How do you “end” an open-world game?

The Witcher 3, “Soft” Endings, Ending dissonance, and Epilogues.

I’ve been playing games for a long time, with open-world ones being some of my favorites. Over the past year or so, I’ve begun studying them with more scrutiny than I had before.

In both cases, few things have made me more sad than games (even ones I absolutely adore) that end by loading your last save file or feature messages like this:

It’s a good representation of the problem open-world games face: If there’s more the player wants to do, how do you “end” the story?

I will never forget the first time I encountered this. It left me with a sour, empty feeling deep in my stomach. All the characters I had cared so much for—I couldn’t talk to them again. I couldn’t decompress after our adventures, couldn’t reflect on the struggle. Most importantly, I couldn’t soak in the feeling of being done, of retiring and hanging up my swords, and getting that elusive “happily ever after.” It didn’t feel like I was “finished.”

And yet, The Witcher 3’s base game handled this quite well, with extensive, isolated epilogues depending on your ending with Ciri. They were amazing, but the empty feeling persisted nonetheless.

So what was that feeling?

“Ending dissonance refers to the disconnect between the end of the main story and the player’s desire to continue exploring. ”

Let’s call it: “Ending dissonance,” which refers to the disconnect between the end of the main story and the player’s desire to continue exploring. Dragging your player character through an open world to chase side quests, even when you know the game is over, creates a massive disconnect between player, world, and character. This happens partly because most open world games mash the story’s climax, falling action, and resolution all into one.

There are worse “ending dissonance” offenders. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are perhaps the worst that come to mind. You spend the whole game trying to save Zelda, and eventually, you do. Then, you’re given a single cutscene before the game abruptly throws you back into the world, never to see or talk to Zelda again. Instead, you’re reloaded into a save after the credits roll. This was so jarring that I decided I didn’t want to go back into the world. (Call me a sap, I know.). More than that, this creates an issue where oftentimes a player (me) feels like they can’t finish the game until all the side content is done, messing up the pacing.

And yes, yes, I understand the technical constraints—the world would have to change. Hyrule Castle has to return to earth after you kill Ganon, the blood moon would no longer appear, and so on. In some games, there’s no real solution; at the game's end, the only threat has been dealt with.

But that shouldn’t stop us from figuring out what works and what doesn’t if it is achievable.

“But that shouldn’t stop us from figuring out what works and what doesn’t if it is achievable.”

And let me be clear,I don’t think games or stories need to have a perfect decompression period.

Many of my favorite stories, like Cyberpunk, God of War, and others, don’t.

But when a game executes its ending perfectly in an open world, something truly special happens. Evidently, the team at CD Projekt Red agreed, as they created what I believe to be the most satisfying open-world ending with the Corvo Bianco Vineyard in a later DLC.

Here’s a quick summary: When you finish the DLC’s story, you get a visitor at your vineyard, which, by the way, is an excellent player home (working on a blog about that now). The visitor depends on your romance options and your main story ending.

The result is a small, repeatable conversation while you sit in a lush field overlooking the beautiful rolling hills of Corvo Bianco.

The conversation options aren’t heavy—they don’t advance the plot. It’s just you catching up with someone you love. It’s simple and probably takes no more than a few minutes of your playthrough. It’s not linked to any grander scheme; it’s just a conversation.

Yet, it’s the moment that stuck with me the most from the whole 100+ hour game.

This picture makes me happy-sad

“It’s just a conversation. Yet, it’s the moment that stuck with me the most from the whole 100+ hour game.”

Eventually, after finishing a few more contracts, I went out of my way to bring Geralt back to the Vineyard. Only then, sitting on that hill with a character I cared for, did I log out for the last time, feeling satisfied, knowing that Geralt’s story was over and that he had retired.

That is an extremely rare feeling to have after completing a game, and something about it is just magical.

“A “soft ending” is one you can return to at any point. It’s a pleasant farewell for when the player believes it’s time to call it a day.”

I would call this a “soft ending”—one you can return to at any point. It’s not the moment immediately after the story’s crescendo but a pleasant farewell for when the player believes it’s time to call it a day. It’s organic and a perfect fit for the interactive format and something only games can accomplish. There are other examples, such as Red Dead 2, but I don’t think there’s another that reaches the same peaks as Blood and Wine.

So, what is the secret to an effective “soft ending” in a video game?

Well, reader, I’m glad you asked. If I were the creative director (I’m not—hire me, please) of a massive open-world game, here’s what I would do, and what I think works:

• Letting the player decompress.

  • The crescendo of a story is the most important part, but often, due to limitations of the medium, falling action is the first thing to go.

• Creating a “safe zone.”

  • The player needs a place they can easily return to when they’re ready to wrap up the game.

• Bringing back one or a handful of loved NPCs.

• Dialogue that isn’t “plot-advancing.”

• Deprioritizing the primary narrative.

  • Soft endings also happen in games like Skyrim, where the main story takes a backseat, and the player decides when to hang it up, they kinda create their own ending. Interestingly, this doesn’t mean the stakes have to be low—Alduin the World-Eater isn’t exactly a minor threat.

• Closure > minor plot holes.

• Sometimes it isn’t an option.

  • Is the player on a timer? Is the game DOOM? Has the world ended and then been restored? Does the world end after the credits roll? Do you want to end on an emotional gut punch?

  • In these cases, you might consider more succinct epilogues like in Cyberpunk or The Witcher.

These are just my thoughts on the matter. If you have other examples I should check out or if you disagree, shoot me a message—I’m always happy to chat.

Thanks for reading :)