We’ve become used to Dark Souls (and Soulsborne titles more broadly) being used as a synonym for difficulty. True enough, these games sport some of the meanest bosses in the business (including an outrageous number of furious dragons), and if players aren't deft with their parries and blocks, they might quickly grow frustrated with repeated deaths. This isn’t to say that the likes of Elden Ring have a monopoly on difficulty.
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A challenging final boss can make the process of beating a game feel either meaningful or painful, but it will be a memorable fight either way.
From classic, infamous platformers to the latest super-challenging titles, this selection of titles is officially harder than Elden Ring. Of course, opinions on the hardest games will differ wildly, so to remove some of the subjectivity from proceedings, we’ll only be including titles that have a higher average difficulty rating than Elden Ring on How Difficult Is It and in GameFAQs’ user ratings (Elden Ring scores 7.2 out of 10 in the former and 4.09 out of 5 in the latter).
Celeste
How Difficult Is It: 7.6/10, GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.1/5
Celeste
- Released
- January 25, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Extremely OK Games
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
This 2018 indie platformer is full of heart, tackling critical themes of loneliness, motivation, and the human spirit through the simple lens of a girl climbing a mountain. It does a great job of giving the platforming and the story that underpins it equal weight, but the most notable aspect of Celeste for many players is how fiendishly challenging it can be. It’s a game that gives players all the tools they need to succeed (jumping, climbing, wall-bouncing, etc.) And then sends them off to experiment with those tools until they do.
The 2D art is charming and detailed, and the environments are perfectly designed to test the player's mastery of everything Madeline can do. Near-instant respawns mean it’s highly encouraged to persevere, even when bottomless caverns, spike pits, and all manner of traps will catch them out at every turn. Each chapter introduces its own gimmick that affects these things, and the greatest players will practice and practice until they can even dominate the B-sides (the harder versions of each level) and beyond.
Bloodborne
How Difficult Is It: 8.2/10, GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.13/5
Bloodborne
- Released
- March 24, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
In 2015, Bloodborne took FromSoft’s familiar combat formula in a very different direction. Those who were used to heavy armor and equally heavy use of a shield quickly learned that Hunters don’t fight like that. A much more aggressive and reactive approach was required, focused on dodging attacks, countering with swift strikes, and firing off well-timed pistol shot parries to allow for Visceral Attacks where possible.
Opinions will vary a lot as to which Soulsborne game is the most difficult, but there’s no denying that some of Bloodborne’s DLC bosses, in particular, are absolutely brutal. The likes of Ludwig the Accursed and the Orphan of Kos await, and they’re not to be taken lightly. Against regular foes, it’s easy to be mobbed in areas such as the Forbidden Woods, and players are usually only a few hits from returning to a checkpoint.
Darkest Dungeon
How Difficult Is It: 8.3/10, GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.6/5
Darkest Dungeon
- Released
- January 19, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Red Hook Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Like Bloodborne, Darkest Dungeon was also released in 2015. In another parallel, both games blend a dark, gloomy aesthetic and themes with a brutal level of difficulty. Red Hook Studios' turn-based RPG sees the player managing a roster of adventurers and warriors who have come to their inherited hamlet in pursuit of their fortunes. The gameplay loop revolves around forming teams from this roster of different hero classes and sending them on quests into different areas of the estate’s surrounding region.
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Party members will accrue Stress damage as well as HP damage, they acquire negative personality Quirks as well as positive ones, and RNG sometimes seems downright antagonistic. Running out of certain kinds of supplies can be fatal, and a single critical hit can start a chain of events that is very difficult to recover from. The number of turns a boss can take to kill, and the damage they can deal, is extraordinary. Darkest Dungeon warns players right from the start that there will be times when they have no choice but to let a hero die or to retreat from a quest, and it's not kidding. There are so many factors to consider, from how well-lit the party's torch is to a potential illness a party member might have contracted, that it all seems hopeless. That's the point, and it's also why success feels so rewarding
Cuphead
How Difficult Is It: 8.6/10, GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.26/5
Cuphead
- Released
- September 29, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Developer(s)
- Studio MDHR Entertainment Inc.
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Cuphead is, first and foremost, a boss rush affair. It’s become beloved and infamous in equal measure for the inventiveness, sublime animation, and sheer difficulty of those bosses. As befits its retro styling, Cuphead is an old-school experience that will often see players practicing, observing boss movesets and patterns, and gradually learning the flow of each fight. As with other titles on this list, it teaches players the fundamentals with early encounters such as Goopy la Grande and Cagney Carnation, before steadily making those patterns more elaborate and harder to predict as the storyline progresses.
Endgame battles, such as against King Dice, have all kinds of different phases, and there’s so much happening on the screen that it's hard to process all at once. The Delicious Last Course expansion takes this a step further, introducing elements that confound even veterans before they get used to it. The run and gun levels aren’t an emphasis of the action, but they’re deviously designed, placing obstacles, enemies, and a constant barrage of projectiles in just the right spots to maximize the carnage.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
How Difficult Is It: 8.7/10, GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.49/5
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Released
- March 22, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
When it comes to Soulsborne games, every fan will have their own idea of the hardest games and bosses therein. As far as How Difficult Is It is concerned, though, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the hardest of the games overall, ranking in eighth place on the site’s Top 100. Bloodborne is next, in 17th position, and it’s quite clear what the two have in common: mobility and agility are key in both titles, prioritized over defense, and timing is critical to their combat systems. In Sekiro, the protagonist has a wide range of mobility tools at his disposal, and he will be quickly dispatched with a simple miscalculation or two.
Not only is combat very fast, even in standard encounters, but it’s complex too. The posture system is absolutely central to battles, and while panicked dodging may prevent some damage, it can set Wolf back offensively, meaning that every single movement players make needs to be calculated. If they don’t get a firm grasp on this system, players will find nothing but frustration in Sekiro, and the ever-evolving enemy movesets and tactics (with some formidable bosses) ensure it remains just as difficult throughout. There’s a lot of freedom of movement in the game compared to the rather more static Soulsborne games, but this one comes with a lot of additional challenges.
Super Meat Boy
How Difficult Is It: 8.9/10, GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.55/5
Super Meat Boy
- Released
- October 20, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Animated Blood, Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor, Language
- Developer(s)
- Team Meat
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Much like Celeste, Super Meat Boy is a classic platformer designed to test every iota of the player’s skill with its mechanics. A gritty and very gory experience, the influence of Edmund McMillen (of The Binding of Isaac fame) is clear throughout. There are so many spikes, whirring blades, and other deadly hazards in the game’s many stages that it’s intimidating to even look at. It’s a trial-and-error game of steady improvement, one which follows another similar principle to Celeste: it’s not about puzzles as such, and it's easy to see where to go, but having the timing and reaction speed to string together moves to get there is the issue.
There’s a wealth of nicely varied content for those with the patience to stick with it. The freedom to select levels from each chapter means that there’s some relief if players really can’t complete a challenge for the time being. The sense of relief and elation when they finally do, however, is right up there with an Elden Ring boss.
God Hand
How Difficult Is It: 9.1/10, GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.12/5
God Hand
- Released
- October 10, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m // Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Clover Studio
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up
At the time of writing, How Difficult Is It users rate God Hand as the second most difficult game of all time at 9.1 out of a possible 10. This rating gives it a score of Hardcore! On the site, though it has a low number of only 17 ratings that have pushed it to that status. GameFAQs users, meanwhile, have given it a relatively low score of 4.12 out of 5, which slightly reduces its placement on this list. Nonetheless, both of these ratings are higher than Elden Ring’s, and this Capcom-published brawler earns its place with some devious mechanics. Developed by Clover Studio, the creative minds behind Viewtiful Joe, God Hand combines intense action and a unique sense of humor in a similar fashion.
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The story tells of the titular God Hand weapons and an otherworldly race’s attempts to retrieve them from our protagonist and their allies, as they could also be the key to freeing the imprisoned Angara, a demonic deity. Aside from its inimitable sense of humor, the game is best known for its hugely varied combat, which allows players to combine dozens of different moves and techniques into combos of their own design. From conventional uppercuts and jabs to ultimate techniques like Invincible Fist, there are all kinds of tricks up Gene’s sleeve. He’ll need them, too, because button-mashing won’t get players anywhere in God Hand. Swift reactions are key. The difficulty level adapts to the player’s performance, meaning the better they are, the more unpredictable and powerful their enemies will be. This is another Capcom classic that's well worthy of a remake.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
How Difficult Is It: 9.0/10, GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.24/5
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Released
- September 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
There were definitely many players who, while caught up in the Hollow Knight: Silksong hype prior to its September 2025 launch, bought the game without really knowing what they were getting themselves into. It’s a fantastic-looking, sublimely animated Metroidvania, and it turned the heads of many. No one needs to have been a Hollow Knight devotee to have been excited by Silksong, but it probably helped many persevere and not drop the game like a hot potato.
Pharloom is a grim, unforgiving land, and many areas are the sort of places where Elden Ring’s Tarnished would be seen doing countless runs back to a boss gate. It’s not just about the bosses, though, infamous as some of them are. Hornet is far more agile than the previous protagonist, The Knight, but this allowed Team Cherry to go all out on fiendish pogo-based platforming challenges. Our heroine’s moveset is much broader, too, with all-new traps, tools, and skills to employ, but the mastery of all of her talents that’s required to succeed will dissuade lots of players from battling on.
Ghosts 'N Goblins
How Difficult Is It: 8.9/10, GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.72/5
Ghosts 'n Goblins
- Released
- July 7, 1985
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Shooter, Platformer
GameFAQs users awarded Ghost ‘n Goblins the highest average difficulty rating on this list (although just barely), and anyone who’s pitted themselves against this infamous platformer would probably fully support that collective decision. In this Capcom platformer from 1985, the player steps into the (sometimes) armored shoes of Sir Arthur the knight. As would be expected of his heroic creed, Arthur is on a quest to rescue a princess from the clutches of a demon.
It’s a classic platformer with scrolling ladder-climbing and precision jumps, which will also see players constantly throwing their projectiles to keep foes at bay. Famously, there’s very little room to make any mistake here, as taking a hit removes Arthur’s armor and leaves him very vulnerable. In order to succeed, players have to steadily learn level layouts, enemy spawns, and attack patterns. In those terms, Ghosts ‘n Goblins is akin to a Mega Man title, though with a fantastical and macabre twist.
Battletoads
How Difficult Is It: 9.0/10, GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.68/5
Battletoads (1991)
- Released
- June 1, 1991
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Rare, Arc System Works, Mindscape
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up, Platformer
There aren’t many games that have attained the sheer notoriety of Battletoads. First launching on the NES in 1991, it’s a title that lots of gamers of the time will remember playing, though battling all the way to the end was (and remains) a different prospect entirely. It is, of course, a product of a time when platformers were supposed to be utterly brutal (we’ve already mentioned the Mega Man titles), and with its vehicle levels and other variations on the standard formula, this was certainly one of the hardest of the bunch.
At the time of writing, Battletoads ranks as the third-most difficult game on How Difficult Is It. Beneath its fun cartoon exterior is a devious concoction of every challenge the platformers of the era could throw at players: tricky icy terrain (the Arctic Caverns level isn’t for the faint-hearted), enemies that can take considerable punishment, tight routes through spiky hazards, and countless other horrors await.
FromSoftware: Hardest Beast Soulsborne Bosses, Ranked
FromSoftware's Soulsborne games are known for their difficult boss fights. The following eight animalistic beasts are among their toughest.