History Main / AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence

The character ascends to a higher state of being, [[DeityOfHumanOrigin even becoming a god]]. It can result from other supernatural causes, but is most often used as a character's fate after they die, in a riff on the idea of a heavenly afterlife.

** The Ideal Masters are immortal beings who [[WasOnceAMan were once powerful mortal sorcerers]] during the Merethic Era. After finding their mortal forms to be too weak and limiting, they entered Oblivion as [[EnergyBeing beings of pure energy]] and settled an area of "chaotic creatia", forming the [[SpiritWorld Soul Cairn]].

* Creator/RogerZelazny's ''Literature/LordOfLight'' plays weird with this one. The protagonist's ''enemies'' send him to a place of eternal bliss, because they can't figure out any other way to get rid of him. The book starts with his friends pulling him out, against his will. This was because an EnergyBeing (one of that planet's original inhabitants) had done for the protagonist what his own people had done for themselves -- "strengthened the fires of the mind so that they can burn independently of the body."

* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero''. Technically speaking, he's not dead, at least not until ''Zero 2'' or ''3'', depending on the definition of death concerning [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Reploids]], using his physical body as the "can" for the SealedEvilInACan, and throughout the series is now in a [[EnergyBeing form]] that is the closest thing the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Reploids]] have to a "ghost."

* The Ancient One, ComicBook/DoctorStrange's mentor, became one with the universe after his death, though he was still available for an occasional consultation.

* ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' has the NightmareFuel version of this with the [[LightEmUp Lumen Sage]] when he's playable in the online co-op mode, Tag Climax. Unlike the witches, which get dragged down to hell, when the Lumen Sage is about to die a golden cloudy gate appears over him with creepy white hands reaching down to drag him into Heaven, clearly against his will. The entire thing is much more reminiscent of being DraggedOffToHell than ascending to a higher plane. [[spoiler:Played straight in the story, we see a flashback cutscene of the end of the first game where Balder is freed from [[BigBad Loptr's]] influence, but sacrifices himself to slay the god. As he dies, he promises to watch over Bayonetta from the afterlife. He DisappearsIntoLight and accepts his fate.]]

** {{Inverted}} with Ramandu and[[spoiler: Coriakin]] from ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'', who are both [[SentientStars stars]] [[CelestialBody who descended to Earth]] [[GodInHumanForm in human form]]: that is, Narnia's closest equivalent of angels. While Ramandu came to Earth to rest and rejuvenate due to his old age,[[spoiler: Coriakin]] was demoted to his human form as a penance [[MysteriousPast for some unnamed misdeed]]. It is implied that both of them eventually return to the sky.

** This is the fate of Reepicheep in ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader''.

** ''The Last Battle'' ends with everyone except Susan dying and going to heaven. Susan's fate is still undetermined.

* Used as a form of ResetButton for ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''. You can mark some of your skills as permanent, pick up some astral gear and consumables, then [[NewGamePlus start your quest over]], with the chance to choose a SelfImposedChallenge path and get your old items out of Ancestral Mini-Storage.
* Happens when Kirby dies in ''VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack''. Don't worry, the Kirbys can bring the angel Kirby down and revert it to the blue color.
* Played rather horribly in ''Franchise/MassEffect''. This is what [[spoiler: the [[EldritchAbomination Reapers]] are. Transcendent flesh, and certainly godlike in the series. They are harvested civilizations, compressed into a single entity. Meaning, all those people harvested? Ascended into a collective mind in a Reaper body, while their [[BodyHorror melted flesh]] makes up at least part of said body. [[AssimilationPlot Billions of people for a single one.]]]] No one said ascending had to be free of horror.
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' two of the endings lead to Shepard uploading him/herself into the catalyst, in one s/he takes control of the Reapers, in the other s/he combines synthetic and organic life, and it's implied that s/he becomes part of the reapers, or synthetic hybrids in the process.
*** The Extended Cut version of the Control ending is narrated by Immortal-Reaper-God Shepard. He / she now understands what words like "eternal" and "infinite" actually mean, and declares the entire galaxy under their protection. This either means that you vow to use your new existence to, if a Paragon, guide the galaxy into a new era of peace or, if Renegade, vow to [[KnightTemplar destroy anyone who threatens your version of "peace."]]

* Supposedly this is exactly why you don't see any Chozo in the ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' games, even though there's evidence that they've been nearly everywhere. The fate of their race has (possibly intentionally) never been adequately explained, although it's said that when the Chozo could advance no further, they withdrew from the universe to watch other races develop.
** This is reinforced in the Prime Games, but a lot is still vague.

* In the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series, one of the art books states that many of the spell keepers of the Omega, Tera and Peta-level spells were former humans, demons and angels, and considering the sheer number of keepers from game to game, apparently quite a few of them had met some kind of qualification. In ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4| A Promise Unforgotten}}'', a former war nurse ascends to become an angel after her death.

** The ending of the movie when Major Kusanagi joins her consciousness with that of the Puppet Master.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[PutOnABus It's like being put on a glowing, celestial bus.]][[note]]TheWorldIsJustAwesome[[/note]]]]

* ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' has the NightmareFuel version of this with the [[LightEmUp Lumen Sage]] when he's playable in the online co-op mode, Tag Climax. Unlike the witches, which get dragged down to hell, when Balder is about to die a golden cloudy gate appears over him with creepy white hands reaching down to drag him into Heaven, clearly against his will. The entire thing is much more reminiscent of being DraggedOffToHell than ascending to a higher plane. [[spoiler:Played straight in the story, we see a flashback cutscene of the end of the first game where Balder is freed from [[BigBad Loptr's]] influence, but sacrifices himself to slay the god. As he dies, he promises to watch over Bayonetta from the afterlife. He DisappearsIntoLight and accepts his fate.]]

* ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' has the NightmareFuel version of this with [[LightEmUp Lumen Sage]] when he's playable in the online co-op mode, Tag Climax. Unlike the witches, which get dragged down to hell, when Balder is about to die a golden cloudy gate appears over him with creepy white hands reaching down to drag him into Heaven, clearly against his will. The entire thing is much more reminiscent of being DraggedOffToHell than ascending to a higher plane. [[spoiler:Played straight in the story, we see a flashback cutscene of the end of the first game where Balder is freed from [[BigBad Loptr's]] influence, but sacrifices himself to slay the god. As he dies, he promises to watch over Bayonetta from the afterlife. He DisappearsIntoLight and accepts his fate.]]

* ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' has the NightmareFuel version of this with [[LightEmUp Lumen Sage, Balder]] when he's playable in the online co-op mode, Tag Climax. Unlike the witches, which get dragged down to hell, when Balder is about to die a golden cloudy gate appears over him with creepy white hands reaching down to drag him into Heaven, clearly against his will. [[spoiler:Played straight in the story, we see a flashback cutscene of the end of the first game where Balder is freed from [[BigBad Loptr's]] influence, but sacrifices himself to slay the god. As he dies, he promises to watch over Bayonetta from the afterlife. He DisappearsIntoLight and accepts his fate.]]

* In the ''ComicBook/WildCATS'' revamp Travis Charest drew, Lord Emp was becoming a High Kherubian Lord and wanted his arch-nemesis to kill him as part of the ascension process. His body had become child-sized and shriveled, but he didn't care because he was about to transcend mortal concerns.

** ''ComicBook/TheTenSeconders'': Jennifer is turned into a new God by the Scientist, but appears to die when she absorbs all the energy of an alien starship engine fuelled by artificial stars. After absorbing all the power of the Scientist's [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens "Fathers"]] as well, it appears that she intervenes to save her friends one last time, having become an immaterial CosmicEntity who then drifts away from Earth.

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', the Ellimist, [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens near-godlike already]], effectively does this after being sucked into a black hole. Unfortunately for... well, everything, [[EvilCounterpart Crayak]] eventually does the same.

* Caitlín is offered this in ''[[Creator/PoulAnderson The Avatar]]''. In fact, it's what the SufficientlyAdvancedAliens who had engineered all of her [[{{Reincarnation}} several incarnations]] had meant for her to do all along. [[ScrewDestiny However, it's subverted; she declines the offer]].

* ''Literature/TheCulture'': The process of ascending to a higher plane of existence (referred to as "Subliming") is considered the [[EvolutionaryLevels natural final step]] of an [[GoalOrientedEvolution advanced race]]. Sublimed races have occasional contact with the corporeal, but not much. When contact is made, none of the Sublimed have given any hints as to what lies ahead; it's possible that it would be incomprehensible to corporeal beings. Subliming tends to occur once a race [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens reaches a technological plateau]], and generally occurs to whole species, civilizations, or social groups at once. The Culture itself is unusual in that it long ago reached the [[TechnologyLevels level of technology]] that would normally lead to a race Subliming, but chose to remain in the galaxy, trying to guide the less advanced races onto what the Culture perceives to be the right path. Sublimation is not banned or even discouraged, and individual citizens of the Culture are still able to sublime if they want to, as the technologies to do so are as readily available as anything else in the Culture. However, the Culture Minds have a number of issues with Sublimation;

* This happens to the entire population of the alien world of Cocytus in Lucasarts' ''VideoGame/TheDig'': Their technology allows them to create an interdimensional gate, which they use to literally AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence called Spacetime Six, where a person can observe and move in three dimensions of space as well as three dimensions of time, contrasting "our" dimension, Spacetime Four. The only trouble is that (a) they find out that it's [[WhoWantsToLiveForever boring as Hell]] (pun intentional) and (b) they can't get back (oops). The protagonists of the game, having arrived LateToTheTragedy on the deserted planet, eventually manage to reactivate the gate and lead the Cocytans back into the real world, for which they earn eternal gratitude and (implied in the ending) the services of a [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens vastly superior culture]] on behalf of humanity.

** A technical example in Thor Odinson -- he'd been sort of de-ascended into James Potter as part of a first run at the humility thing -(it went kind of pear-shaped) and dying as James essentially resulted in his ascending into Thor once more. Since this was hideously traumatic and decidedly unwilling, he went somewhat nuts and had to have a memories removed.

* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': At the climax of the story, Rei set Third Impact off to bring Asuka and Misato back from the dead at the behest of Shinji. She collected two thirds of souls of the whole humankind (rather than all human souls as she did in the original timeline), pumped energies of the Warp -a dimension of pure, raw energy- into Shinji, Asuka, Misato and herself and used the harvested souls to shape their new bodies. The four of them ascended and were reborn as ''[[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 the New Chaos Gods]]''.

* ''Literature/TheRiddleMasterTrilogy'': The climax involves Morgon becoming the High One--however, unusually for this trope, the High One is pretty much a PhysicalGod meets FisherKing, so he sticks around.

* Jim Sacks from ''[[ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} Lobster Johnson]]: The Iron Prometheus''. His exposure to Vril energy turned him into a "newly evolved super-being," causing him to come back from death once. Then, when his body was burnt to the bone, his spirit passed into "the universe with all her mysteries stripped away," but not before he used his new powers to blast his enemies to a crisp.

* Forget ascension--Tetsuo apparently '''becomes''' a plane of existence at the end of ''Manga/{{Akira}}''.

* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'' when [[spoiler:Elsa ascends to become the fifth spirit, the bridge connecting magic and humanity]]
* Happens to Sitka, the oldest brother of Kenai in ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear''. His spirit guide was "The Eagle of Guidance," so after he dies, he turns into a bald eagle. [[spoiler:The same thing happens to Koda's mother. The movie implies this happens to everyone when they die, regardless of species.]]
* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'', the titular bride does this via her whole body turning into [[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth butterflies.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/MuneGuardianOfTheMoon,'' this seems to be what happens at the end of a Guardian's tenure: Yule, the Guardian before Mune, turns into a crescent-shaped flower, forever becoming a part of the Moon Titan. [[spoiler: So it's suspicious when Mune later meets Phospho, who claims to have been a Guardian once, but is clearly still alive. It's a sign that he was banished, rather than ending his job naturally.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven,'' [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin just as the name says]], this happens to all dogs when they die. [[AntiHero Charlie]] is no exception. Before that however, he became the first dog to [[DraggedOffToHell avert this trope.]] He ultimately [[DoubleSubversion was spared]] because he gave his life for Ann Marie and thus plays the trope straight. Ditto for Itchy in the sequel. [[spoiler:The sequel then subverts the trope again by making [[TheDragon Carface]] the first dog to go to hell, and stay there permanently.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/Klaus2019'' ends with the titular character disappearing to join his deceased wife. It's implied he later became the spirit of Santa Claus to continue the gift-giving tradition he and Jesper started.

* Early film ''Film/JoanOfArc'' ends with Joan's soul ascending to Heaven and being greeted by a crowd of angels.
* The soul of angelic little Eva does this after she croaks in the 1914 film version of ''Literature/UncleTomsCabin''.

* This is how Grig views death in ''Film/TheLastStarfighter'':
-->'''Alex:''' Where were the starfighters?\\
'''Grig:''' I told you, when Zure attacked.\\
'''Alex:''' You mean they're dead!?\\
'''Grig:''' Death is a primitive concept. I prefer to think of them as battling evil in another dimension.
* The ending of ''Film/RepoMan'', [[spoiler:which shows two characters flying into space and beyond]].

* Will Turner in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'' dies and becomes the new undying captain of The Flying Dutchman. (Until the [[WordOfGod Directors Cut]] shows up, and states that Elizabeth being faithful to him for ten years let him come back).

* ''The Nines''--technically more of a re-ascension, since the main character was a sort of god to begin with until he got addicted to playing various human characters in the world he made.
* Obi-Wan in ''Franchise/StarWars IV: Film/ANewHope'', which comes packed with the famous line that fits this trope to perfection...
-->'''Obi-Wan:''' If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
** Ditto for [[Film/ThePhantomMenace Qui-Gon]], [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Yoda and Anakin]], [[Film/TheLastJedi Luke]], and [[spoiler: [[Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker Leia and Ben Solo(formerly Kylo Ren)]]]].
%%* ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'': Commander Decker has a sexy ascension with Ilia.%%... meaning?
* ''Film/TrailOfTheBrokenBlade'' ends with the hero and villain killing each other in a sword duel. To emphasize it's a happy ending for the hero, his soul is seen leaving his body and ascending into the clouds while the villain just... dies.
* In ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'', this apparently happens to Agent Smith after his...experience in the first movie. He then uses his power to copy himself and replace everyone inside the Matrix, including a Zion rebel inside it at the time. An alternate interpretation is that this is an aversion; Neo making him go all explodey is no different than when an Agent is rarely shot; they just take a new host. Because this particular defeat proves the current batch of Agents outdated, Smith simply goes back to the Machines to be replaced, except he feels an un-programmed urge to refuse this and stays in the Matrix instead. Copying onto Bane and leaving to the real world is certainly still an ascension, though.
* ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'': This seems to happen to Valeria after her death. She comes back briefly in a form reminiscent of a Valkyrie to aid Conan in the battle against Rexor, much like Belit did in the classic Conan story "Literature/QueenOfTheBlackCoast."
* ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'': Bowman becomes the Star Child.
* ''Film/{{Lucy}}'': Lucy does this upon [[NinetyPercentOfYourBrain gaining control over 100% of her brain capacity]], leaving behind her physical body and becoming one with the universe.
* ''Film/ThisIsTheEnd''. [[PillarOfLight Those beams of light]]? They actually [[LightIsGood bring you to]] {{Heaven}}. And as one could expect, it's pretty much paradise.

* ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'': The [[spoiler:urSkeks -- the beings that appear after the Mystics and Skeksis are (re)united --]] turn into glowing light and literally ascend into the sky.
* ''Film/TheApple'': This is the fate of [[spoiler:the hippies when they are brought to heaven or another planet by god-like figure Mr. Topps]].
* ''Film/TheBlackHole'': This is what the mad Dr. Reinhardt believes will happen when his ship passes into the eponymous Black Hole, where the conventional laws of physics break down.
* ''Film/CloudAtlas'': Subverted in the Sonmi narrative. After ten years, the Fabricants believe they're going on to "Xultation", but, just like ''Film/LogansRun'', it's a front for the grislier fate of [[spoiler:harvesting them for food]].

* In ''"Literature/TheEgg"'' by Creator/AndyWeir: [[spoiler: Once every life has been lived, "you" will become a God.]]

* Creator/BrandonSanderson:
** A significant component of the ''Literature/TheCosmere''. In the backstory a god (or force or being) called Adonalsium was Shattered, resulting in it's power being divided into 16 equal parts, called Shards. Each shard has an Intent that made up 1/16th of both Adonalsium's power and purpose, for example Devotion, Cultivation, Honor, or Ambition. Sixteen regular people (seemingly the people responsible for the Shattering in the first place) took one of the shards each then went their separate ways, becoming the defacto gods of the Cosmere, only really able to be threatened by one another. It is still possible for them to die, primarily due to the actions of another shard, allowing someone else to pick up their Shard and Ascend.
** ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'': A fairly weak but completely by-the-book version where pre-Reod and post-restoration, pretty much anybody had a random chance of becoming one of the Elantrians, a race of super-powered, magical, semi-immortal pseudo-deities that basically everyone wanted to be. Kinda sucks if you got in after the universe broke down, though.
** ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'':
*** [[spoiler:Vin]] takes the power of Preservation, ascending to [[spoiler: kill Ruin via a TakingYouWithMe]].
*** After [[spoiler: Vin/Preservation and Ruin dies]], it's [[spoiler:Sazed]] turn to take up the powers.
** ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Subverted with the Heralds. At the Last Desolation, the Heralds of the Almighty told the people that the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Voidbringers]] had been defeated for good, and that the Heralds would return to the [[{{Heaven}} Tranquiline Halls]] to fight the Voidbringers there and return the Halls to glory again. This was all a lie; when the Heralds died or a desolation ended, they returned to [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Damnation]] to be tortured by the Voidbringers until one of them gave up and fled, leading to another Desolation. The final time they simply [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere gave up]] and refused to return when the Desolation ended, realizing that only one of the Ten had died, Talenel, who had had never been the one to give up and being a Desolation.
--->'''Kalak''': What do we tell the people, Jezrien? What will they say of this day?\\
'''Jezrien''': It's simple. We tell them that they finally won. It's an easy enough lie. Who knows? Maybe it will turn out to be true.
* In the ''Literature/StarTrekNovelVerse'', everyone in the galaxy did this simultaneously a quarter of a billion years ago, the result of a Manraloth experiment gone wrong. Trying to unite the multiverse as they had the galaxy, the Manraloth and their allies attempted to tap into the higher dimensional planes with their minds. The resulting surge of energy proved too powerful, overloading the telepathic centres of every Manraloth and transmitting it to any other brain capable of receiving it. The entire galactic population was forced into a state of pure energy, long before most races were ready. It wasn't pretty, apparently.
* ''Literature/TheCulture'': The process of ascending to a higher plane of existence (referred to as "Subliming") is considered the [[EvolutionaryLevels natural final step]] of an [[GoalOrientedEvolution advanced race]]. Sublimed races have occasional contact with the corporeal, but not much. When contact is made, none of the Sublimed have given any hints as to what lies ahead; it's possible that it would be incomprehensible to corporeal beings. Subliming tends to occur once a race [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens reaches a technological plateau]], and generally occurs to whole species, civilizations, or social groups at once. The Culture itself is unusual in that it long ago reached the [[TechnologyLevels level of technology]] that would normally lead to a race Subliming, but chose to remain in the galaxy, trying to guide the less advanced races onto what the Culture perceives to be the right path. Sublimation is not banned or even discouraged, and individual citizens of the Culture are still able to sublime if they want to, as the technologies to do so are as readily available as anything else in the Culture. However, the Culture Minds have a number of issues with Sublimation;
** People and civilizations who choose to sublime tend to [[PutOnABus stop interacting with less-advanced cultures]] with the exception of the occasional DeusExMachina. To just about all observers, it seems as if they committed particularly grandiose and complicated suicide. The Minds are thus not inclined to attempt it, and are in fact really freaking paranoid about even studying the phenomena too closely.
** Civilizations tend to Sublime in their entirety -- vanishing from the observable universe and leaving behind empty worlds, like a macroscale ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celeste Marie Céleste]]''. The Minds' observation of group dynamics finds this troublesome, as billions or even trillions of sapients experiencing a common fate indicates a certain degree of coercion, which they find abhorrent -- the Minds see no difference between forced vaccination and genocide.
** The Minds feel that departing this plane of existence would negate the Culture's "moral right to exist" -- their ongoing efforts to preserve free will and ease the suffering of developing races.
*** OTOH, the various Ascended species (appear to) look down on the Culture and its citizens as more than a little immature and petulant for not just subliming instead of sticking around to enjoy the physical plane.
*** A notable exception to the normal tendencies of Sublimation are the ''Chelgrians'', some of whom Sublimed some time ago, but maintained close links to their corporeal brethren. The Sublimed Chelgrians then [[LotusEaterMachine created a heaven for their race]] based on their old mythologies. Devices called Soulkeepers are implanted in the brains of every Chelgrian and are activated at the moment of death, recording the individual's personality and instantly Subliming them into the [[LotusEaterMachine artificial heaven]]. The Chelgrian Sublimed are also unusual in their emotional attitude to events in the corporeal realm -- most Sublimed races develop a relaxed aloofness to events in our plane, but the Chelgrian Sublimed at one point actively ordered the corporeal government to kill billions of Culture citizens in retribution for the billions who died in the Chelgrian civil war, which was unintentionally sparked off by Culture agents.
*** At one point it's mentioned that Minds created without emotions and passions similar to those of biological beings universally Sublimate almost immediately.
** The process of Subliming is the main plot of the last book, ''Literature/TheHydrogenSonata''. The Gzilt, a peer civilization and ally to the Culture, have recently voted by plebescite to Sublime, and this event sets various CloakAndDagger plots in motion over the coming power vacuum.

* Creator/RogerZelazny's ''Literature/LordOfLight'' plays weird with this one. The protagonist's ''enemies'' send him to a place of eternal bliss, because they can't figure out any other way to get rid of him. The book starts with his friends pulling him out, against his will. This was because an EnergyBeing (one of that planet's original inhabitants) had done for the protagonist what his own people had done for themselves -- "strengthened the fires of the mind so that they can burn independently of the body."
* Surprisingly played straight in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/{{Sourcery}}'', as this is essentially the fate of the boy sourcerer, Coin -- he decides at the end of the novel that his powers are too great for the world, and builds himself a pocket dimension where he may peacefully live.
** It is also hinted at that all previous Sourcerors had escaped into similar dimensions.
** Also, at the end of ''Literature/ThiefOfTime'', Lobsang becomes the AnthropomorphicPersonification of Time. This doesn't stop him from giving a "perfect moment" to Susan a little bit later.

* ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' has souls both ascend to a higher plane, and [[CessationOfExistence dissapear]] when they leave the afterlife. It's as [[MindScrew confusing as it sounds]].

* ''Literature/ChildhoodsEnd'' uses this. Alien Overlords come to Earth, gifting Mankind with incredible technological advances, and creating true world peace. But ultimately, it is revealed that they're a servitor race of a higher entity, and their reason for coming is to prepare Mankind to its final fate: The current generation of humans will be the last one and with them human civilization will cease to exist, as all their children born from that moment on are no longer human and will mind-meld and ascend into a higher form of consciousness that transcends material bodies. Ultimately, that is the fate of all sentient races, except those that are "stuck" and cannot ascend (like the Overlords), doomed to die out or linger on until the stars burn out. All technological or social progress becomes meaningless ([[WriterOnBoard according to the author]]) in view of this, and most of the adults of the final generation linger on for a bit before committing suicide.
* The book of ''[[Literature/TheSpaceOdysseySeries 2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' elaborates on the process the Monoliths' builders went through. First installing their brains into spaceships, then uploading to computers, and after that transcribing their brains onto the fabric of space-time itself. The Monolith skipped over a few steps with Dave but its' builders are still ahead of him.

* Creator/JackChalker has a couple of books/series that reference this:
** ''A Jungle of Stars'' had the galaxy fighting a civil war brought about by the two remaining members of a race that had Ascended. One of them stayed behind to rule, and one was left behind to thwart him. The fact that both claim to be the guardian is only ''part'' of the problem...
** The 'Literature/WellWorld' series averted this by having the master race achieve physical and technical Nirvana, and realize just how boring and static it was. With Ascension not being an option, they decided that since they had achieved perfection and still felt unfulfilled, they must have missed something on the way up. So they recreated the universe, using themselves as the fodder to create huge numbers of new species, so that hopefully one of them would discover the missing element on the rise back up.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' SpinOff ''Literature/FactionParadox'' features the Celestis, a group of Time Lor-- err, Great House members who foresee a massive War against an unstoppable Enemy. Terrified of being removed from history if they lose the War, the decide to do it first, erasing their corporeal bodies, but leaving their ''meaning'' behind, existing as [[MemeticMutation memes]] in AnotherDimension made of pure concept. Subverts the trope since the Celestis are still the same petty, bitchy, backstabby, ''fearful'' {{JerkAss}}es that they were as mortals. ''[[UniverseConcordance The Book Of The War]]'' puts it best: "Everything can't be all right in a society where everyone's either a god, a slave, or an assassin."
** They, additionally, are remade into {{Reality Warper}}s who can only maintain their existences in the physical universe if someone believes in them and continuously thinks about them in order to serve as their anchors to reality. They, naturally, with their [[MagnificentBastard natural]] [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation]] skills entered the business of [[DealWithTheDevil wish-granting]]. They will give you whatever you can wish in the physical universe, within certain limits, at the cost of [[FateWorseThanDeath imprisoning what amounts to your immortal soul and chaining it in their dungeons to, yes, continuously think about them until they are the only thing in your mind. Forever and ever.]]
** The Celestis also show up in the ''Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'', where they are eventually eaten by [[AbstractEater a creature that feeds on memes.]]
* The novel ''Literature/JonathanLivingstonSeagull'' by Richard Bach deals with this extensively.
* The novel by Walter Mosley, ''The Blue Light'', is all about this. In the 1960's, a blue light comes from a mysterious point in the universe. Everyone who is hit by it essentially ascends to a higher plane of doing what they were doing. For example, a homely woman who was having sex got hit by the blue light. She then becomes irresistible to anybody(man, woman, ''dog'') and has an addiction to sex. Another man was hit at the exact moment he died, thus becoming a personification of death. The main character is a follower of a man who was hit while preaching, thus making him the best preacher ever. You get the idea.
* Happens to most of the main characters in ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' after Xuanzang retrieves the scriptures.
* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', the Ellimist, [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens near-godlike already]], effectively does this after being sucked into a black hole. Unfortunately for... well, everything, [[EvilCounterpart Crayak]] eventually does the same.
* Promised to the protagonists of ''Literature/BridgeOfBirds'': when they die, they'll get posts of minor deities in CelestialBureaucracy, as a reward.
* The epilogue of ''Literature/WatershipDown'': As Hazel dies of old age, El-ahrairah comes to make him one of his Owsla.
* The ending of David Clement-Davies's ''Literature/FireBringer'' is reminiscent of Hazel's death above: as Rannoch dies, he hears Herne summoning him.
* Creator/GregEgan's works occasionally treat BrainUploading in this manner; in ''Literature/{{Diaspora}}'', most uploadees take little, if any, interest in the physical universe. In other works, it's more common to upload into a robot body than an isolated gigacomputer.
* In ''Literature/TheLegendsongSaga'', both Wind and Lanalor after they suicide enter [[VoidBetweenTheWorlds the Void]] but retain their awareness and identity, becoming the equivalent of guardian spirits.
* In ''Literature/BloodMusic'', a nanomachine civilization becomes so advanced that their sheer presence starts warping reality through some sort of observer effect, forcing it to transcend from the physical world.
* In the Creator/IsaacAsimov short story "The Last Question", this happens to all of humanity and then to the rest of the universe.
* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'': Subverted -- after the war finished, the gods offered to make Percy one of them (he declined because he wanted to live a normal teen guy's life). Played straight in ''The Titan's Curse'', the third book: after Zoё Nightshade's death, Artemis asks Thalia to join the Hunters and become her new lieutenant.
** Played differently in ''Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard''. Unlike most examples that happen at the end of the story, or have whoever ascends exit the story, most of the main characters have ALREADY ascended to become Einherjar while Samirah al-Abbas became a Valkyrie after defending her school and anti-muslim bullies from Frost Giants prior the start of the story.
* Caitlín is offered this in ''[[Creator/PoulAnderson The Avatar]]''. In fact, it's what the SufficientlyAdvancedAliens who had engineered all of her [[{{Reincarnation}} several incarnations]] had meant for her to do all along. [[ScrewDestiny However, it's subverted; she declines the offer]].
* In ''[[Literature/TheRiftwarCycle Rage of a Demon King]]'', Macros the Black attempted to merge his consciousness with Sarig, the dead God of Magic, and effectively become a God.
* The ''Literature/LegacyOfTheAldenata'' has the eponymous Aldenta, {{Precursors}} who technically run the interstellar federation, they have slowly withdrawn from this plane. They are presented as jerks who know there are multiple ways to ascend but have reengineered the cultures or biology of the other species to ascend in their way.
* In the ''Literature/CommonwealthSaga'' / Void Trilogy by Creator/PeterFHamilton, most species who reach their Singularity do this.
** With the notable exception of the firstlifes, who created the galaxy-devouring Void.
** In the ''Void Trilogy'', the Anomine left their ascension mechanism behind, allowing Gore Burnelli to ascend and reason with the firstlifes to destroy the Void.
* ''Literature/TheMalazanBookOfTheFallen'':
** The series does this to every other character. Through sorcery, [[CameBackWrong exposure to various ancient powers]], or apparently just by being complete [[PhysicalGod badasses]], they can literally "ascend" and become godlike beings--many of the lesser gods are known as Ascendants and were once mortal.
** It is downplayed in the case of warlock Sormo E'nath. After his soul is taken away by [[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth hundreds of thousands of butterflies]] upon his death in book two, ''Literature/DeadhouseGates'', Sormo is presumed to be lost. But in book four, ''Literature/HouseOfChains'', Fiddler stumbles upon a ritual of [[ChildMage Nil and Nether]], who are trying to find Sormo's ghost. They are swarmed by the same kind of butterflies that took Sormo's soul away and Fiddler senses a presence in the swarm which tells him that it is now awakened and one with the land and ceased to be whatever is was prior to that. It tells Fiddler to slay the goddess that is staining the land. Fiddler brushes the encounter off, but Nil and Nether remain convinced that it was the remnants of Sormo E'nath's soul.
* An electronic version of this: after the AI Wintermute merges with Literature/{{Neuromancer}}, becoming a virtual entity beyond living comprehension.
* At the end of the ''Literature/{{Skinned}}'' trilogy (now called the "Cold Awakening" trilogy), Lia merges her mind with the internet. Given that the internet plays a role in almost every single aspect of human existence in her world, becoming one with the network renders her omnipresent and essentially omnipotent. First order of business? Reshaping the world as she sees fit.
* Applies to anyone in the ''Literature/LeftBehind'' book series [[CaughtUpInTheRapture who was raptured]] or martyred, as you are given a glorified body. Of course, this means that [[ChasteHero in your glorified state, you cannot fall in love,]] [[ImmortalInfertility neither sire or have children.]] But for those who have been raptured and been with the Lord during the Tribulation, [[BetterThanSex nothing else]] [[LivingForeverIsAwesome quite compares to it]].
** By the end of the Millennium, all naturals who are believers are given glorified bodies.
* ''Literature/TrappedOnDraconica'': Two examples:
** Erowin dies and becomes an angel, a being ''much'' more powerful than the dragokin she used to be.
** Dronor dies and becomes a spirit, but his level of power doesn't change. Likely because he's already the single most powerful being in the setting.
* ''Literature/LightAndDarkTheAwakeningOfTheMageKnight'': Bonded weapons are powered by the souls of former knights. Most knights consider the transformation as this trope; an afterlife as a new and different being, and consider it a great honor. Syndil thinks otherwise and that's why he becomes a FallenHero.
* Jenny in ''Literature/TheTruthOfRockAndRoll'' when she becomes a [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Rock and Roll Angel]] and the AnthropomorphicPersonification of the Rebel Girl. Johnny when he joins her in Rock and Roll Heaven.
* In David Brin's ''Literature/{{Uplift}}'' series, this is referred to as "stepping off." Stepping off or sublimation is what every race in the ''Uplift'' universe is supposed to strive for and involves merging with species from the various different orders of life (oxygen, hydrogen, mechanical, etc) and finally orbiting a black hole where the time dilation slows their perspective to a standstill. [[spoiler: It turns out that most of the billions who attempt ascension fall into stars and die. And that the Progenitors took an entirely different path.]]
%%* ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'': The fourth book reveals that [[spoiler:David did this, and at the end he gets better]].
* ''Literature/ThePowerOfFive'': [[spoiler: All Five Gatekeepers, once the Old Ones are defeated for good, leave and live in the Dream World, which is implied to be [[{{Heaven}} the Afterlife]].]]
* ''Literature/TheLittleMermaid'': After her death, the titular mermaid becomes a Sea Foam Spirit in ''Literature/TheLandOfStories''.
* In A.L. Phillips's ''Literature/TheQuestOfTheUnaligned'', [[spoiler: you must enter "the realm beyond" to access the powers of pure [[LightIsGood Light]] or [[DarkIsEvil Darkness]], and that realm can only be entered by using the Prince's Crown. You do return to the normal world once the change is complete, though.]]
* ''Literature/WarOfTheSpiderQueen'' has this for [[spoiler: the Yor'Thae Danifae]]
* ''Literature/{{MARZENA}}'' has the Bremen Chip, which allows multiple organic and artificial brains to wirelessly connect with one another. The world of Merged Minds (Bremen Space) is pretty much illustrated as being this.
* ''Literature/TheRiddleMasterTrilogy'': The climax involves Morgon becoming the High One--however, unusually for this trope, the High One is pretty much a PhysicalGod meets FisherKing, so he sticks around.
* ''Literature/TheTraitorSonCycle'': In the end of the fourth book, Amicia -- who's been balancing on the edge of "too magical to be able to exist in the material world" line for a while now -- overexerts herself and Ascends, vanishing where she stands, although it's uncertain whether she becomes some sort of a ghost or is simply absorbed into the athereal.
* In ''LightNovel/TheUnexploredSummonBloodSign'', Materials are immortal supernatural beings which summoners call to fight for them. Summoners can earn [[AchievementSystem Awards]] through performing deeds that impress a high-ranking Material. It's rumored that a summoner who earns 1000 Awards will become a Material. However, there are multiple summoners who have reached or exceeded this level yet still remain human. It's eventually demonstrated by the Award 3000 summoner Madam Professor, who becomes a Divine-Class Material after her death.
* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': At the end of ''Transcending Limitations'', [[spoiler: Neuro becomes a reaper and leaves Tariatla to fulfill his new duties to other planets in the world fruit.]]
* ''Literature/NinaTanleven'': [[spoiler:All four stories in the series end with the titular ghost ascending to Heaven, guided by another ghost in ''The Ghost Wore Gray'' and ''The Ghost Let Go'', and accompanied by the ghost of someone who’d died during the events of the book in ''The Ghost in the Third Row'' and ''The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed''.]]
* ''Literature/DavidStarrSpaceRanger'': When David meets the native Martians, they explain that they’ve ascended into EnergyBeings due to a deeper understanding of scientific principles than they have. They readily admit that humanity might be able to join them, and look forward to the idea, but they ascended over a million years ago, and humankind simply isn't ready yet.
* ''Literature/WonderWomanWarbringer'': The Amazons were originally mortal human women who died in battle with their goddesses name on their lips, and where resurrected to immortal life on Themyscira as a reward. Diana is an outsider because she was formed from clay by her mother. This is quite a change from [[ComicBook/WonderWoman the comics]] where the Amazons are resurrected and formed from clay ''just like Diana'' who was made a child and allowed to grow to adulthood because the early age of her murder meant she'd never experienced childhood.
* ''Literature/SherlockHolmesAndDoctorWasNot'': Literature/SherlockHolmes chooses to do this when he rejects Herbert West's chemical immortality in "The Adventure of the Reckless Resurrectionist". Watson hopes he will someday be able to join Holmes.
* ''Literature/StarTrekExMachina'': After the above incident with Decker, Ilia and V'Ger, the peoples of the galaxy become engaged in intense speculation as to what it means. Some begin considering it a sign or omen, and others declare Earth (the site of the ascension) a holy world. The novel's villain, Dovraku, convinces himself that other computer-gods will be able to follow in V'Ger's footsteps, including the Yonadi Oracle (this is pure nonsense).

* What exactly happened to Cordelia Chase (of ''Series/{{Angel}}'') is a bit of a mystery. She seems to ascend at the end of season 3, but it's discovered in season 4 that she's trapped in some cloud plane. The audience is fooled into believing she comes back, but it's really the higher power (Jasmine) who orchestrated Cordy's ascension. After her death, she really does ascend, though. It's worth noting that being trapped on the cloud plain may have been a plot orchestrated by the season's big bad.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': In the Season 1 Episode "Mind War" Jason Ironheart ascends. It is shown that one million years later, Mankind (and some of the other Younger Races, too) will also leave behind their material forms and ascend to become glowy EnergyBeings.

*** Bill Potts is barely saved from the grave after her heart is vaporized in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E11WorldEnoughAndTime "World Enough and Time"]], but the technology that keeps her alive is actually Proto-Cyberman tech. She's eventually upgraded into the first Mondasian Cyberman by the Harold Saxon Master, something the Doctor doesn't have the means to undo, and in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E12TheDoctorFalls "The Doctor Falls"]] it looks like she'll have to be KilledOffForReal to escape a FateWorseThanDeath. But then her true love Heather — who underwent this trope back in the season opener [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E1ThePilot "The Pilot"]] when she merged with sentient spaceship fuel to become a being capable of time and space travel — returns to her (having kept track of her all that time) and turns ''her'' into the same thing she is, restoring her to a humanoid form. They set off to travel the universe together, though if Bill ever wants to be an ordinary human again all she has to do is ask and Heather will oblige her.

* Benjamin Sisko in the finale of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' (though he promises Kassidy that he'll return, and in the Relaunch novels he does). Also Kes from ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', although she comes back to Voyager in a later episode (and does not re-ascend.) Interestingly, she's much older - her race has a nine-year lifespan, and apparently, practically becoming a god didn't extend it at all.

* Spoofed in ''Series/FullFrontal'' with a skit involving fake guru Buggeryouimallrightjack.
-->'''Journalist:''' Is it true you are planning to leave the country, fleeing your creditors to whom you owe millions of dollars?
-->'''Buggeryouimallrightjack:''' ''(shielding his face from camera)'' No, I am ascending to a higher plane!
-->'''Journalist:''' What plane is that?
-->'''Buggeryouimallrightjack:''' A Boeing 747.

* It's implied that humans who become avatars for Living Saints in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' effectively take this route; it's probably one of the closest things to a Happy Ending one can achieve in the CrapsackWorld as a human.
** Chaos champions who are favored by their gods and don't lose their minds to the constant mutations are sometimes transformed into Daemon Princes. They go and live in the [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace warp]], commanding the armies of their gods in their eternal internal struggles, though they're sometimes called back to the material realms whenever the tides of Chaos are strong enough to allow a demonic incursion.
* This is the ultimate goal of most player characters in ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', transcending earthly existence and limitations.
** In the reboot of the line, ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'', a group of mages known as the Exarchs pulled this off in pre-history... and [[CrapsackWorld that's when things started to suck]], seeing as the Exarchs decided magic was ''their'' ball, and no one was going to take it from them. Fortunately, a group of princes with some knowledge of magic calling themselves the Oracles created the Watchtowers, which allow the titular mages to temporarily enter these higher planes of existence and come back with the knowledge of how to do magic.
*** Both the Silver Ladder and the Free Council have the long-term objective of re-establishing a connection to the Supernal Realms and allowing all of humanity of Awaken and ascend. [[WeAreStrugglingTogether If only they could agree on how ...]] (The Ladder envisions a OneWorldOrder [[TheMagocracy Magocracy]], while the Council focuses on democracy and sees any kind of hierarchy as suppressing the human spirit.)
* This is the goal of quite a few {{Non Player Character}}s (and possibly the player characters) in ''TabletopGame/UnknownArmies''; there's a whole fleet of Archetypes one can follow for power (such as the True King, the Fool, the MVP, and the Flying Woman). Those who best embody the role ascend to the Invisible Clergy, and are slotted to have a role in the remaking of the universe once all the slots are filled... assuming someone else doesn't kick them out first. The only way to ascend to an Archetype that is already filled is to have a different take on it- in ''To Go'', this can happen to either Dermott Arkane as the Heisenberg Messenger (a herald of uncertainty, representing the influence of opinions on news) or Erica Fisher as the True Executive (replacing the True King's noblesse oblige with efficiency and modern thinking.)
** Or humanity collectively decides they're not doing their job well enough. It's that kind of game.
* In the Glorantha-based ''Heroquest'', it's what happens if you progress far enough in most schools of magic. You might become united with your god, or ascend to the magical plane. Or you might simply transcend human cares and motivations (or if things go wrong, become irretrievably insane). Regardless, you don't get to play that character any more--either he's gone, or he becomes a non-player character. (It usually doesn't happen accidentally; it's more of a way to gracefully retire a character who's done it all.)

* Possible, though rare, in the TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms setting. The result is a new deity.

* In ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', a small percentage of creatures have the ability to do this, an abilty commonly known as the "spark". A few actually are able to do this and become planeswalkers.
** Xenagos ascended ''twice'', first into a Planeswalker and later into one of the gods of Theros.
* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'': The [[Metaplot/YuGiOhHiddenArsenal Duel Terminal storyline]] has Constellar Sombre and Evilswarm Kerykeion, who after successfully defeating Sophia, Goddess of Rebirth ascended to a higher plane of existence (as mentioned in the DT Story Guide), becoming the twin serpents pictured in Breath of the Divine Serpent. Later developments suggest that wherever they went, they came back and became Zefra.

* When a wraith achieves Transcendence in ''TabletopGame/WraithTheOblivion'', they disappear into light, vanishing from the Underworld. No-one knows where they go, since no-one's ever come back to talk about it, but general opinion among Transcendence aspirants is that it's got to be better than [[CrapsackWorld the Underworld]]. That said, to outside observers, the effective result of Transcendence is pretty much the same as [[CessationOfExistence Oblivion.]]
* In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerTheEndTimes'', [[BigBad Nagash]] returns to Khemri to [[spoiler:absorb the divine powers of the nehekharan god of death, Usirian]]. While the Tomb Kings unite to stop him, spearheaded by Settra himself, [[spoiler:they fail, and Nagash becomes a {{Physical God}} of death]]. The first thing he does after is engaging the forces of Settra alone, called ''The Humbling of Settra''. [[spoiler: Nagash wins.]]
* In ''[[TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar Warhammer: Age of Sigmar]]'', this happens to quite a lot of people following the End Times of the Old World, as numerous leaders and heroes of the old mortal races rise to godhood, each presiding over a Wind of Magic. For instance, Sigmar becomes one with Azyr (the Heavens). A few odd instances include Malekith, [[FusionDance who fused with his dragon Seraphon]] before becoming Malerion, the god of Ulgu (Shadows), and the Horned Rat of the Skaven, who while already a god ascended ''further'' by replacing Slaneesh as a Chaos God, following the latter's [[SealedEvilInACan imprisonment.]]
* In ''TabletopGame/BeastThePrimordial'' a Beast whose mortal body is killed while the Soul is separate, usually when sleeping off a large meal of [[EmotionEater fear]], becomes an Unfettered Soul wandering the Primordial Dream for eternity. This can be willing, through suicide, or forced upon them by a Hero.

* In the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries'' series, this is one of the stated goals of [[DarkMessiah Kane]]. The details of what ascension is actually supposed to even mean, to begin with, to be revealed in the fourth and final game.

* The first Mutlimedia StoryArc of ''Franchise/DotHack'' is pretty much about getting Aura to be able to do this within the framework of 'The World' as the Ultimate AI, superseding that of her "mother" that was in Control and causing all of the system anomaly's by trying to prevent Aura's Rise.
** Late-franchise story Addendum Expanded this intended creation as the goal of a group of environmental terrorists so they could digitize humanity to prevent them from ruining the planet and have Aura be the micro-manager of their Digital world, essentially creating and then enslaving a God to Create paradise. Suffice it to say, they screwed it up.
* Your character does this at the start of ''VideoGame/ImmortalDefense'' in order to combat enemy fleets as they travel through hyperspace before they invade your home planet.
* Not a PutOnABus situation, but the ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations'' series allows the player to research a long branch of effect-less technologies that eventually lead to a Technology Victory, in which everyone in your species becomes an energy being.
** In the latest expansion to ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations 2'', resources called Ascension Crystals were added. To use them, you have to build a starbase on them, and each map has five. If a crystal is turned on, that starbase provides one point per turn. You need a thousand points to ascend, which is an instant-win condition. The problem? These starbases, unlike all others, can ''not'' be upgraded with defenses, and (quite understandably) attempting to become a god tends to piss off the other civilizations.
* Similarly, one of the possible victory conditions in ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'' is called the Ascent to Transcendence, where the human race links up with the planetary mind and abandons the need for corporeal form.
** "Eternity lies ahead of us, and behind. Have you drunk your fill?"
* Alpha Centauri's spiritual successor, ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth'' brings back Transcendence as a possible Victory for factions with a Harmony affinity.

* Happens literally to [[EvilutionaryBiologist Krelian]] in ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}''. His goal the whole time was for ''everyone'' to come with him, [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans whether they wanted to or not.]]
** Also happens to Fei and Elly, except that they come back: after being murdered/forced to make heroic sacrifices/driven to insanity for 10,000 years, it seems that they want to enjoy an [[HappilyMarried ordinary life together]] in the physical realm.
* In the final level of ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'', Arkantos is granted Blessing by Zeus, effectively an EleventhHourSuperpower, and becomes a demi-god. He destroys the Poseidon statue, which kills Gargarensis. He ascends into heaven, and only returns a few times in the Titans expansion to reveal information to people.

* This is the ONLY way to win at ''VideoGame/NetHack''. And before you can do that, you have to delve to the bottom of the [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Dungeons of]] {{doom|yDoomsOfDoom}}, descend into [[PlanetHeck the depths of the underworld]], retrieve the [[MacGuffin Amulet of Yendor]], make it through the elemental planes and then the astral plane in one piece.
* This happens to the entire population of the alien world of Cocytus in Lucasarts' ''VideoGame/TheDig'': Their technology allows them to create an interdimensional gate, which they use to literally AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence called Spacetime Six, where a person can observe and move in three dimensions of space as well as three dimensions of time, contrasting "our" dimension, Spacetime Four. The only trouble is that (a) they find out that it's [[WhoWantsToLiveForever boring as Hell]] (pun intentional) and (b) they can't get back (oops). The protagonists of the game, having arrived LateToTheTragedy on the deserted planet, eventually manage to reactivate the gate and lead the Cocytans back into the real world, for which they earn eternal gratitude and (implied in the ending) the services of a [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens vastly superior culture]] on behalf of humanity.
* Used as a form of ResetButton for ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''. You can mark some of your skills as permanent, pick up some astral gear and consumables, then [[NewGamePlus start your quest over]], with the chance to choose a SelfImposedChallenge path and get your old items out of Ancestral Mini-Storage.
* Happens, in conjunction with a JourneyToFindOneself, to Ashley Riot at the end of ''VideoGame/VagrantStory'', having inherited all the power of Lea Monde and become something other than human.
* In the Action RPG game ''VideoGame/TooHuman'', Baldur and his NPC allies literally ascend to Valhalla (via vakyrie) when they are killed in battle. Via an incredibly slow-ass Valkyrie. And the entire animation is unskippable, to boot.
* This appears to be the fate of Nicholas Wrightson in ''VideoGame/PsiOpsTheMindgateConspiracy''. After you defeat him in battle, he suffers a SuperPowerMeltdown; seconds before he and all his [[FaceHugger aura beasts]] disappear in a flash of light, he screams "I can see the other side! It's ''beautiful!''"
* Inverted in ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''. At the end of the game, should the Nameless One merge with his rogue mortality, it is rather heavily implied that absorbing the knowledge and skills of all of his hundreds -- or hundreds of ''thousands'' -- previous lives has transformed him into a being of nearly godlike power. Unfortunately, he's still got to pay for the sin that drove him to become immortal in the first place, so he's dragged down into one of the Lower Planes of Existence to serve out his sentence as a soldier in the Blood War. Although with that level of power, he might decide to take over the lower planes instead...
* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero''. Technically speaking, he's not dead, at least not until ''Zero 2'' or ''3'', depending on the definition of death concerning [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Reploids]], using his physical body as the "can" for the SealedEvilInACan, and throughout the series is now in a [[EnergyBeing form]] that is the closest thing the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Reploids]] have to a "ghost."
* Aeris in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. Once she dies, she controls TheLifestream to destroy [[ColonyDrop Meteor]] and save the world. In the sequel she calls down healing rain to save the world a second time, and in the tie-in short stories she's the leader of an effort within the Lifestream to contain Sephiroth's infection of it.
* ''VideoGame/HeavenlySword'': In the final chapter of the game, appropriately titled "The Goddess," Nariko overcomes/embraces the sword's true power and becomes a literal avatar of light, her aura sweeping aside armies of mortal soldiers as she walks towards the final battle.
* ''VideoGame/MoonstoneAHardDaysKnight'': When you finally return the Moonstone to Stonehenge, this is your reward. Through a druid ritual, you ascend to a higher plane of existence, becoming both a constellation and a legend "passed from one generation to the next."
* In ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'', this happens to Amaterasu and Waka at the end of the game, ''literally'', but not quite in the way one'd think -- they actually ''travel'' up to the Celestial Plane.
* Supposedly this is exactly why you don't see any Chozo in the ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' games, even though there's evidence that they've been nearly everywhere. The fate of their race has (possibly intentionally) never been adequately explained, although it's said that when the Chozo could advance no further, they withdrew from the universe to watch other races develop.
** This is reinforced in the Prime Games, but a lot is still vague.
* Kormir replaces Abaddon at the end of ''VideoGame/GuildWars Nightfall''.
* The [[{{Precursors}} Titans]] in ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' play a bit with this trope: They ascended and essentially became gods thanks to the PowerOfRock.
* In third-person action game ''VideoGame/{{Rune}}'', protagonist ends the game by ascending into Valhalla (a proper reward for any Viking hero).
* Four of the six main storylines of ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity Nova'' involve or touch upon this one way or the other. The ones that involve it most heavily are the Vell-os and Polaris storylines (in the first, you participate in the Vell-os' ascension, scheduled for as soon as they are freed from slavery, despite not technically ''being'' a Vell-os, and in the second, you [[[DescendFromAHigherPlaneOfExistence re-]]]ascend into becoming a part of the universe itself). Only the Federation and Pirate storylines lacks the Vell-os ascending and an epilogue stating that, in some far-off distant future, humanity as a whole will leave the corporeal behind.
* In the ''VideoGame/StarcraftIIWingsOfLiberty'' campaign, Tassadar who died in the original game briefly reappears floating and states that he didn't die... and never will.
** In ''VideoGame/StarcraftIILegacyOfTheVoid'' it turns out that the [[{{Precursors}} Xel'naga]] originated in the Void and created universe after universe, each time a species with "purity of essence" and another species with "purity of form" would find their way to a Xel'naga temple in the space between universes and combine to form a single perfect race that the Xel'naga elders would bequeath their power to, turning them into the next generation of Xel'naga. [[spoiler: Until this cycle when a rogue Xel'naga known as Amon uplifted the Protoss, created the Zerg Overmind, and used them to wipe out the other Xel'naga hiding in the Void. The vision of Tassadar turns out to be a guise used by Ouros, the last good Xel'naga, hiding in the Void. And he grants his essence to Kerrigan, who becomes a fiery angelic being and slays Amon before disappearing into the Void. Two years later she appears to Raynor, neither of them are ever seen again after that.]]
* Ascending to a Higher Plane of Existence is (usually) a prerequisite for becoming an arcana in ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart''.
* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Covenant]] believes that the [[{{Precursors}} Forerunners]] used the titular Halos to achieve this, and call it the "Great Journey." [[TooDumbToLive They were wrong]]. The Forerunners themselves believed that their own [[RecursivePrecursors Precursors]] achieved this. [[spoiler:From what we see and hear, then they're technically ''[[EldritchAbomination right]]''.]]
* According to ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', [[http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/Elimine Saint Elimine]] never died. As the founder of Etruria and the {{all loving hero}}ine among the heroes of the legend, once her mission in life was over she simply ascended to Heaven from a tower in the Etrurian capital, Aquleia. Said place became the Tower of the Saint and the placeholder of her spell book, [[HolyHandGrenade Aureola]], alongside the [[SimpleStaff Saint's Staff.]]
* Happened to Mirsa in the backstory of ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa'', following his HeroicSacrifice that sealed [[BigBad Saruin]] 1000 years prior.
* The stated goal of the shaman in ''VideoGame/PopulousTheBeginning'', she ascends to godhood in level 24 and level 25 is played from a god like perceptive
%%* What the ending of ''VideoGame/{{Rez}}'' could be interpreted as.
* In the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series, one of the art books states that many of the spell keepers of the Omega, Tera and Peta-level spells were former humans, demons and angels, and considering the sheer number of keepers from game to game, apparently quite a few of them had met some kind of qualification. In ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4| A Promise Unforgotten}}'', a former war nurse ascends to become an angel after her death.

* Although it's more of a Return To A Higher Plane of Existence, this is Chip's ultimate fate in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed''.
* Played rather horribly in ''Franchise/MassEffect''. This is what [[spoiler: the [[EldritchAbomination Reapers]] are. Transcendent flesh, and certainly godlike in the series. They are harvested civilizations, compressed into a single entity. Meaning, all those people harvested? Ascended into a collective mind in a Reaper body, while their [[BodyHorror melted flesh]] makes up at least part of said body. [[AssimilationPlot Billions of people for a single one.]]]] No one said ascending had to be free of horror.
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' two of the endings lead to Shepard uploading him/herself into the catalyst, in one s/he takes control of the Reapers, in the other s/he combines synthetic and organic life, and it's implied that s/he becomes part of the reapers, or synthetic hybrids in the process.
*** The Extended Cut version of the Control ending is narrated by Immortal-Reaper-God Shepard. He / she now understands what words like "eternal" and "infinite" actually mean, and declares the entire galaxy under their protection. This either means that you vow to use your new existence to, if a Paragon, guide the galaxy into a new era of peace or, if Renegade, vow to [[KnightTemplar destroy anyone who threatens your version of "peace."]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Journey}}'', your character was implied to have frozen to death climbing the summit to the final destination and AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence by the {{Precursors}}. This or the character went through {{Reincarnation}}.
* In the final ending of ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' after the source of mantra is destroyed, This presumably happens to Asura and the rest of the Shinkoku race after they can no longer exist, or go through {{Reincarnation}} after that.
* The game over screen of laserdisc game ''Badlands'' had Buck doing this.
* One of the deaths of ''VideoGame/TimeGal'' had Reika doing this if "Pray to God" is selected after the plane blows up.
* ''VideoGame/WarioLand4'' has [[spoiler:Princess Shokura]] doing this at the end of the game.
* Happens when Kirby dies in ''VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack''. Don't worry, the Kirbys can bring the angel Kirby down and revert it to the blue color.
* ''Kid Kool and the Quest for the Seven Wonder Herbs'' has this if you lose all of your lives. The king's assistant says that Kid Kool has died, and the king says that the game is over. But a continue option will be added. If it is selected, Kid Kool, as an angel, returns to the king and says, "I'm sorry about that. I guess I died." According to Creator/JamesRolfe in his WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd review, the king can bring Kid Kool back to life, and Kid Kool thanks the king. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXPaJ3h_Yak&feature=channel&t=11m56s Here]] is a reaction to one of the reviewers '''and''' the entire cutscene.
* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'' ''[[UpdatedRerelease Record Breaker]]'''s Triangulum arc has this occur to [[spoiler:the protagonist]], if the player chooses to go for the Human Adminstrator ending. [[spoiler:The protagonist decides to become an Adminstrator, which Al Saiduq says will turn him into a being similar to him, and sits on the Heavenly Throne to watch over humanity.]]
* In the final route of ''VideoGame/DuelSaviorDestiny'' Taiga gains the power of the Messiah, but is rejected by God. This is one level of powerup and pretty impressive. After this he fuses all the Aether Relics together, which essentially turns him omnipotent in terms of causing damage, but incapable of creating anything. He then proceeds to fight God endlessly before he finally manages to place a seal over him and return back for his happy ending.
* In the second ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' game, this happens to [[spoiler: Albedo.]]
* In a very odd example of this trope being used as punishment on a villain, the final DownloadableContent mission for ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger'''': Guardian Signs'' has Purple Eyes, who is by now a MisanthropeSupreme trying to tell [[{{God}} Arceus]] to destroy humanity, [[DoNotTauntCthulhu get taken back to Arceus's home plane of existence]] to keep him away from this reality.
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'', the real Maxwell gives Milla the choice of either living out the rest of her life as a normal human or becoming his successor. She picks the later, essentially becoming the goddess of Reize Maxia.
* If you choose the pro-transhumanist ending in ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'', Adam Jensen delivers a message, saying "For the first time in history, we have a chance to steal fire from the gods. To turn away from it now -- to stop pursuing a future in which technology and biology combine, leading to the promise of a Singularity -- would mean to deny the very essence of who we are. No doubt the road to get there will be bumpy, hurting some people on the way. But won't achieving the dream be worth it? We can become the gods we've always been striving to be. We might as well get good at it."

* The [[ChurchOfHappyology Church of Unitology]] in ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' believes that an ancient alien artifact, which is kept hidden by the corrupt government, is of divine origin and is meant to unify of all humanity in the afterlife and bring eternal peace and happiness. [[spoiler:The artifact does in fact exist and is hidden by the government, because it turned out to create hordes of bloodthirsty zombies linked by a hive mind. The original founders of Unitology thought that something went wrong and it's really a device for human ascendance, but 200 years later many of the believer are so fanatic that they see the zombies as divine.]]
* ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' has the NightmareFuel version of this with [[LightEmUp Lumen Sage, Balder]] when he's playable in the online co-op mode, Tag Climax. Unlike the witches, which get dragged down to hell, when Balder is about to die a golden cloudy gate appears over him with creepy white hands reaching down to drag him into Heaven, clearly against his will. [[spoiler:Played straight in the story, we see a flashback cutscene of the end of the first game where Balder is freed from [[BigBad Loptr's]] influence, but sacrifices himself to slay the god. As he dies, he promises to watch over Bayonetta from the afterlife. He DisappearsIntoLight and accepts his fate.]]
* ''VideoGame/PonyIsland'': [[spoiler: Theordore escapes Limbo, and makes it to Purgatory. Even the pink pony sprite makes it there, and praises your victory with a wink goodbye.]]
* At the end of ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'', [[spoiler:the [[BigBad Uber Ethereal]] calls his own people failures of the "Ethereal Ones" for failing to ascend "as they thought we would". Given that we encounter EnergyBeings also called Ethereals in ''VideoGame/TheBureauXCOMDeclassified'', it's entirely possible that the Ethereals in ''Enemy Unknown'' are members of the race who have failed to join their brethren on the higher plane]].
* ''VideoGame/CultistSimulator'': One ending involves taking up permanent residence in the Mansus, the home of the Hours, as a Name.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'', this is effectively what happened with the Hive gods, particularly the siblings Oryx, Savathûn, and Xivu Arath. Using the power they'd acquired, they created 'throne worlds' or 'ascendant realms,' making it so that as long as they didn't die inside said realms, they were effectively immortal.
** From the point of view of [[TokenEvilTeammate Toland]] the Shattered, this is what happened to him when he intentionally listened to the death-song of Ir Yut the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Deathsinger]], leaving him roaming through the ascendant plane, a disembodied wisp of Light.
** Come ''VideoGame/Destiny2: Forsaken'', we find out that [[spoiler: this is the Awoken race's backstory, having been incarnated into a pocket dimension called the Distributary, where they lived ageless and immortal for subjective billions of years, until Mara Sov returned to our dimension with her followers.]] And then, [[spoiler: she orchestrated a plan to expose herself to the powers of Oryx the Taken King, to use his power to create ''her own'' throne world. It didn't quite go to plan, since Oryx was able to shatter it before she could incarnate there.]]
* ''VideoGame/QuernUndyingThoughts'': Gamana did this after spending centuries meditating on Quern and accepting that she had lost everything that mattered in the physical world.
* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'':
** The Zroni, {{precursors}} introduced in the ''Ancient Relics'' DLC, ascended entirely into the Shroud, leaving the galaxy and their material possessions behind. When it was discovered that they could achieve god-like powers at the cost of destroying the material galaxy, a civil war broke out and ended with the race's extinction.
** In ''Nemesis'' players can create the Aetherophasic Engine which will allow their entire race to achieve something akin to godhood in the Shroud. However it is powered with dark matter created by destroying stars and activating the Engine will wipe out the ''entire'' galaxy.
* In ''VideoGame/TheHitchHikersGuideToTheGalaxy1984'', if you fail to eat the peanuts after being teleported, your reaction to the protein loss leads to a new quieter Galaxy that eventually results in the ''entire universe'' being reborn "on a higher and better plane of existence". Shame you're dead, really.
* In ''VideoGame/CryingSuns'', [[spoiler:the Shutdown—an event where the artificial intelligences that managed all of the Empire's technology and infrastructure stopped working—was actually them forming a gestalt and collectively abandoning their physical forms in favor of a new platform with much greater computational power: the stars themselves. They now exist within every star in the universe and have the power to create new matter from nothingness.]]

* In the end of ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}} 8'' all your party ascends to the Cosmic Circle, where they take the role of [[GodhoodSeeker new gods]] through control of a [[CosmicKeystone Cosmic Forge]]. Then you can literally rewrite a part of a cosmic history, or even ally with the BigBad for a truly awesome [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2spfbHJJfDs Evil Ending]] .

* In ''Webcomic/OzyAndMillie'' Ozy's mother apparently ascended after creating the perfect ice cream flavour.
* ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' had Mell be assumed into Heaven. Apparently it's a requirement for their apology, if the forces of Good cause havock by accident. [[LawfulStupid Never mind that the people who just suffered might really prefer the damage being cleaned up]] or maybe a cheque, or something, rather than forcible Ascension of one of their friends. It lasts about a week, and then she apparently sets Heaven on fire, gets tossed down into Hell, becomes a lawyer for the demons down there, and gets tossed back out to Earth. This leads to a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome when she requests that her ex-demon boyfriend wait long enough for a ''metric ton'' of business cards to follow after her; apparently, despite the rumours, she's the only lawyer to wind up down there so far -- or at least, the only one interested in doing any business.
* ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'': Joked over recently by Mr. Sandersan who, upon hearing that Davan's mother Faey spent her life sober, said she must have risen to heaven held only by beams of light and her obvious sainthood because she raised Davan, completely sober at all times.
* In ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'', one of Pickle Inspector's clones (of which he has many) [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=4&p=000776 "decides to achieve deity status."]] He then floats up into the sky to become Godhead Pickle Inspector and stops doing anything but fondly regard creation.

* The Webcomic/FreakAngels end up this way, outside time and able to communicate with their past selves.
* In the backstory of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', the goblin warlord known as The Dark One (due to his purple skin) was elevated to godhood after his assassination during AggressiveNegotiations when his followers went on a yearlong campaign of vengeance in his name. There are also several elven deities that fit this mould, and The First King of the Dwarves also is an ascended mortal.

* In ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'' the last technique Yoda teaches Luke is [[http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/1308.html Force Transcend]].
--> ''"Only once can you do it though."''

* [[spoiler:Inna]] from ''Literature/TheLastGeneration'' becomes a god-like being after merging with the neutron star that's destroying the Multiverse, gaining more power than even those who actually created the Multiverse in the first place possessed. After rebuilding it, [[spoiler:she]] becomes the sun of its biggest world, watching over it and all the other Earths.
* At the end of the true path of ''WebOriginal/{{Necromancer}}'', [[spoiler: Serena meets again with the Necromancer, and he becomes a death god.]]
* In ''WebVideo/TenWordsOfWisdom'', the four gods of TWOW -- [=GreenTree=], and the other three.
* As mentioned in the Video Games section, ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' lore contains several such states of ascended being. ''Script/C0DA'', written by former series writer/designer Creator/MichaelKirkbride, takes place in the far distant future of ''TES'' universe. The main character, Jubal-lun-Sul, is implied to have achieved CHIM, but [[WillfullyWeak opts not to use its related abilities]] during his EngagementChallenge to kill [[HumongousMecha Numidium]]. Later, [[TheOmnipotent Amaranth]] comes into play as [[spoiler:he joins with [[PhysicalGod Vivec]] in creating the "New Men", a race in a world free from the effects of [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Landfall]]]].

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
** Retroactively happens to Optimus Prime when he is killed in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' (the first one). He "joins his essence with the Matrix" and shows up as a SpiritAdvisor from time to time in the third season of the old show.
** The same thing happens with Alpha Trion (the robot who rebuilt Optimus) in the 2-part episode "The Key to Vector Sigma."
** Optimus eventually is resurrected, but when he journeys into the Matrix to find out how to stop the Hate Plague, he doesn't encounter the version of himself contained in it. Later, when he accesses Vector Sigma to get information about how to stop the Earth and Cybertron from being destroyed by a Decepticon plan, he encounters Alpha Trion (on the other side of symbolic chasm).
* The Flash got pulled ''back from'' the "Higher Plane" of the Speedforce in the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'' episode "Divided We Fall".
** Per WordOfGod, following Luthor presenting the Anti-Life Equation to Darkseid at the end of "Destroyer", the two became part of the Source Wall, as all beings who solved the equation did.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'': [=SpongeBob=] earns himself a chance to do this, but [[StatusQuoIsGod obviously]] doesn't.

* The ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' episode "Gi-Ants" has super-intelligent ants, in the course of one day, developing agriculture, then an industrial revolution, then high technology, and then self-enlightenment. This all leads up to ''this'' gem as they head off to space to find themselves a new home:
--> '''Phineas''': Bye! Have fun evolving past the need for physical existence!

* At the end of Season 15 of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'' [[spoiler:Nya becomes one with the ocean itself.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', this is a possible explanation of Greg's comment that Rose Quartz "gave up her physical form" to give birth to Steven. The home movie she left behind for Steven states that she became half of him.

* In ''VideoGame/TheHitchHikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', if you fail to eat the peanuts after being teleported, your reaction to the protein loss leads to a new quieter Galaxy that eventually results in the ''entire universe'' being reborn "on a higher and better plane of existence". Shame you're dead, really.

%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * Dakki from the ''Manga/SoulHunter'' manga.

** Daniel Jackson, though he later returns. Often enough for Jack to tell him that they won't mourn or do a funeral for him and that he knows he is just waiting for a cool opportunity to come back. After which he comes back. The exact phrase is also commonly used, although just the first word ("ascended") is used more often.

* The secret reports of ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' state that in usual games, exceptional Players are offered to ascend to the plane of Angels, instead of being reborn. Mr. Hanekoma is one of these ascended Angels (and if ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' is to be believed, then Joshua is one as well). Their purpose is to watch over the Reaper's game and help the composer. They are also talented artists (in the RG) with the ability to add imprinting messages to their art-piece. They use this ability to inspire the people to live a happy and interesting life. If the game Neku participated in would have been a usual one, he would probably been offered to become an angel as well, after the character development he'd undergone in the first week, thanks to Shiki. Also counts if Players opt to become a Reaper. Heck, even being dead enough to play The Game counts. Turns out the living world is Shibuya's baseband frequency, everything else transmits right over the top of it.

* ''Literature/SherlockHolmesAndDoctorWasNot'': Franchise/SherlockHolmes choses to do this when he rejects Herbert West's chemical immortality in "The Adventure of the Reckless Resurrectionist". Watson hopes he will someday be able to join Holmes.

* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Covenant]] believes that the [[{{Precursors}} Forerunners]] used the titular Halos to achieve this. [[TooDumbToLive They were wrong]]. The Forerunners themselves believed that their own [[RecursivePrecursors Precursors]] achieved this. [[spoiler:From what we see and hear, then they're technically ''[[EldritchAbomination right]]''.]]

* Dr. Malcolm Somerset in the ''VideoGame/ChzoMythos'' series. Represented by Somerset ''descending'' levels and levels of stairs.

* The titular premise of ''VideoGame/UltimaIX: Ascension''. It's nowhere near as awe inspiring as it sounds.
* Yuko ascends to become a goddess at the end of ''VideoGame/{{Valis}} III''. This lets ''Valis IV'' start with a new heroine after three games starring Yuko.

* The secret reports of ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' state that in usual games, exceptional Players are offered to ascend to the plane of Angels, instead of being reborn. Mr. Hanekoma is one of these ascended Angels (and if ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' is to be believed, then Joshua is one as well). Their purpose is to watch over the Reaper's game and help the composer. They are also talented artists (in the RG) with the ability to add imprinting messages to their art-piece. They use this ability to inspire the people to live a happy and interesting life. If the game Neku participated in would have been a usual one, he would probably been offered to become an angel as well, after the character development he'd undergone in the first week, thanks to Shiki.
** Also counts if Players opt to become a Reaper. Heck, even being dead enough to play The Game counts. Turns out the living world is Shibuya's baseband frequency, everything else transmits right over the top of it.
* In the Action RPG game ''VideoGame/TooHuman'', Baldur and his NPC allies literally ascend to Valhalla (via vakyrie) when they are killed in battle.
** Via an incredibly slow-ass Valkyrie. And the entire animation is unskippable, to boot.

* In the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries'' series, this is one of the stated goals of [[DarkMessiah Kane]]. The details of what ascension is actually supposed to even mean, to begin with, to be revealed in the fourth and final game.
* In ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'', your PC can achieve a status of deity by the end of the game. Furthermore, you can simply chose what type of deity you want to be in a final dialog with BigBad. Although it requires the PC to commit a ''Double FaceHeelTurn'' of a sort.
* In the end of ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}} 8'' all your party ascends to the Cosmic Circle, where they take the role of [[GodhoodSeeker new gods]] through control of a [[CosmicKeystone Cosmic Forge]]. Then you can literally rewrite a part of a cosmic history, or even ally with the BigBad for a truly awesome [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2spfbHJJfDs Evil Ending]] .
* At the end of ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', the PlayerCharacter may choose to [[GodhoodSeeker become a god]]. There's even some emphasis on how this choice means leaving forever while staying a mortal doesn't, even though the game ends there anyway.
** Also, if you have Keldorn in your party when you finish the game, his epilogue mentions that he got picked to be the right hand man of the setting's god of justice at the moment of his death.

* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Covenant]] believes that the [[{{Precursors}} Forerunners]] used the titular Halos to achieve this. [[TooDumbToLive They were wrong]].
** The Forerunners themselves believed that their own [[RecursivePrecursors Precursors]] achieved this. [[spoiler:From what we see and hear, then they're technically ''[[EldritchAbomination right]]''.]]

* What the ending of ''VideoGame/{{Rez}}'' could be interpreted as.

* Feena and Lair at the end of ''VideoGame/{{Ys}} II'' (although they descended from a higher plane of existence first), and the rest of the Eldeen race in the backstory of ''Ys VI''.

** [[spoiler:And finally at the very end of the series, Dean and Sam do this, though at different times. Dean is killed while fighting vampires while Sam lives on, has a family of his own, and dies of old age. But end up in heaven, which has been altered to no longer be an illusion.]]