All Bandersnatch endings from Black Mirror, ranked by how disturbing they are

The interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018) allows viewers to change the course of the story according to their choices. It was released in 2018.

At the center of the story is a young game developer named Stephen Butler, who is creating a video game inspired by a “choose-your-adventure” book written by his late mother. But as he progresses, the walls of reality slowly crumble in his life and mind, and it becomes clear that he may not be in control of his own life.

One of the film’s strengths is its multiple endings, each of which changes based on the viewer’s decisions, and each ending has a different level of tension, confusion, or horror. Some endings are relatively calm, while others are so emotionally terrifying that they stay in the viewer's mind for a long time.

In this article, we will analyze all of the major endings of Bandersnatch and rank them based on "how terrifying or emotionally disturbing" they are. The goal is not just to provide a summary of each ending, but to understand why and how they have such an impact on the viewer's mental state.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the author's opinions. Reader discretion is advised.

Ranking Black Mirror: Bandersnatch endings

5. The train crash ending

This path revisits Stefan's childhood trauma: the death of his mother in a train accident. As the narrative unfolds, the viewer can lead Stefan to discover a stuffed animal from his youth, a rabbit his father had hidden.

This unlocks a memory where young Stefan was given a choice: delay his mother or accompany her to the train. In this altered timeline, Stefan chooses to go with her. The result is tragic. Both mother and son perish in the crash.

In the present day, Stefan dies while sitting silently during a therapy session, a surreal merging of timelines. The emotional weight of this ending lies in its fatalism; even when attempting to correct the past, Stefan cannot escape his doom. The blending of memory, regret, and loss renders this one of the most emotionally devastating outcomes.

4. The dismemberment ending

After an intense confrontation, Stefan kills his father. The viewer is then faced with a grim decision: bury the body or dispose of it more permanently by dismembering it. Opting for the latter, Stefan manages to focus his energy and finish Bandersnatch, which is released to critical acclaim. However, success comes at a dark price.

Eventually, the truth surfaces, leading to Stefan’s arrest. This ending is especially unnerving because it ties creative brilliance to violent madness. It forces the viewer to question whether artistic success is ever worth moral compromise. The horror isn’t just in the act itself, but in how normalized it becomes in pursuit of achievement.

3. The jail ending

In this outcome, Stefan's actions land him in prison. He kills his father in a state of mental confusion and confusion about reality. Then events progress in such a way that Stefan is caught despite his attempts to cover up the murder. The environment is now limited, and Stefan is alone in a prison cell.

All avenues for his release are closed. In this way, the Bandersnatch game does not end. Stefan, who once dreamed of changing the world with his creativity, is now only a prisoner of sin and judgment. The most terrifying aspect of this outcome is the inevitability of punishment.

No matter how hard he tries, Stefan cannot protect himself from the consequences of his wrong decisions. His monotonous, lonely life in prison represents not only the destruction of his life, but also the death of his unrealizable potential. This carries a powerful message: no matter how hard people try, some decisions cannot be avoided.

2. The unfinished game ending

In this ending, Stefan is unable to complete Bandersnatch due to a breakdown in focus, emotional distress, or medication. The setting is his bedroom or his development space, where the clutter of uncompleted work mirrors his crumbling mental state. His interactions with others, whether with therapist Dr. Haynes or his father, become increasingly strained as the deadline looms and pressure mounts.

This ending usually stems from the viewer choosing to have Stefan take the prescribed medication rather than flush it. The final result is an uninspired and glitchy game that is poorly received by critics. One reviewer even says, “It feels like the player’s choices don’t matter.” The disturbing factor lies in how it critiques the medicated mind, peace, and stability are achieved at the cost of creative fulfillment.

1. BONUS ENDING: Netflix Meta Ending (Modern-Day Filming Twist)

In one of Bandersnatch’s most surreal branches, Stefan becomes aware that he’s being controlled through the modern-day streaming platform Netflix. The setting abruptly changes from the grainy aesthetic of the 1980s to a slick, fourth-wall-breaking narrative where Stefan questions the viewer’s presence, directly referencing Netflix as the force guiding him.

This path is triggered when the viewer selects the “Netflix” symbol during one of Stefan’s meta-aware moments. He confronts his therapist with absurd questions about his reality, culminating in either a ridiculous action-movie style fight scene in the therapist’s office or a twist ending where Stefan is revealed to be an actor on a film set, unsure whether he’s in character or not. The most disturbing implication is the total lack of control Stefan has. Not just as a character, but even when he tries to rebel, his fate is redirected by viewer input. He becomes the ultimate puppet, and even breaking the fourth wall doesn’t free him.

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The film compels the viewer to think deeply about the consequences of each decision and raises a great question: Do we control our own lives, or are our decisions influenced by something outside?

Bandersnatch, on the one hand, questions the dominance of technology and the invisible boundaries of human freedom; on the other hand, it becomes a personal, emotional, and profound experience for the viewer. It is not just a film, but part of a philosophy, which draws attention to our awareness and the power of technology.