2025 is nearing its end, but it has been one heck of a year for video games. There have been great shooters like Borderlands 4, great RPGs like Monster Hunter Wilds, great Metroidvanias like Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, and so many more experiences. Among these great titles, some of them have been memorable not because of their quality, but because of their difficulty.
What games have given players the hardest time at launch in 2025? Did they get easier with patches, or have they remained challenging? Let’s go through some of the hardest console and PC games of 2025 for those looking for a challenge, or for players who simply want to vent alongside others.
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Hollow Knight: Silksong
Dividing Fans
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Released
- September 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Hollow Knight: Silksong’s quality debate is mostly tied to the difficulty bump from the original game. Events hit hard, the runback to bosses can be unfair and time-consuming, and the diagonal forward attack is hard to get used to. Patience is the cure for getting through these trials in the game, and there’s not one example that is impossible. It takes time and many tries, but thankfully, the game is solid enough that even the darkest challenges are uplifted by the artwork, NPCs, and overall world design.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Timed Counters
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Released
- April 24, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 borrows heavily from other RPGs of the past, like the counter-infused turn-based system from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. All enemy attacks can either be dodged or countered, with the former option being easier and the latter being more challenging but rewarding. If players choose neither option, then they will die in battle quickly, even against normal mobs of enemies.
There are settings to technically make the game easier, but it’s still challenging despite the switch. Also, some of the optional bosses of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are too brutal for wards, making them even harder to defeat.
Elden Ring Nightreign
Co-Op Or Die
Elden Ring Nightreign
- Released
- May 30, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Soulslike, Roguelite
Elden Ring is one of the easiest FromSoftware games to jump into, thanks to the open-world design. The word "easy" comes with an asterisk next to it though, as it’s still challenging. However, the balance is more fair for players who are new to Soulslikes.
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Elden Ring Nightreign is a standalone sequel that turns sections of the open world into Battle Royale-like zones that diminish as players level up and accomplish goals. It’s a roguelike that focuses on three-player co-op to defeat the ultimate boss of each mission. The challenge level is greater thanks to the lack of true progression and the randomness of the world.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
A More Traditional Soulslike
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
- Released
- July 24, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Soulslike, Hack and Slash
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is the latest Soulslike to hit the scene on various platforms. Based on Chinese mythology, players will roam an ever-increasing world full of danger, from bandits to demons. Timing is everything in combat, and mastering the mechanics is never easy in a Soulslike. However, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers seems especially unforgiving to beginners who need to go through the game at a slow pace just to make a dent.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
A Wii U Classic Returned With A Sharp Edge
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
- Released
- March 20, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is a remaster of a Wii U game, making every Xenoblade game now accessible on one system via the Switch. Not many quality-of-life changes were made to make the game easier.
Players will still explore a world where monsters that far out-level characters will roam around. The chances of getting randomly attacked are high, and there’s nothing players can do except to go a long way around quest areas, which sometimes result in difficult battles too. It is a rewarding RPG with MMO-like mechanics, especially once mechs are unlocked, but it is a brutal grind.
Hell Is Us
No Guiding Map
Hell Is Us
- Released
- September 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
Hell is Us is kind of like a Soulslike, but it’s more in line with action-adventure games like Zelda. The big gimmick around this post-apocalyptic action game is that there are no quest markers or even a map to help players progress.
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This means players have to pay attention to every note they find to solve puzzles, some of the trickiest parts of the game. This is one example wherein combat is not the hard part. Rather, it's the navigating and puzzle solving that is the real test of Hell is Us.
Front Mission 3: Remake
Mechs Designed To Explode
Front Mission 3: Remake
- Released
- June 26, 2025
- Developer(s)
- MegaPixel Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Forever Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG
Front Mission 3: Remake is a remake of a PS1 tactical RPG wherein characters piloted mechs called Wanzers. The game features deep customization for each Wanzer as players can change parts and weapons in shops to increase power.
The parts and weapons will not come cheaply, and they are spaced far apart. Pilots can level up and gain skills, but this won’t do much in battle compared to other tactical RPGs. This is a tactical RPG where strategy and luck mean everything, especially in the first five to six hours.
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
Still Hard Almost Two Decades Later
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
- Released
- January 23, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is a remaster, returning from the Xbox 360 era. Ninja Gaiden’s reboot on the original Xbox was deemed one of the hardest games of all time, and this sequel is not much easier, even with the settings. The lowliest of ninja gangs can easily overwhelm players with fast attacks. Players need to master counters, dodges, and how to deal with enemies quickly. Ninja Gaiden fans are getting a triple dose of difficulty between this remaster, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, and the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4.
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