Top 10 Hardest Games in The World 2023

Top 10 Hardest Games in The World 2023

The Allure of the Digital Mountain

Have you ever felt the exhilarating rush of finally defeating a boss that has bested you dozens of times? That moment of triumph after hours of practice, failure, and incremental improvement is a feeling unique to the world of gaming. For a dedicated community of players, the pursuit of the most challenging video games is not a form of masochism, but a quest for mastery. They seek out titles that demand perfection, punish mistakes, and ultimately provide an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.

The landscape of difficult games 2023 has evolved, offering a diverse range of challenges. From soul-crushing boss fights to intricate strategic dilemmas, the definition of “hard” is broader than ever. This curated list dives deep into the top 10 hardest games in the world, a collection of titles renowned for their brutal mechanics, steep learning curves, and unwavering demands on a player’s skill and patience. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran looking for your next great challenge or a curious newcomer wanting to understand the limits of game design, this guide is for you. We’ll explore what makes each game a monumental challenge and offer insights into conquering these digital titans.

What Truly Makes a Game “Hard”?

Before we ascend this mountain of difficulty, it’s important to define our terms. “Difficulty” in gaming is multifaceted and can be subjective. For this list, we’ve considered several key factors that contribute to a game’s notorious reputation:

• Mechanical Demand: Does the game require pixel-perfect precision, lightning-fast reflexes, and complex inputs?

• Punishment for Failure: What is the cost of dying? Is it lost progress, lost resources, or permanent consequences?

• Strategic Depth: Does the game require immense forethought, planning, and adaptation rather than just quick thumbs?

• Lack of Hand-Holding: Does the game drop you into a world with little explanation, forcing you to learn through experimentation and failure?

• Community Consensus: The overall reputation a game has earned among players and critics for its extreme challenge.

With these criteria in mind, let’s begin our countdown of the most punishing, rewarding, and hardest games in the world 2023 has to offer.

The Definitive List: Top 10 Hardest Games to Conquer

10. Spelunky 2

The King of Unforgiving Roguelikes

The Spelunky 2 experience is a masterclass in emergent, unpredictable difficulty. This isn’t just about tough enemies; it’s about a world that is actively, and often hilariously, trying to kill you in a million different ways. As a roguelike, death is permanent, sending you back to the very beginning of your expedition.

• Source of Difficulty: The challenge comes from a perfect storm of procedurally generated levels, intricate environmental interactions, and instant-death traps. A simple arrow trap can set off a chain reaction: exploding a bomb crate, angering a shopkeeper, and collapsing the ceiling—all in the span of two seconds. Mastering Spelunky 2 is less about memorizing patterns and more about acquiring immense game knowledge and learning to adapt to pure, beautiful chaos. It demands careful observation, patience, and the acceptance that sometimes, the game just decides it’s your time to go.

• How to Approach It: Embrace death as a teacher. Every run, no matter how short, teaches you something new about the game’s deep systems. Focus on learning one biome at a time rather than fixating on winning immediately.

9. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (With Ironman Mode)

A Brutal Test of Strategic Perfection

On the surface, XCOM 2 might not seem to belong on a list of action games with high difficulty. But enable its “Legendary” difficulty and, most importantly, the “Ironman” mode (which disables saving and reloading), and you have one of the most mentally taxing experiences in gaming. This is strategic difficulty at its most punishing.

• Source of Difficulty: The game is a constant battle against luck, resources, and your own decisions. A single misclick, a reckless advance, or a calculated risk that backfires can lead to the permanent death of a veteran soldier you’ve invested dozens of hours into. This can cripple your campaign’s progress, triggering a death spiral from which recovery is nearly impossible. XCOM 2 punishes impulsivity and rewards meticulous, almost paranoid, planning. The emotional weight of your choices makes every move a heart-pounding dilemma.

• How to Approach It:
  Save-scum (reloading saves) on a normal playthrough first to learn the mechanics and enemy types. Only attempt an Ironman run once you understand the deep strategic layers. Overwatch is your best friend, and half-cover is no cover at all.

8. Returnal

Bullet Hell Meets Roguelike Despair

Returnal seamlessly blends the white-knuckle intensity of a third-person shooter with the ruthless structure of a roguelike. You play as Selene, a space explorer trapped on a hostile alien planet in a perpetual time loop. Every death resets the world and your progress, with only a sliver of permanent knowledge carried over.

• Source of Difficulty: The challenge is twofold. First, the combat is incredibly fast-paced, pitting you against hordes of enemies that fill the screen with intricate bullet-hell patterns. You must constantly be moving, dashing, and aiming with precision. Second, the roguelike structure means a single death can erase an hour or more of progress, including powerful weapon upgrades and artifacts. The game demands that you “git gud” not just at shooting, but at managing risk and reward throughout each lengthy, demanding run.

• How to Approach It: Focus on movement first and shooting second. Learn to dodge through projectiles (your dash makes you invulnerable for a brief moment). Don’t get greedy; a long run is often ended by taking one unnecessary risk.

7. Hollow Knight

A Beautiful, Somber, and Savage Masterpiece

Beneath its charming, hand-drawn art style and melancholic atmosphere lies one of the most challenging Metroidvania games ever created. Hollow Knight’s world of Hallownest is vast, interconnected, and incredibly hostile. It offers little guidance, expecting you to explore, get lost, and find your own way.

• Source of Difficulty: The game is packed with tough enemies and platforming challenges, but its true notoriety comes from its boss fights. These encounters are brutal dances of attack patterns that require perfect timing and spatial awareness to overcome. Furthermore, the game’s true ending is locked behind the “Pantheon of Hallownest,” a gauntlet that requires you to defeat every single boss in the game, back-to-back, without dying. It stands as one of the most significant gaming achievements a player can accomplish.

• How to Approach It: Charm builds are everything. Experiment with different combinations to find a loadout that suits your playstyle for each boss. Practice is key—don’t be afraid to enter a boss room just to learn its patterns with no expectation of winning.

6. Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

A Unique Exercise in Psychological Fortitude

Getting Over It is less of a traditional game and more of a philosophical experiment on frustration and persistence. You control a man in a cauldron wielding a Yosemite Hammer, and your goal is to climb a massive mountain. The controls are intentionally awkward and unforgiving.

• Source of Difficulty: The primary challenge is psychological. A single slip of the mouse or controller can send you plummeting down the mountain, losing minutes or even hours of painstaking progress. Developer Bennett Foddy’s narration, which quotes philosophers and poets, adds a layer of poignant commentary to your struggle. This game is designed to break your spirit, to make you quit in a fit of rage. Overcoming it is a testament to sheer, stubborn willpower rather than mechanical skill.

• How to Approach It: Take breaks. Seriously. If you feel the anger rising, walk away and come back later with a clear head. Progress is measured in inches, not miles. Celebrate small victories.

5. Super Meat Boy

The Pinnacle of Precision Platforming

Super Meat Boy is a pure, uncut dose of challenging platforming. The goal is simple: guide Meat Boy to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the evil Dr. Fetus. The execution is anything but. Levels are short, explosive bursts of perfectly designed obstacles, saw blades, and bottomless pits.

• Source of Difficulty: The game demands absolute precision. The margin for error is often a single pixel. Meat Boy controls tightly but with a slippery momentum that must be mastered. While brutally difficult, it is impeccably fair. Death is instantaneous and restarts are even faster, making the cycle of trial and error incredibly addictive rather than frustrating. It’s a game that makes you better with every attempt, a perfect example of tough but fair design.

• How to Approach It: Muscle memory is your goal. Don’t just try to beat a level; try to understand the rhythm and flow of it. The game is designed to be played in short, intense bursts.

4. Cuphead

A Run-and-Gun Boss Rush Masterpiece

Inspired by the rubber hose animation of the 1930s, Cuphead’s visual charm is a stark contrast to its soul-crushingly difficult gameplay. The game is primarily a series of elaborate, multi-phase boss fights, with some punishing run-and-gun levels sprinkled in.

• Source of Difficulty: The challenge is one of pure pattern memorization and execution. Each boss has a complex series of attacks that must be learned through repetition. The game requires flawless dodging, precise aiming, and incredible patience. The beautiful, hand-drawn animation means every frame is a potential hitbox, and your reactions need to be razor-sharp. It’s a game that feels like a classic cartoon come to life, where you’re the protagonist constantly getting anvils dropped on your head.

• How to Approach It: Focus on survival, not damage. In the first phase of any fight, don’t even shoot. Just watch the attack patterns and learn how to navigate them. Once you can survive, then you can start adding damage.

3. Elden Ring (and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC)

The Open-World Colossus of Challenge

FromSoftware took their renowned formula and expanded it into a vast, open world with 2022’s Game of the Year, Elden Ring. Its challenge persisted throughout 2023, especially with the release of its incredibly demanding expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree. This game represents the modern evolution of the “hard game.”

• Source of Difficulty: Elden Ring maintains the series’ staples: ruthless enemies, huge, complex boss battles with delayed attacks, and a world that offers little guidance. However, its open world provides a new dynamic. You can often leave a tough area, explore, level up, and find better gear, making the difficulty more manageable—if you choose. But the core combat and boss designs, particularly in the late game and DLC, remain an uncompromising test of skill, patience, and build optimization. It is arguably the most accessible “Souls” game, but its peaks of difficulty are as high as any other title on this list.

• How to Approach It: Use the open world. If you’re stuck, go somewhere else. Level up your Vigor (health) significantly. Don’t be afraid to use spirit ashes, powerful weapons, or magic—the tools are there for a reason.

2. Ninja Gaiden Black / Ninja Gaiden II

The Pre-Souls Benchmark for Action Games

Before “Soulslike” was a genre, there was Ninja Gaiden. This series, particularly the original Xbox’s Ninja Gaiden Black and its sequel, set the standard for action game difficulty in the 2000s. Its speed and aggression were unmatched at the time and still hold up today as a brutal challenge.

• Source of Difficulty: The pace is relentless. Enemies are intelligent, aggressive, and hit like a truck, often attacking from off-screen. The game requires you to master its deep, combo-based combat system to survive. Blocking, dodging, and using Ultimate Techniques are not optional; they are essential for survival. It’s a game that demands offensive and defensive perfection simultaneously, punishing any hesitation with a swift game over screen.

• How to Approach It: Defense is paramount. Learn the timing of your block and dodge moves intimately. Observe enemy tells and learn when it’s safe to attack. This is a game of windows of opportunity.

1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The Unforgiving Dance of the Sword Saint

Topping our list of the top 10 hardest games in the world is FromSoftware’s masterpiece of precision, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. While it shares DNA with the Soulsborne games, its combat system is entirely unique and utterly uncompromising. This lack of flexibility is what cements its place as the ultimate challenge.

• Source of Difficulty: Sekiro removes the RPG elements of its predecessors. You cannot over-level, summon help, or switch to an easier playstyle. There is one way to play: master the art of deflection. The game is a rhythmic duel where you must stand your ground, read your opponent’s moves, and parry their attacks to break their posture. It forces you to unlearn the dodging instincts of other games and adopt a hyper-aggressive, parry-focused mindset. Bosses like Isshin, the Sword Saint, represent a final exam on everything the game has taught you, a multi-phase battle that is often cited as one of the hardest in all of gaming. There is no cheese strategy, only skill.

• How to Approach It: You must be aggressive. Hesitation is defeat (as the game constantly reminds you). Stop trying to dodge; stand your ground and learn the rhythm of each clash. Practice deflecting on weaker enemies until it becomes second nature.

Honorable Mentions: Other Notoriously Tough Titles

The world of difficult games 2023 is vast. Other incredible challenges include:

• Lies of P (2023): A brilliant Soulslike that earned its own reputation for precise combat and punishing bosses.

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: While accessible, its deepest depths and hidden bosses like King Gleeoks provide a massive challenge.

• Competitive Multiplayers (e.g., StarCraft II, Counter-Strike 2): The difficulty here is the infinite skill ceiling of human opponents, a challenge that is always evolving.

Conclusion: The Reward Lies in the Struggle

The top 10 hardest games in the world we’ve explored are more than just exercises in frustration. They are meticulously designed experiences that respect the player’s intelligence and capacity to learn. They don’t ask for your participation; they demand your engagement. The immense feeling of satisfaction that comes from overcoming these titans of difficulty is a reward that easier games simply cannot provide.

These challenging gameplay experiences teach resilience, pattern recognition, and strategic thinking. They remind us that the greatest victories are those earned through struggle and perseverance. So, if you’re ready to test your limits, pick one of these legendary titles, take a deep breath, and embrace the inevitable failures. Because on the other side of that struggle awaits one of the most rewarding feelings in all of entertainment. Which of these hardest video games will you attempt to conquer first?