Video games come in many different shapes, sizes, and flavors, so finding the perfect one is a matter of personal taste
This is doubly true for video game difficulty, as some players will not play certain games simply because they are too easy or too hard
In this list, we’ll take a look at the most difficult video games ever made and rank them according to their overall difficulty
We’ll be updating this list in the future with new titles, so be sure to check back and let us know if we’ve missed any games!
Witness release date: January 26, 2016
The game starts out easy enough, but quickly increases in difficulty as later puzzles combine the rules of earlier ones, requiring you to think laterally to solve them
Release date: October 18, 1987
While you can practice to learn the stories and patterns of each boxer, even seasoned players can be stymied by the game’s final boss, Mr Dream (aka Mike Tyson)
Enter Gungeon release date: April 5, 2016
Enter the Gungeon takes things to a whole new level, introducing procedurally generated dungeons and increasingly tough enemies with unique attack patterns
Ghosts n’ Goblins Release date: September 4, 1985
The levels are filled to the brim with useless enemies and weapons that will most of the time kill you because your character can only take two hits before dying
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels Release Date: June 3, 1986
2 to be the official sequel to Nintendo’s iconic platformer, it was actually preceded by Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels
Originally released in Japan as Super Mario Bros
2, the game is notoriously difficult compared to other entries in the series
It featured gimmicky warp pipes that sent players backwards instead of forwards, poisonous mushroom power-ups that would actually make Mario smaller, and time-sensitive levels that required precision
Super Meat Boy Release Date: October 20, 2010
Speaking of challenging platformers, Super Meat Boy is another game that uses new elements and gameplay mechanics to continuously keep players on their toes
Once you feel like you’ve mastered the controls or how to get past a certain hazard, the game decides to throw more at you, including deadly spikes, spinning saws, and electrified walls
The only thing that saves Super Meat Boy from appearing higher on this list is that it respawns very quickly after each death; The last thing anyone wants to do after dying is stare at a long loading screen
If Super Meat Boy wasn’t hard enough, game designer Edmund McMillen’s Zelda-inspired dungeon crawler The Binding of Isaac will definitely push you
Each race contains rooms, enemies, and procedurally generated items that can change Isaac’s appearance and give him new abilities that will either make things easier or extremely difficult
Celeste Release date: January 25, 2018
Similar to Super Meat Boy, Celeste is a challenging platformer that only increases in difficulty as your character climbs a snow-covered mountain
To reach the top of the mountain, you’ll need to traverse a series of handcrafted platform levels that emphasize precise jumps and dashes
However, the most challenging part of Celeste has to be its “B-side” stages that remix previous levels and fill them with collectibles that always seem to feel beyond your reach
Mega Man 9 Release Date: September 22, 2008
Although the Mega Man series is known for its extremely hard difficulty, Mega Man 9 stands out as one of the most challenging entries in the long-running platforming franchise
As a result, it features some of the toughest boss fights to date, and many of the game’s achievements are borderline impossible to get on your first playthrough
Battletoads Release Date: June 1, 1991
Like many retro games, the main source of its difficulty comes from having a limited number of lives which are then shared between players
Even if you were to play solo, you’d still have to overcome the nightmare-heavy motorcycle levels that require split-second reactions
Dwarf Fortress Release Date: August 8, 2006
The fact that the Dwarf Fortress community has adopted the motto “losing is fun!” it already tells you everything we need to know about the difficulty level of the game
Darkest Dungeon Release date: January 19, 2016
Darkest Dungeon takes its side-scrolling dungeon design and cranks the difficulty up to 11, throwing out challenge after challenge
In it, you’re tasked with guiding a team of adventurers through hellish procedurally generated environments filled with enemies, traps, and rewards
XCOM 2 Release Date: February 5, 2016
The XCOM games are no joke when it comes to throwing players into difficult situations where they are forced to wage war with a race of highly intelligent aliens
It seems fitting then that XCOM 2 features some of the most robust enemy AI to the point where you’ll feel like you’re up against actual aliens
God Hand Release Date: September 14, 2006
It has four levels of dynamic difficulty, and on the highest, enemies will bombard you with attack after attack
Shinobi Release Date: November 10, 2002
While the game’s graphics and overall tone suggest you’ll be playing stealth, it’s actually the opposite, as your sword will drain your health if you go too long without a kill
Combine that with aggressive enemy AI and the fact that there are no checkpoints between the starting area and the final boss battle, and you have a recipe for one of the hardest games of the PS2 era
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Release date: October 27, 2017
While playing Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, you’ll find that it’s often hard to appreciate where the enemies are coming from and how they always seem to have you in their sights
We can put this down to your character’s limited first-person view, poor game design, or developer MachineGames’ desire to punish players
The degree of challenge can be further increased by playing on higher difficulties, with the “Mein leben” option being the most brutal, giving you only one life for the entire campaign
Date of last release: September 4, 2013
The Outlast series helped redefine the modern survival horror game by throwing players into increasingly painful situations with no means of defense
Takeshi’s Challenge Release date: December 10, 1986
Takeshi’s Challenge was originally meant to be an 8-bit game show modeled after Takeshi’s Castle, but things took a strange turn after Takeshi himself got involved in the game’s development
As a result, players were treated to one of the most unconventional titles in video game history, complete with obtuse objectives and inexplicable mechanics
You can get a “Game Over” screen by making the most random mistakes, like not obeying when the game tells you to leave the controller untouched for an entire hour
Ecco the Dolphin Release Date: December 23, 1992
From its strangely dark story and uncomfortable atmosphere, Ecco the Dolphin is a top contender for weird video games of the 1990s
Spelunky Release Date: December 21, 2008
The goal is to reach the end of each level, having collected precious treasures, without falling victim to the numerous enemies, traps and unforgiving dangers scattered throughout
Cuphead release date: September 29, 2017
Don’t let Cuphead’s vibrant hand-drawn visuals fool you; the game is essentially a love letter to retro run and gun games that required you to memorize enemy attacks or risk a “Game Over”
In it, you take on the role of Cuphead and his brother Mugman as the duo complete a series of bosses and platforming levels to repay their outstanding debt to the devil
Dark Souls Release Date: September 22, 2011
We decided to include Dark Souls over its predecessor Demon Souls due to the increased difficulty of its enemies and the complex (borderline confusing) aspect of its levels
If you want to be really punished, you can opt to play online, which allows other players to pop into your game and wreak havoc in the middle of an already challenging fight
Bloodborne release date: March 24, 2015
Bloodborne takes the edge off Dark Souls in the difficulty department due to how much it rewards aggressive playstyles
In the Dark Souls games, you can usually get away with blocking and countering whenever an opening comes up, but in Bloodborne, it’s kill or be killed
If you don’t proactively take out enemies and apply pressure on bosses, the AI will quickly notice and relentlessly pursue you
Nioh Release Date: February 7, 2017
While Nioh falls under the “Soulsborne” umbrella of challenging action games, it manages to distinguish itself with a more offensive approach to combat through its stance system
Players must perform different stances that affect their damage depending on the enemy, and the window for hitting an opponent is relatively small
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Release Date: March 22, 2019
From the software’s best and most brutal game to date, Sekiro will have even the biggest Soulsborne fan clutching their controller in frustration
While it puts more emphasis on stealth mechanics and even gives players a combat hook for quick escapes, its technical sword fighting is more demanding than any other From Software game
Best video game pets ranked
Easiest video games, ranked
The scariest monsters in video games ranked