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

Enemy sprites have been perfected; weapons look believable and somehow feel weightier; lighting has more balance; most impressively, cutscenes have been painstakingly upscaled, and obviously without AI, bringing characters to life but maintaining that retro sheen. —Matt Gardner, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Then, there is just one more cutscene that’s a must-watch before The Final Shape. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

The game lays it on thick, with cutscenes bordering on comedy that tout Earth’s united and militaristic regime, having already plundered the galaxy. —Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024

Background music, Sound effects and JP audio does not play during the opening cutscene. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

Fixed crash when using text-to-speech during extraction cutscene Game no longer crashes when users disconnect during the joining cutscene. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024

By the third and fourth games, there were even full-motion video cutscenes starring Hamill, which really brought Wing Commander to life in a way most gamers had never seen before. —Keith Langston and Randall Colburn, EW.com, 6 May 2023

Takei's many cutscenes in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. —Anna Washenko, Ars Technica, 4 Dec. 2023

Thankfully, Naughty Dog also brought optional commentary to the main story’s cutscenes, including musings from both developers and actors like Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey. —Katcy Stephan, Variety, 16 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above