cutscene

noun

cut·​scene ˈkət-ˌsēn 

variants or less commonly cut-scene or cut scene

plural cutscenes also cut-scenes or cut scenes

: a noninteractive video sequence that occurs between segments of a video game and depicts part of the game's background or storyline

Extra bits of story are delivered every two or three levels, each cutscene lasting just a few seconds and providing a further, fleeting glance at the bizarre roster of characters.

—Joe Martin

Excellent cinematic cutscenes are dotted throughout the game, with rebel communications and face-to-face talks giving you hints on your progress.

—Matthew Horan

Ninja Gaiden is also notable for being one of the first action games to have cutscenes between levels.

—Chris Reed

You won't encounter an explicitly relayed narrative—there are no cut-scenes or dialog text; instead, the story is uncovered through the game's lo-fi and maquette-like environments, each filled with sad, funny, and poignant details.

—Lewis Gordon

Examples of cutscene in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While character creation, dynamic cutscenes, and open world exploration may feel fresh in a Diablo game, these have been staples of AAA games for years. —Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 8 Dec. 2022

A lot of these connections have been made in seasonal post-launch cutscenes tied to the multiplayer of these games, but a key character from the Modern Warfare series also appeared in a cameo in the campaign for Black Ops Cold War. —Cade Onder, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024

The traditional means of video-game storytelling—cutscenes, voice-over narration, and conversations with other characters—are present only in the most attenuated, enigmatic forms. —Gabriel Winslow-Yost, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

In an early cutscene, Frank checks out a character’s body with a first-person camera sequence following his gaze — but all in all, Deluxe Remaster is an interesting case for modernizing a game to omit gratuitous sexualization and sensationalism. —Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above