the story of Desmond Miles and his ancestors, with ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' set up as the GrandFinale of his exploits; The franchise was followed immediately with ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' and the subsequent games now follow the consequences of Desmond's adventures and are more MythArc driven than actually following a single storyline.
* Though ''Franchise/BaldursGate'' wasn't supposed to end at its second instalment, its DLC had the main protagonist [[FanNickName Charname]] face off against a BigBad who was involved in the start of the ''reason'' behind all of the adventuring, and ended the Bhaalspawn Saga. Yet in October 2020 Baldur's Gate 3 got released in Early Access, and though as of writing this entry in March 2022 the game hasn't released fully, the "Saga" around Baldur's Gate continues. [[note]]Though it could be brand naming, it could also be continuening the story, its uncertain at this time.[[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}} IIDX 16 EMPRESS + PREMIUM BEST'' was intended to be the final consumer version of ''beatmania IIDX'', featuring the usual bells and whistles of an arcade-to-[[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] port as well as a ''PREMIUM BEST'' disc that features a compilation of songs from the original ''IIDX'' to ''beatmania IIDX 15 DJ TROOPERS'', with 198 playable songs between both discs. However, ''beatmania IIDX INFINITAS'' would come along for PC six years later.
* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac: Afterbirth+'' was intended by Creator/EdmundMcMillen to be the final DLC for the remake, with its new ending [[MindScrewdriver clarifying several plot points established by previous endings]]. But a popular GameMod, ''[[VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaacAntibirth Antibirth]]'', was released just a couple weeks earlier, and Edmund liked it so much that he decided to officially re-release it as part of the ''Repentance'' expansion, which has a new [[TheEndingChangesEverything even more conclusive]] ending.
* Creator/TravellersTales wanted to end ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' with ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheWrathOfCortex The Wrath of Cortex]]'', which billed itself as the game where Crash defeats [[DragonInChief Cortex]] for good and seemingly makes good on its promise in the real ending where Cortex and Uka Uka are banished to the arctic. Vicarious Visions then got hold of the series, releasing ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheHugeAdventure The Huge Adventure]]'', ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2NTranced N-Tranced]]'', and ''VideoGame/CrashNitroKart'', which are set in VV's own timeline and give Cortex a SnapBack, before TT continued the series with ''VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity'', which is set 3 years after ''Wrath'' and starts with Cortex escaping his banishment.
* ''VideoGame/DeadSpace3'' seems to end on a decisively final conclusion for Isaac, the Markers, and the Necromorphs. Then the ''Awakening'' DLC comes along to continue the story, ending on a grim cliffhanger. Shortly afterwards the series was put on indefinite hiatus due to "poor" sales performance, leaving the plot hanging on a very dark note.
* While ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' and [[VideoGame/DiabloII its sequel]] both had open/cliffhanger endings, the expansion pack ''Lord of Destruction'' ended on a pretty final note. All of the Prime Evils' Soulstones had been destroyed, permanently killing them off. Of course, that didn't stop Creator/{{Blizzard|Entertainment}} from making ''VideoGame/DiabloIII: [[Film/{{Spaceballs}} The Search for More Money]]''.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': Creator/BioWare fully admits they didn't know if the game would sell well enough to launch a franchise, so they added more detailed player choices, lasting consequences, and [[WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue epilogue slides]] detailing the fates of each character and location for decades to come to wrap things up. When ''Origins'' sold well enough to launch the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' franchise, Creator/BioWare gently {{retcon}}ned the end slides to be [[UnreliableNarrator in-universe "rumors"]], and avoided adding too detailed player choices and end slides for subsequent games, to keep future stories open.
* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'':
** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'' had an air of finality to it and was supposed to be the finale, with the game taking place 30 years after Freddy Fazbear's Pizza closing down for good, the Purple Man getting his [[LaserGuidedKarma punishment]] for his actions, and the murdered children being set free after decades of being stuck inside the animatronic. Overall, it felt like a fitting end to the series that never happened.
** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4'' was supposed to be the finale like the third game, showing some of the first events in the series, what happened at Fredbear's Family Diner, and [[AmbiguousSituation possibly]] explaining the origins of one of the characters in the series, but too many mysteries were left, which led to the creation of the following games.
** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'' was ''also'' supposed to be the finale, focused on the Purple Man (now revealed to be called [[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysWilliamAfton William Afton]]) and his family. But the ending left many questions in it, with it ultimately getting a sequel.
** ''VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator'' was probably the closest to the GrandFinale: The last surviving robots are brought together, mysteries from the past are solved, and it all ends with [[spoiler:the animatronics (including [[AssholeVictim Afton]]), the protagonist (the same person as in ''Sister Location'') and Henry, the GreaterScopeParagon who was the founder of Freddy's and mastermind behind the events of the game, all dying in a fire]], seemingly ending the legacy of Freddy Fazbear for good. The game following it, ''VideoGame/UltimateCustomNight'', is heavily implied to be the epilogue where William Afton gets tortured for eternity... but then ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysVRHelpWanted'' came out, and all the games following it. Looks like we're not getting a true finale anytime soon...
* ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'': The Season 10 finale event ends with the island, all of the skins and the universe being sucked into a black hole. The game then goes offline, only showing the black hole, with its social media pages blacked out, and even being removed from the Epic Games Store banner. Serious dedication.
* ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}} III''[='s=] GoldenEnding not only solves the main conflict of the series (the proxy war between the gods), it also places the Nameless Hero into an entirely new world with no return. It's directly stated that peace will ensue and that there is no way this happy ending could be reversed. However, thanks to ExecutiveMeddling by the publisher, the infamous Gothic III: Forsaken Gods was made, in which [[HappyEndingOverride the war didn't end, so the Nameless Hero had to return to Morgrad]], which turns the original Gothic III into this.
* ''VideoGame/Halo3'' was meant to be the conclusion to the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series. It was even marketed with the tagline, "Finish the Fight". But seeing as how ''Halo'' is Microsoft's main series, they couldn't stop making ''Halo'' games, so they made some spin-offs, and then a [[VideoGame/Halo4 direct sequel]] to ''3''. To be fair, the new saga does deal with a different fight.
* The ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series has not only one, but two fake grand finales:
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' was made, according to WordOfGod, to serve as a potential GrandFinale and wrap up nearly all loose ends from ''VideoGame/{{Kingdom Hearts|I}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'', with Organization XIII and both Xehanort's Heartless and Nobody destroyed, and Sora, Riku, and Kairi finally reunited on Destiny Islands. But it ended up being a huge success, and of course [[CashCowFranchise Disney and Square weren't going to let a moneymaker like that go]].
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' was intentionally designed as the GrandFinale of the Dark Seeker MythArc, 17 years in the making, which was started with [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI the first game]]. The story that revolves around the Destiny Islands, the Sea Salt, and the Wayfinder trios are wrapped up and the main antagonists, Master Xehanort and the Real Organization XIII, are defeated for good. However, the game has plenty of {{Sequel Hook}}s serving as a continuation of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'', which was supposed to be a standalone title. Only Sora has been confirmed to return as protagonist in the next myth arc, while the Foretellers from ''χ'' will return as the antagonists.
* ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' presents itself as the finale of the 2D ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' games. The game features many game mechanics previously exclusive to certain earlier games, such as a modified Helper system from ''[[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Super Star]]'', AbilityMixing from ''[[VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards Kirby 64]]'' (albeit in the form of [[SpellBlade elemental weapon imbuement]] more resembling ''[[VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad Squeak Squad]]''), and [[CoOpMultiplayer four-player co-op]] from ''[[VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand Return to Dream Land]]''. Additionally, the game features a multitude of playable characters in addition to Kirby, the regular Helpers in the Dream Friends, comprised of the other three playable characters from ''Return to Dream Land'' in addition to many returning characters such as Rick, Kine, Coo, Gooey, Marx, Daroach, Magolor, and Susie who likewise represent other individual games, and [[spoiler:the final boss being very obviously connected to the series BigBad Dark Matter and, according to the Japanese Pause Descriptions, also being the GreaterScopeVillain of the whole series]]. While it wasn't the end of ''Kirby'' as a whole, due to the game's direct mainline successor, ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'', being the series's VideoGame3DLeap, ''Star Allies'' can still be viewed as the ultimate culmination of the series to that point.
* While it was unlikely to be the end of [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda the franchise]] as a whole, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' is clearly written to be a finale to the loose "Hero of Time Saga" started by ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' and continued by ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]''. ''Wind Waker'' itself takes place in the timeline left behind by the Hero of Time when Zelda sent him to a new timeline that would lead to ''Majora's Mask'', and ''Wind Waker'' reveals throughout the game that Ganon escaped his imprisonment and destroyed much of Hyrule with no hero to stand up to him, leading to the survivors pleading to the gods to intervene, itself leading to the creation of the Great Sea and the ruined Hyrule put in stasis. The game as a whole also delivers a CentralTheme of "let the past go", with Ganondorf wanting to bring back Hyrule as part of his stubborn refusal to give up his ambitions and the old King Daphnes wanting to let Hyrule and Ganondorf wash away beneath the waves. Overall, it served as a fitting end to the legacy of the Hero of Time, but ''Wind Waker''[='=]s direct successor, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' would further explore the consequences of the Hero of Time being transported to the timeline of ''Majora's Mask'', albeit in a way that didn't factually invalidate ''Wind Waker'' due to ''Twilight Princess'' being concurrent in the AlternateTimeline.
* The ''Franchise/MassEffect'' games followed the adventures of Commander Shepard against the Reapers and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' was the conclusion to the "Shepard Saga"; however the franchise continued with ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda''.
* Most ''Franchise/MegaMan'' subseries have had this at least once:
** The classic ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}'' games were evidently intended to wrap up with ''VideoGame/MegaMan6''; this is apparent in the tone of the music, particularly the songs used for the title screen, final stages and final boss, and after the final boss Mega Man arrests Dr. Wily. [[note]]Although after the credits, there is a ToBeContinued, but who knows if it was meant to refer to ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' or the eventual ''VideoGame/MegaMan7''.[[/note]] ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'' came along and opens with [[HappyEndingOverride Wily escaping from prison six months later]], then ''[[VideoGame/MegaMan8 8]]'' came along and became ''another'' Series Fauxnale before ''[[VideoGame/MegaMan9 9]]''.
** The ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' games were intended to end with ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' then segue into the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series, until they made ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX6 X6]]'' without Creator/KeijiInafune's involvement and the series continued with ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX7 X7]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX8 X8]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission Command Mission]]''.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManZero3'' would have concluded the trilogy if ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero4 Zero 4]]'' wasn't made. Despite all the revelations thrown in the player's face and the climax involving [[spoiler:Zero--in an inferior copy of his original body--facing off against said original body]] followed by [[spoiler:the implied deaths of [[BigGood X]] and the Four Guardians]], the developers realized they had one major plot thread left hanging: the BigBad of ''3'' was still alive [[FromBadToWorse and now in control of Neo Arcadia]]...
** ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' was evidently intended to end with ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork3WhiteAndBlue 3]]'', and much like ''Mega Man 6'' had an air of finality in some parts of its soundtrack, but still continued for [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork4RedSunAndBlueMoon three]] [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork5TeamColonelAndTeamProtoMan more]] [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork6CybeastGregarAndCybeastFalzar games]] and several spin-offs. The last game also ended with a DistantFinale that has yet to be continued from, as [[VideoGame/MegaManStarForce the next games in the timeline]] taking place long after the Hikaris as we know them would be dead.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManXMavericks'' seemed like its fourth game was going to be the last. It pretty clearly concluded the plotline that had been set up since the first game and brought back all the party members for the final showdown. It even lacked a stinger like the previous installments. It turned out to be this when a fifth game was announced a few years later.
* For the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' goes to painstaking lengths to make sure no potential for sequels exists after its ending. [[spoiler:Solid Snake is an old man with a few months left to live; the mystery surrounding The Patriots is cleared up right before they're promptly destroyed, the off-screen fates of several characters from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' are revealed; EVA, Vamp, Naomi, Ocelot, Zero and Big Boss all die; the remaining characters finally get their happy ending and the game recontextualizes all the canon games up to that point as specifically leading up to ''Guns of the Patriots''.]] This didn't stop Konami from trying to continue the story in several ways: ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV'' are main series interquels that focus on gameplay and themes rather than the overarching plot (with ''MGSV'' specifically revolving around clearing up a ''single'' plot hole that the extended series caused in the ''first game''[[note]][[spoiler:Specifically, how Big Boss survived despite definitely being killed in ''VideoGame/MetalGear1'']][[/note]]), while ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' is a spin-off sequel to ''4'' that's contrived to the point of parody.
* The ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series has had two of these:
** ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' was originally meant to be the ending of the series. In this game, the Metroid species goes extinct, and all of Samus's enemies in the Space Pirates are destroyed for good. And for a long time, this game was indeed the end of ''Metroid'': it took another 8 years for new installments in the franchise to release, with ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' being a continuation.
** For the ''Metroid Prime'' games, ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' was also meant to be the end of that series: in that game, Metroid Prime/Dark Samus is KilledOffForReal, and all Phazon in the universe is destroyed. Then ten years later, ''Metroid Prime 4'' was announced (although it's arguable that one year earlier, ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeFederationForce'' already resulted in this).
** Defied with ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'': series creator Yoshio Sakamoto confirmed that ''Dread'' will be the end of the Metroid story arc that began with [[VideoGame/Metroid1 the first game]], but it will not be the end of Samus Aran's adventures.
* ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' were designed with the assumption they would be the last installments in the franchise, as nobody at Creator/GameFreak was certain at how long the series' popularity would last. The main story features the dissolution of Team Rocket, and the second half of the game focuses on the player revisiting the Kanto region and challenging the old Gym Leaders. The game climaxes with [[DuelingPlayerCharacters a fight against Red]], the player character from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Red & Blue]]'' and the TrueFinalBoss. Ultimately, ''Gold & Silver'' were wildly successful and proved that ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' had enough staying power to continue work on the franchise.
* The ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' series was initially planned to be a trilogy (and was announced in Japanese as such), which is why ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture'' wrapped everything up. But neither the fans nor the staff wanted the series to stop at three games, and Creator/{{Level 5}} continued the series by announcing a trilogy of prequels (similar to ''Franchise/StarWars'' minus the giant gap in release dates).
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' seems like it was designed to be the finale of the series. Original protagonists Chris and Jill reunite (under some very unique circumstances) and series BigBad Wesker finally takes direct action after several games of plotting from behind the scenes. The game also brings the Umbrella Corporation to a final end with the death of founder Oswell E. Spencer, and reveals the true origins and motives of the evil pharmaceutical company. In the end only a few plot threads were still left hanging, mostly involving [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 Sherry and Ada Wong]]. Subsequent games have either been [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations interquels]] or had the feel of a [[PostScriptSeason post-script]] ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 game]]'' ([[BreadEggsBreadedEggs or a post-script]] [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2 interquel]]). And then ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7'' came out, extending the series in an entirely new way while maintaining the same overall themes.
* ''[[VideoGame/RType R-Type Final]]'' was supposed to be the last of the series. However, it was soon followed by spinoffs ''R-Type Tactics'' in 2007 and ''R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate'' in 2009. Then it was fully subverted with ''R-Type Final 2'' releasing in 2021.
* ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' originally ended with ''[[VideoGame/SakuraWars4FallInLoveMaidens Fall in Love, Maidens]]'', which concluded Ichiro Ogami's storyline from the first four games. However, Creator/{{Sega}} released the next mainline title, ''[[VideoGame/SakuraWarsSoLongMyLove So Long, My Love]]'', in 2005.
* The endings of both [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves the second]] and [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves third]] ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' games were designed so the series could feasibly end there. Then came ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'' in 2013.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' is suggestive of this, likely because Creator/{{Sega}} knew the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast would be discontinued that year. Officially it was the most ambitious game in the series at the time, serving as a celebration of Sonic's 10th anniversary. It ends with all the characters -- including [[BigBad Dr. Eggman]] -- teaming up to save the world, and ends on a solemn note as they bond over [[spoiler:Shadow's supposed death]]. The real kicker is the preview to the Hero Story, which outright says: "Farewell, Sonic. Forever." However, Sega became a third-party company and released ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' three years later.
** While ''Sonic Adventure 2'' wasn't the last story-driven 3D Sonic game, there still hasn't been a true ''Sonic Adventure'' game since it. [[note]]Unless you count ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', which went back to ''Adventure''-style gameplay and made use of a HubWorld much like [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure the original]], and/or ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', which started production as ''Sonic Adventure 3'' and is titled ''Sonic World Adventure'' [[MarketBasedTitle in Japanese]].[[/note]] As such, it could still be considered the ''Adventure'' series' GrandFinale.
