TL;DR
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro stands out as a particularly challenging game among FromSoftware's titles. Unlike other Soulsborne games, Sekiro does not allow players to farm or explore to gain strength, making boss fights true tests of skill [4]. Many players have experienced rage quits and intense frustration but also found satisfaction in mastering the game's mechanics
[1:1]
[1:2]. The lightning parry mechanic is noted for providing a significant dopamine rush when executed successfully
[1:5].
Ninja Gaiden Series
The Ninja Gaiden series, particularly Ninja Gaiden Black on Master Ninja difficulty, is well-known for its punishing gameplay. Players have described it as infuriatingly difficult, with Alma being a notoriously tough boss [4:3]
[4:7]. The game requires precise timing and strategy, severely punishing mindless hacking and slashing
[4:9]. Despite its difficulty, many players find it rewarding and continue to recommend it for those seeking a challenge
[5:5].
Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: World at War on Veteran difficulty is another game that has been highlighted for its extreme difficulty. Players have expressed frustration over the relentless grenade spam, which makes completing levels a daunting task [2]. Achievements like "Mile High Club" are particularly challenging and require persistence to unlock
[2:3].
Other Notable Mentions
Several other games were mentioned across discussions, including The Impossible Game, a rhythm-based endless runner that challenges players' timing skills [1:6], and Hollow Knight, praised for its challenging combat and exploration
[3:1]. Additionally, action games such as God Hand and Metal Gear Rising offer difficult modes that test players' abilities
[5:3].
For those looking for a character action game, Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix on Critical difficulty is recommended for its engaging combat mechanics [5:7].
I thought I'd seen it all with games like Getting Over It and Jump King, but I just stumbled upon a game called Level Devil. This thing is on another level of frustration!
It has that same simple-but-cruel design where one tiny mistake sends you back to the start. I must have spent an hour just on the second obstacle...
It got me thinking: what's the most difficult, controller-throwingly hard game you've ever played? I need more recommendations to test my patience (or lack of it).
Bonus Question: Do you enjoy this masochistic type of gaming, or do you think it's just pure frustration? Link the game
I rage quit Sekiro about 50 times but always ended up coming back. Never did beat the final boss though.
The Owl fight was absolutely unreal.
Sekiro is the only game that has ever left me broken. I got to the point after killing a tough boss I felt numb then uninstalled it.
Me too man. Still failing upwards though. Great game
Ah the Glock Saint.
The lightning parry in Sekiro might be the most dopamine I've ever had in my life lol
Any fighting game. Currently SF6.
The Impossible Game, it's just a 2d endless runner/rhythm game where you control a square and need to jump at the right time to avoid obstacles
Tekken 8
I think so it was on PS3 or 4
For me it's probably Call of Duty World at War. Beating it on Veteran was pretty difficult, still have PTSD from the grenades lol.
Would’ve been dead by daylight for me except it keeps getting updated so state of decay 2 or warface.
Had DBD 100% for the longest time but the "open the exit gate in RPD and escape 20 times" achievement has made sure I will never be able to again. I also hate the new one to injure people in the basement, I'm going to have to sit in the basement with Insidious like a douche and I hate camping.
RPD is my favourite DBD map so I ended up getting that achievement in the first week lol
Warface wasn’t too bad honestly, it’s just the games dead. If you find a group it’s very easy
Probably Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare. Mile High Club was a pain to unlock.
That or Mega Man 9. Having to look up a guide for most of them was interesting.
I looked up my history for how long it took me from beating Veteran to unlocking the MHC achievement, and it took me almost a month to get that final achievement.
Ooof. I was working on it and kinda getting the levels fully complete before moving on but I did actually play through some later levels and I'm absolutely terrified at what's coming up. Like that level where you chase down the plane by jumping across all the luggage? I died like 100 times just trying to simply pass that part xD
Gotta admit that I played this one recently and got the expert achievements only with a glitch, don't have the skill for it 🤣
How’d you do the halo 2 vehicle kill achievements 😭😂 I’ve never been able to find games let alone run over 100 people lmao, congrats that’s a dope 100%
Any achievement that doesn't say "matchmade game" can be done in a local game. And I did all the matchmade ones by just boosting with two xboxes on a low populated region and game mode
New achievements every update.
Nice, I only have 9 left. Monopolized (saving it for last) and a handful of random ones
(I didn’t attach the platinum screenshot because it was a black screen)
This game was a masterpiece and the final boss was the hardest fight I think I’ve ever done before. Highly recommend this game to anyone that enjoys difficult games, it’s phenomenal. Trophy wise the hardest one was literally just beating the game imo. 9/10 game and a 10/10 trophy list.
This game has 36 trophies: 15 bronze, 17 silver, 3 gold, and a platinum.
I don't know its difficulty or completion time. If you know this information, please reply to me so that I can add it to the PlatPrices.com database that this information is pulled from.
Price: $29.99
Other region prices, wishlist, or buy
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I've heard of this game, it's been on my radar for awhile now. Certainly looks fun, congrats on the plat! If you enjoy games with challenging combat, I'd recommend looking into Furi and maybe playing Hollow Knight. Not sure if Nine Sols is a metroidvania-type game, but if it is, then you'll probably enjoy Hollow Knight.
Hollow knight is my favorite game! Furi looks interesting, thank you!
Well done! I’ve never heard of this game but I might have to give it a try. The style looks cool.
I've always enjoyed hard games. I love that feeling of initially fighting a boss and getting steamrolled, then building up a strategy through further attempts and then finally conquering them. The experience itself is fun and it's a great feeling to look back and see how far you've come.
For me it was the FromSoftware games (Soulsborne, Elden Ring and Sekiro).
Sekiro in particular stands out - there's no real way to farm/explore and become significantly stronger. So the bosses felt like a true skill-check. Isshin was a particularly difficult fight. I did finish the game, but it did feel quite a lot more difficult than the others for the first playthrough.
Ninja Gaiden 2 on Master Ninja difficultly
I could not even beat easiest
I think the hardest game for me was Ninja Gaiden on the original Xbox.
Played it as a kid and it was really hard
Was the Xbox one a remake of the Nintendo one? The Nintendo one was the hardest game I ever played because it was hacky with no update to fix off screen enemies reappearing on ledges. Game was impossible.
I also came here to say this. The game was infuriatingly difficult.
second this could never get past alma... although i just played the master collection through as an adult and i one shot her :S
Came here to say Ninja Gaiden. It’s a hack & slash that severely punishes you if you’re, in fact, mindlessly hacking & slashing.
The God Hand kick me sign challenge on Hard.
I finished it but I've never finished Battletoads, or NES Ninja Gaiden without save states
Elden ring is way harder as long as you don't do something stupid like summon a player
I haven't played the game but does it give you legitimate ways to finish staying pure stealth?
I was just thinking that it would make for an interesting design choice. Hard combat is your punishment for failing stealth.
The game is hard don't get me wrong but i found it to be easier than i expected, with its reputation once it "clicked" for me.
Granted i struggled for 4 hours on the first purple ninja in the rememberance before it "clicked"
I’m looking to play through a character action game at the hardest difficulty, so what was a game you enjoyed on ‘normal’ but loved once you got into the harder options?
I’m leaning towards Ninja Gaiden Black on Master Ninja, tho I’ll admit I’m a bit intimidated by that one, one of the Bayonettas, or Metal Gear Rising.
Conversely, what were some that were broken once you cranked up the difficulty?
All recommendations welcome except DMC 3, I’ve done it already.
Thanks!
Hi Fi rush is the most fun I've had on the hardest difficulty in a CAG.
Sucked on the rhythm part got as far as the 2 playthrough but really fun on the difficult parts
Basically all of Kamiya's action games. So DMC1, Viewtiful Joe 1, Bayo 1 and The Wonderful 101.
Magenta Horizon also qualifies.
I wish I didn't have to say this but so far I find God Hand quite a bit broken on Hard Mode. Same with the Ninja Gaiden games on Master Ninja, Bayo 2's Infinite Climax and the GoW games.
I'm not the biggest fan of DMC3,4&5's DMD but I wouldn't call them broken either. Same with MGR's Revengeance difficulty. They're just not the most fun way to play their respective games.
What do you mean by broken ? I didnt play those on hard yet (God Hand and Ninja Gaiden). I am interested in you opinion.
Now, I don't have the most enlightened opinion on the NG games but in my experience they suffer from the typical "diminishing returns" issues higher difficulties tend be guilty of in these kinds of games. That is where the amounts of mechanical nuances you have to learn to adapt to a new difficulty level isn't worth how comparatively constrictive the gameplay loop becomes as a result. NG isn't exactly know for the tightest enemy implementation in the business (especially the bosses) and Master Ninja is these games tend to mostly make the bosses longer, attacks that lack telegraphs more frequent, less manipulable enemies more present (i.e. the black crab placement in NGB's MN) and the secret encounters (Ambushes, Tests of Valors) insufferably long when they already overstayed their welcome in normal difficulty.
God Hand fairs a little bit better on all of the previous points mentioned but the sheer fact that enemies can attack from of-screen coupled with the camera angle from that game makes it a devious proposition in it's own league. Arguably the hardest thing I've been confronted to in my CAG experience. I intend to persevere on this one because I also think this game is worthy of the "best move-set in any combat system" award but yeah, I'm not sure I'm on board with everything it throws at me either, especially since in was only made in 12 months.
Gooood, another Magenta Horizzon mention.
I think every game shines and designed around having the most fun on hardest difficulty (that is not gimmick like Hell and Hell in DMCs). But I really recommend trying out GoW 1-3 on Very Hard, this is where the games' combat philosophy is on max. Your collision damage on VH in 1 and 2 are at max, making throwing, using knockback, orion harpoons, grabs and collisions your best tools for efficient and fun playstyle
Yea, dmc5 I can only play Dante must die cause enemies don't die too fast but hell and hell was just annoying, just for self accomplishment, only achievement I'm missing is best heaven and hell cause that's just way too boring.
Cool to see a GoW mention!
That game/franchise is mentioned literally millions of times a day on Reddit lol wtf
Its not a character action game. Its a Action RPG but Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix comes to mind. Its the most fun on Critical dificulty.
Although you can activate the zero exp abillty and do a level 1 run. You could say that is the true highest dificulty. I have not tried it myself but from what I heard level 1 runs are not uncommen in the KH Fandom.
Old school God of War games. Not the new ones. The Greek ones.
I think mine would have to be Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus on “I am death incarnate”, which is the hardest difficulty. After you complete the game on that difficulty you unlock a permadeath mode. I didn’t even attempt permadeath though, F that.
Dark Souls 3 where I started as a sorcerer when I had no idea what I was doing and slowly shifted into a great value Knight build. Love that game though!
Lichdom battlemage. It has awful combat and an odd pacing to boss difficulty. The final boss is incredibly difficult and you basically have to cheese the fight. Add to that it's super dark with no brightness controls so you might take damage from an unseen attack.
halo 2 legendary and dark souls.
Cuphead
Forgot about cuphead, I still haven’t beat the guy before the devil.
This by far
I got all the achievements for it recently. The geenie plane fight on hard almost made me cry
I've played 4,000+ hours of Rust, and I still think it's the hardest game out there. Not just mechanically, but mentally.
No progress is safe – You can grind for days and lose it all in minutes.
Solo life is a nightmare – One wrong move, and you're wiped by a zerg.
No true "endgame" – Even when you're stacked, one bad fight or raid defense can reset everything.
Skill isn’t enough – You need game sense, paranoia, and luck to survive.
Even after all these hours, every wipe still feels like starting over from scratch. No other game keeps you on edge like this.
Does anything else even come close to Rust’s level of punishment? Let’s hear it.
I always tell everyone Rust is probably the best game for replayability. No two wipes are ever the same. Would probably play more of it if it wasn't so toxic. Not that I don't enjoy it sometimes, but it does get hard, lol.
The holy grail of gaming was endless replayability
That's why I insist Rust is one of the greatest video games ever created.
And in my opinion, the best first person multiplayer experience ever created, period point blank
You've gotta find the right server if you want good gameplay and less toxicity. Takes some hunting, but they're out there.
Rust life is an example. Mostly adult players and relatively chill.
I got 3.2k hours at Rust, but for me would say DayZ is way harder. I play DayZ once in a blue moon. Rust I'm my regular game to chill
Yeah, in dayz you could get so far, fully kitted out in armor and weapons, but all it takes is one shot to end you and send you back to the shore where it would take hours to get back to where you were, even if you had a base
For me, even getting overwhelmed with Zombies, or on one occasion accidentally running off a cliff in the dark 🙈🤣 And even with the map, it can take ages to navigate and not die of hunger by the time you get where you need to 😵💫
I would say dayz is harder just for the simple fact that hit registration is so fucking buggy. Trying to hit a zombie running at you. Good fucking luck.
Yeah but DayZ is only harder because the game is so fucking bad lmfao
It could be a lot more polished for sure 😇 I think when a game's good we overlook a certain amount of bugs and jankyness though 🤔 Every good game I've played for years seems to be full of bugs, maybe it's the modern way 😵💫🤣
If you love Rust, you should try a heroin addiction. It's long hours, lots of going out and trying to take other peoples stuff and gather supplies to pay for upkeep. It's equally as hard as Rust when it comes to holding a normal productive job (because you've got shit to do). Once you're in it and committed nothing else matters, and you freak out when people take your stuff. They're basically the same thing, as told from me with 13k hours and no heroin history.
No game ever makes me have panic attacks like this game haha. As a solo player it’s like a horror game sometimes. Creeping around in the dark trying to get some loot as a solo still gives me anxiety and has my heart pumping out of my chest haha. After 1.5k hours I’m not sure that’s gonna ever change. Absolutely brutal game but that’s why it’s cool.
Yea, I love playing solo. It definitely feels scary as fuck sometimes. You have to redefine success as a solo. Just getting a tier 3 and raiding 1 or 2 small bases to me is a huge win. But I’ve had more heart pounding moments at a solo than when I’m in a group.
You guys know any really difficult games that are on game pass. I've played Cuphead, Hadesand Dark Souls a lot so maybe something on the same level I guess
Death's Door, Ori
Both Ori games can be hard since I'd assume most people's platform skills have faded since it's not as popular as it was back in SNES days. Great games!
Not to mention the SNES came out over 30 years ago. A lot of gamers were born after it came out , myself included lol. I played New Super Mario Bros on the DS as a kid but yeah my platforming skills leave a lot to be desired. Both Ori games were great tho and definitely a fun challenge
I haven’t even finished the first OrI and I beat Super Mario 3 a few months ago. OrI can be extremely difficult with super fast past and critically thought out puzzle platforming. Probably the best 2D platformer I’ve played that is current gen.
Neither of those are particularly hard. Ori is very forgiving with its checkpoints.
Playing Mortal Shell right now. Very Dark Souls-y and challenging.
Heard about that i'll try it out
Sekiro is great if you haven’t played that yet. Tunic can be challenging at times too (still playing it).
I got all achievements on that lol
Grounded can be quite the challenge.
I don't have anyone to play it with tho. All my friends got playstations
Tunic is fun and kind of fits the bill.
Which RPG really tested your skills? Was it the tough bosses, the constant grind, or complex mechanics that made it a challenge? Tell me about the game that had you struggling the most, and what made it stand out as your toughest experience! Thank you so much! :)
7th saga, Zelda 2, and Elden Ring are tough getting to the end.
Morrowind, it’s tough getting past the first crab.
Elden Ring end boss isn't too hard, but holy shit the optional bosses.
I was overlevelled as hell (like level 190 or something?) and Melania still mopped the floor with me for a few days.
The final boss first phase tripped me up, but yeah the final part wasn’t near as bad.
Damn I wanna play it again right now.
I whipped Melania but struggle with the Elden Beast to this day! I’m not sure why but I can’t beat it!
Fallout 1 and 2. I needed guides, grinding and a lot of time... I couldn't finish it.
Those are my two favorite Fallout games. I might have Finished Fallout 2 50 times by now. When I start a new game I usually speed run to Navarro and get the Enclave power armor.
The early game can be tough. Have you tried an easier difficulty?
Give it a shot on easier difficulties. Don’t think that you weren’t good enough but you just lacked the relevant experience to probably get the most out of your action economy. Put it on easy and your hp should shoot up.
The beginning (damn wolves) and the ending were awfully hard
Tarnesh killed me I don't know how many times the first time I played but then I had no difficulty with any other fights all the way up until Sarevok.
Pathfinder: WofR is pretty brutal if you don't know how to build your character and wants to play the "normal" difficulty.
Really? The second one was harder for me.
I had quite a primitve party actually, just full on offense, zero tactics. My char was a paladin, but I remember Coran being my goat, I gave him some enchanted bow and he shot basically like a bunch of times a turn and shredded trough enemies. I just tried to waste enemies time with my party until coran turns them into porcupines.
Also no games that require shit like the hardest difficulty to be hard
Wo long? I couldn’t get past the first tiger thing and just deleted it. Found it way too difficult especially while I’m stoned. Funny though, cause I don’t have any issues playing elden ring. Wo long just seems way harder
I beat Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order on Jedi Master difficulty stoned half the time and couldn’t even get past the first few goons on Wo Long. Couldn’t imagine taking on a boss lmao.
Personally found Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty such a thrill. No difficultly setting. It’s a souls-like game similar to Sekiro and some elements from Nioh series.
Tried it only thing it could do was make me realize how much every souls like and sekiro like fails in comparison to fromsoft
I picked up crusader kings and had absolutely no idea how to play the game. It is confusing, has a million different options to understand. But I’ve heard it’s a great game. Not sure if that is what you’re looking for haha.
It's a brilliant game and it's honestly not that confusing if you do the tutorial. It's a bit overwhelming at first though because of the many many ways you can play.
I love ck3 once you finish the tutorial it's not that bad well atleast until the brother wars start
I think some of the ninja gaiden games are on there, they are pretty solid.
Wo Long Dynasty for sure. I also think Far Cry 5 has some story missions that can be pretty tough but as a whole it’s a pretty straight forward game. If you have EA Play the F1 games can be adjusted from slow as a Turtle to nearly unbeatable unless you’re just a driving God.
Read the description
best hardest game on xbox
Key Considerations for the Hardest Games on Xbox:
Gameplay Mechanics: Look for games that have complex mechanics, requiring precise timing and skill to master.
Difficulty Settings: Some games offer various difficulty levels, but the hardest ones often have a reputation for being unforgiving even on lower settings.
Community Consensus: Check forums and gaming communities for discussions on challenging games, as player experiences can provide valuable insights.
Replayability: Many hard games encourage multiple playthroughs, either through permadeath, challenging achievements, or intricate level designs.
Top Recommendations:
Dark Souls Series: Known for its punishing difficulty, intricate level design, and deep lore. Players face tough enemies and bosses that require strategy and patience.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: This game emphasizes skillful combat and timing, with a steep learning curve that rewards practice and perseverance.
Cuphead: A run-and-gun game with a unique art style, it features challenging boss battles that require quick reflexes and pattern recognition.
Ninja Gaiden Series: Renowned for its fast-paced combat and challenging enemies, it demands precision and mastery of the game's mechanics.
Bloodborne: Similar to Dark Souls but with a faster pace and a gothic horror theme, it offers a challenging experience with its aggressive enemies and intricate world design.
Takeaway: If you're looking for a true test of skill and patience, any of these titles will provide a challenging experience. Be prepared for frustration, but also for the satisfaction that comes from overcoming tough obstacles!
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