Pius IkeThe hardest games in the world are those that attract the hardest gamers; those with the skills and the will to beat the highest odds. Over the years, many tough games have been made, and many tough players have evolved.
Of course, a list of the hardest games would have to be curated by a top player; in this case comments have been taken from top players around the world. Special care has been taken to avoid adding comments from wimps with no IQ or skills.
It is understood that hardcore gamers are constantly looking for the next challenge; something to prove their dominance in the gaming space. Perhaps they can find that challenge in the list below.
Top 100 Hardest Games In The World
1. Dark Souls III
Dark Souls III is the gold standard for punishing difficulty. Its brutal combat, cryptic lore, and relentless bosses demand precision and patience. Players must master dodging, stamina management, and timing to survive. The game’s gothic atmosphere and unforgiving design create a sense of dread and triumph. Every victory feels earned, and every mistake is costly. It’s a masterclass in challenge and reward, cementing its legacy as one of the hardest games ever made.
2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro redefines difficulty with its parry-based combat and lack of traditional RPG progression. Players must learn enemy patterns, react with perfect timing, and adapt to intense boss fights. There’s no grinding for stats—only skill matters. The game’s stealth mechanics and vertical movement add complexity, while its story explores honor and revenge. Sekiro punishes hesitation and rewards mastery, making it a brutally satisfying experience for those who persevere.
3. Cuphead
Cuphead blends 1930s cartoon aesthetics with relentless run-and-gun gameplay. Each boss fight is a chaotic ballet of bullets, requiring memorization, reflexes, and precision. There’s little room for error, and checkpoints are nonexistent. The game’s charming visuals contrast its punishing difficulty, creating a unique experience that’s both whimsical and intense. Cuphead is a test of endurance and pattern recognition, beloved by players who crave old-school challenge.
4. Nioh 2
Nioh 2 combines fast-paced samurai combat with deep customization and punishing enemies. Players face yokai and warriors in a world inspired by Japanese mythology. The game’s stance system, weapon variety, and skill trees offer strategic depth, but its difficulty never relents. Bosses are brutal, and death comes swiftly. Nioh 2 rewards precision and adaptability, making it a favorite among Soulslike veterans seeking a fresh but equally unforgiving challenge.
5. Bloodborne
Bloodborne trades shields for aggression, forcing players into fast, risky combat. Set in a Lovecraftian nightmare, its gothic world is filled with grotesque enemies and cryptic lore. The game’s difficulty lies in its relentless pace and punishing bosses. Healing is limited, and mistakes are costly. Bloodborne demands courage and precision, rewarding those who embrace its brutal elegance. It’s a haunting, high-stakes experience that tests both reflexes and resolve.
6. Hollow Knight: Silksong
Silksong builds on Hollow Knight’s legacy with even faster movement, tougher enemies, and intricate platforming. Players control Hornet, navigating a vast, interconnected world filled with secrets and deadly foes. Combat is fluid but unforgiving, requiring mastery of dodges, attacks, and timing. Bosses are relentless, and exploration demands skill. Silksong’s difficulty is woven into its design, offering a beautiful but brutal journey for fans of precision and perseverance.
7. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur introduces a unique turn-based combat system with real-time counters and brutal boss mechanics. Players must master timing and strategy to survive. The game’s surreal art and haunting narrative add emotional weight to its challenge. Optional bosses are especially punishing, requiring perfect execution. Clair Obscur blends RPG depth with reflex-based combat, creating a cerebral and demanding experience that rewards mastery and punishes hesitation.
8. Elden Ring: Nightreign
Nightreign expands Elden Ring’s open world with new biomes, battle royale zones, and co-op survival mechanics. Difficulty spikes in unpredictable ways, with roaming bosses and dynamic weather affecting combat. Players must adapt to shifting threats and limited resources. The game’s scale and freedom amplify its challenge, making exploration as dangerous as combat. Nightreign is a brutal evolution of the Soulslike formula, demanding creativity, resilience, and teamwork.
9. Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong blends Chinese mythology with Soulslike combat, offering stunning visuals and punishing gameplay. Players control the Monkey King, facing legendary beasts and gods. Combat is fluid but unforgiving, with transformations and magic adding complexity. Bosses are cinematic and brutal, requiring mastery of movement and timing. Wukong’s difficulty lies in its unpredictability and depth, making it a standout in the action RPG genre.
10. Deathbound
Deathbound challenges players with multi-character control, switching between warriors mid-combat. Each character has unique abilities, and synergy is key. Bosses are relentless, exploiting weaknesses and punishing poor coordination. The game’s dark fantasy setting and strategic combat create a layered challenge. Players must manage cooldowns, positioning, and team dynamics under pressure. Deathbound is a tactical test of reflexes and planning, offering a fresh spin on Soulslike difficulty.
11. Returnal
Returnal is a roguelike shooter where death resets progress. Players must master bullet-hell combat, unpredictable environments, and psychological horror. Each run is different, and survival depends on reflexes and adaptability. The game’s narrative unfolds through repetition, adding emotional weight to its challenge. Returnal is relentless, rewarding precision and punishing mistakes.
12. Sifu
Sifu is a martial arts brawler with a unique aging mechanic—each death makes you older and weaker. Combat is fluid but unforgiving, requiring mastery of combos, dodges, and counters. Enemies are aggressive, and timing is everything. Sifu’s difficulty lies in its realism and progression system, making each fight a test of discipline and skill.
13. The Binding of Isaac: Repentance
Isaac’s roguelike chaos offers endless variation and brutal difficulty. Players navigate randomly generated dungeons filled with grotesque enemies and unpredictable items. Death is permanent, and success depends on quick thinking and luck. Repentance adds new layers of challenge, making each run a tense, strategic ordeal.
14. Furi
Furi is a boss-rush game blending swordplay and bullet hell mechanics. Each fight is a test of reflexes, timing, and pattern recognition. There’s no filler—just intense, cinematic battles. The game’s difficulty is pure and focused, demanding perfection and rewarding persistence.
15. Getting Over It
Getting Over It is a physics-based platformer where one mistake can erase hours of progress. Players control a man in a cauldron using a hammer to climb absurd obstacles. There’s no save system, and failure is constant. The game’s difficulty is psychological, testing patience and emotional resilience.
16. Super Meat Boy Forever
Super Meat Boy Forever offers auto-run platforming with pixel-perfect precision. Levels are brutal, filled with saws, spikes, and instant death. Reflexes and timing are essential, and checkpoints are rare. The game’s difficulty is relentless, demanding mastery of movement and nerves of steel.
17. Celeste
Celeste is a platformer that combines emotional storytelling with punishing gameplay. Players climb a mountain filled with deadly obstacles, requiring precise jumps and dashes. Each level introduces new mechanics and challenges. The game’s difficulty is balanced by its encouragement and accessibility, making it both brutal and uplifting.
18. Spelunky 2
Spelunky 2 is a roguelike platformer where every run is unpredictable and deadly. Players explore caves filled with traps, monsters, and secrets. Death is permanent, and success requires knowledge, reflexes, and luck. The game’s difficulty lies in its randomness and depth, making each run a unique challenge.
19. Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds pushes players to track and defeat massive beasts in dynamic environments. Combat is methodical and punishing, requiring preparation and precision. Monsters adapt and retaliate, making each hunt a strategic battle. The game’s difficulty lies in its scale and complexity, rewarding teamwork and mastery.
20. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
Ender Magnolia offers haunting visuals and brutal Metroidvania combat. Players face corrupted spirits in a decaying world, using precise movement and timing to survive. Bosses are relentless, and exploration is dangerous. The game’s difficulty is woven into its atmosphere, creating a beautiful but unforgiving experience.
Top 21–100 Hardest Games in the World (2025)
| Rank | Game Title | Genre | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Path Of Exile | Action RPG | PC |
| 22 | Escape From Tarkov | Tactical Shooter | PC |
| 23 | Noita | Roguelike Sandbox | PC |
| 24 | Tunic | Action Adventure | PC, Xbox |
| 25 | Rain World | Survival Platformer | PC, Switch |
| 26 | Boss Of The World | Strategy Sim | PC |
| 27 | I Wanna Be The Guy | Platformer | PC |
| 28 | Ninja Gaiden | Action | Xbox |
| 29 | Flappy Bird | Arcade | Mobile |
| 30 | Ghosts ’N Goblins | Retro Platformer | NES, Arcade |
| 31 | Super Ghouls & Ghosts | Retro Platformer | SNES |
| 32 | Battletoads | Beat ‘Em Up | NES, Xbox |
| 33 | Contra | Run-And-Gun | NES |
| 34 | XCOM 2 | Strategy | PC, PS4, Xbox |
| 35 | Darkest Dungeon II | Strategy RPG | PC |
| 36 | Slay The Spire | Deckbuilder Roguelike | PC, Switch |
| 37 | Dead Cells | Roguelike | PC, Switch |
| 38 | Hyper Light Drifter | Action RPG | PC, PS4, Switch |
| 39 | Katana ZERO | Action Platformer | PC, Switch |
| 40 | Thumper | Rhythm Violence | PC, PS4, Switch |
| 41 | Don’t Starve | Survival | PC, PS4, Switch |
| 42 | Outlast | Horror | PC, PS4, Xbox |
| 43 | Alien: Isolation | Horror | PC, PS4, Xbox |
| 44 | The Witness | Puzzle | PC, PS4 |
| 45 | Antichamber | Puzzle | PC |
| 46 | FEZ | Puzzle Platformer | PC, Xbox |
| 47 | La-Mulana | Metroidvania | PC, Switch |
| 48 | Hollow Knight | Metroidvania | PC, Switch |
| 49 | Metroid Dread | Metroidvania | Switch |
| 50 | Blasphemous II | Action Platformer | PC, Switch |
| 51 | Salt And Sanctuary | Soulslike Platformer | PC, PS4 |
| 52 | Remnant II | Action RPG | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 53 | Lords Of The Fallen | Soulslike RPG | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 54 | Lies Of P | Soulslike RPG | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 55 | Mortal Shell | Soulslike RPG | PC, PS4, Xbox |
| 56 | Hellpoint | Sci-Fi Soulslike | PC, PS4, Xbox |
| 57 | The Surge 2 | Sci-Fi Soulslike | PC, PS4, Xbox |
| 58 | Code Vein | Anime Soulslike | PC, PS4, Xbox |
| 59 | Ashen | Action RPG | PC, Xbox |
| 60 | Death’s Door | Action Adventure | PC, Switch |
| 61 | Titan Souls | Boss Rush RPG | PC, PS4 |
| 62 | Valheim | Survival Crafting | PC |
| 63 | Rust | Survival Crafting | PC |
| 64 | SCUM | Survival Sim | PC |
| 65 | Project Zomboid | Survival Sim | PC |
| 66 | Kenshi | Sandbox RPG | PC |
| 67 | Dwarf Fortress | Simulation | PC |
| 68 | RimWorld | Colony Sim | PC |
| 69 | Factorio | Automation Sim | PC |
| 70 | Oxygen Not Included | Colony Sim | PC |
| 71 | Banished | City Builder | PC |
| 72 | Frostpunk | Strategy Survival | PC |
| 73 | They Are Billions | RTS Survival | PC |
| 74 | StarCraft II | RTS | PC |
| 75 | Age Of Empires IV | RTS | PC |
| 76 | Total War: Warhammer III | Strategy | PC |
| 77 | Civilization VI (Deity Mode) | Strategy | PC |
| 78 | Europa Universalis IV | Grand Strategy | PC |
| 79 | Crusader Kings III | Grand Strategy | PC |
| 80 | Hearts Of Iron IV | Grand Strategy | PC |
| 81 | Kerbal Space Program | Physics Sim | PC |
| 82 | Microsoft Flight Simulator | Flight Sim | PC, Xbox |
| 83 | Assetto Corsa Competizione | Racing Sim | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 84 | iRacing | Racing Sim | PC |
| 85 | F1 2025 | Racing Sim | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 86 | Gran Turismo 7 | Racing Sim | PS5 |
| 87 | Trackmania | Arcade Racing | PC |
| 88 | Geometry Dash | Rhythm Platformer | Mobile, PC |
| 89 | Osu! | Rhythm | PC |
| 90 | Beat Saber (Expert+) | VR Rhythm | PC, PSVR |
| 91 | Thumper VR | VR Rhythm Violence | PC, PSVR |
| 92 | Superhot VR | VR Shooter | PC, PSVR |
| 93 | Boneworks | VR Shooter | PC |
| 94 | Half-Life: Alyx | VR Shooter | PC |
| 95 | Phasmophobia | Co-Op Horror | PC |
| 96 | GTFO | Co-Op Shooter | PC |
| 97 | Ready Or Not | Tactical Shooter | PC |
| 98 | Escape Simulator | Puzzle Co-Op | PC |
| 99 | Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes | Puzzle Co-Op | PC, VR |
| 100 | Getting Over It (VR Edition) | Physics Platformer | PC, VR |
Closing
From punishing platformers to brutal boss-rush RPGs, these games represent the pinnacle of challenge in modern gaming. Whether you’re chasing mastery, testing your reflexes, or simply drawn to the thrill of the impossible, this list offers something for every masochistic gamer. In 2025, difficulty isn’t just a design choice — it’s a badge of honor. These titles prove that the hardest games aren’t just about losing; they’re about learning, evolving, and earning every victory.