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

Another Crab’s Treasure does use some cutscenes and dialogue, but its conceptual approach to worldbuilding and storytelling remains close to its inspiration. —Tim Brinkhof, Vulture, 5 June 2024

Whether in cutscenes or gameplay, multi-player video games can help rewrite history or encourage an investment in national sovereignty. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

The story, while rich with lore and intrigue, isn’t spelled out through cutscenes, but must instead be pieced together through close-reading item descriptions and environmental clues like enemy and area design. —Tim Brinkhof, Vulture, 5 June 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above