It's very rare to see games that make players fail meaningfully as opposed to just rewriting their mistakes and giving them a second chance instead. More often than not, games just want players to attain a sense of catharsis and satisfaction at all costs. So, it's easy to see why omitting any meaningful failure is important for players to get as much of a positive experience from a title as possible.
However, players don't mind games that go the extra mile and ensure that their titles are strong enough to justify the inclusion of a failure state that is pretty fleshed out, compared to the usual fare. To this end, there are a handful of games that let their heroes fail at the very end of the story, which is a pretty rare occurrence indeed.
In some of these cases, "heroes" could be debatable.
1 Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2 is a great game with one of the most popular final missions in gaming history. The Suicide Mission has extremely high stakes, and the entire crew can die if certain decisions haven't been made properly by the player.
Pretty much everyone can die in this mission, including Commander Shepard themself. Without them, humanity's hopes against the Reapers are doomed.
2 Cyberpunk 2077
There are several ways players can lose at the end of Cyberpunk 2077. The various bad endings lead to V either shooting themself, taking Arasaka's help and getting screwed over in the process, or giving up their body to Johnny.
There's another way the game just ends, and that's if players unlock the secret ending route. Dying even once during this segment leads to the player being booted to the credits, which is a real shame.
3 Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption is a great game with strong themes, showing how the age-old facets of the West are being replaced by technology. John Marston is one such fossil from the old age and is pretty much used by the government to do its bidding.
After believing that he'd secured the safety of his wife and child, the government comes knocking on Marston's door and shoots him down in cold blood, getting rid of the one loose end once and for all. The worst part is that Abigaile also dies soon after and Jack becomes an outlaw as well, instead of the honest man that John wanted him to be.
4 Far Cry 5
Far Cry 5 is a great video game that served as a return to form for the series. However, it also came with its caveats, including an ending that many people didn't really like all that much.
After defeating all bosses, it turns out that Joseph Seed managed to get what he wants all along and unleashes a nuclear strike that completely destroys the area of Hope County. It's a bitter note to end things on after all the work the player put into the game.
5 Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy 14's first attempt to become a massive title was a poor and sordid affair, with the game being technically faulty and mechanically lacking. Instead of giving up on this title, Square Enix decided to purge the world of this game and bring around a new beginning.
This led to the release of Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, which ended up having a vastly improved release compared to the original. This iteration of Final Fantasy 14 is still going strong to this day and is considered by many to be the greatest modern MMORPG of all time.
6 Halo: Reach
Halo is a sci-fi series full to the brim with amazing lore and emotional moments. One of the series' biggest gut-punches comes with the advent of Halo: Reach, in which players control Noble Six instead of Master Chief.
Every character introduced in the game dies in a bid to save the planet, but the squad is ultimately unsuccessful in reaching this goal. Watching Noble Six struggle to survive and fight off the Covenant in his dying moments only for the entire planet to be nigh-destroyed just hours later makes for a tough watch indeed.
7 Shadow Of The Colossus
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Shadow of the Colossus is one of the greatest PlayStation video games of all time. Wander's story is an intriguing one, with players being left in the dark before being given clues about the whole affair through visual storytelling.
By the end of the game, Wander becomes a corrupted mess and the body through which the evil entity Dormin tries to re-enter the world that he once ravaged. He is thwarted at the end, but Wander's ending is far from a happy one despite his loved one being returned to life.
8 Prince Of Persia (2008)
The reboot of the Prince of Persia series was pretty experimental and ended up being fairly enjoyable despite its many drawbacks. The ending was a massive gut punch though, showing just how infatuated the Prince had become with Elika.
He decides to unleash the evil of Ahriman just to bring Elika back to life in a pretty selfish yet understandable decision. It's a shame that this game's story was never continued, since witnessing the fallout of this action would've been interesting, to say the least.
9 The Stanley Parable
The Stanley Parable is one of the most unique indie games ever made, featuring a charismatic and charming narrator who ends up being an antagonist in his own right. The player can try to veer away from the story they're being funneled into, with the conclusions never really offering them an escape.
Instead, the only real way to beat The Stanley Parable is to quit the title and escape the narrator's instructions. This makes for a pretty fun title to sit through, even if players can't really win the game in the traditional sense.
10 Spec Ops: The Line
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Spec Ops: The Line is a game that shows the many brutalities of war in a truly disturbing fashion. Walker's sanity slowly deteriorates over time as the game goes on and is reflected in everything from his murderous grunts to the main menu itself.
Spec Ops: The Line has many endings, and none of them are particularly happy. After all, Walker and his team had essentially gone rogue, and he will always either die or be arrested and tried for his crimes by the end of the game.