10 Hardest Video Games of All Time (Ranked)

Difficulty in video games is a contentious topic. Some players enjoy being put through the wringer, while others prefer something more laid-back or moderate. For the purpose of this listicle, we’re focusing solely on the punishing, downright sadistic games that have shortened the life spans of many a controller.

We’ve drudged through Miyazaki’s poison swamps, dealt with Cat Mario’s infuriating traps, and beaten just about any gruelling game that you can think of. And now, we’ve ranked the 10 hardest video games of all time.

10. Flappy Bird

• Release Date: May 24, 2013
• Developer(s): Dong Nguyen, Gears
• Platform(s): Android, iOS

Remember Flappy Bird? It was painfully simple in construction and had players tapping at the screen to stop the titular bird from crashing into an obstacle. Although it may sound simple, the game quickly got under your skin. Conversely, it even had you addicted to the process of trying to win. This insane combination had a lot of players stressed back in the day, and most remember it until now. I know I do.

9. Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

• Release Date: December 6, 2017
• Developer(s): Bennett Foddy
• Platform(s): Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Mac operating systems

I begin this list with the one damn game that made me break my mouse. Yes, it was that stressful. Released back in 2017, Getting Over It is a seemingly simple climbing game that adds a touch of simulation to it. This comes in the form of your mouse that controls a man in a cauldron. Players have one painful task: use the tool in the semi-naked (fully, perhaps?) man’s hand to guide him to the top. Sounds simple? Well, it’s not.

Not only does the game have the wonkiest controls I have seen, but the amazingly annoying narration drove me to the absolute edge. If you make a single wrong step, you risk starting from the beginning. Oh, that voice in your ears? It never shuts up and even taunts you. I must have climbed for hours and still never finished it. After uninstalling this pesky game, I decided it definitely deserves a spot among the hardest video games of all time.

8. Spelunky 2

• Release Date: September 15, 2020
• Developer(s): Mossmouth, Blitworks, Mossmouth, LLC
• Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Spelunky 2 takes the complex platforming of the original to another level and forces you to think about every action. Every run drops you into a procedurally generated cave system filled with traps, enemies, and environmental hazards that can end your progress in seconds. Almost everything in these dimly lit environments can hurt or kill you, often in ways that feel unpredictable at first.

So, what’s the point of hurtling through such an unforgiving world, you ask? Well, that’s where its roguelite format comes in. Dying is simply an essential, unavoidable part of the game. And you’re constantly encouraged to go again by switching up your modifiers and obtaining new upgrades. No two runs feel the same, especially if you’re being strategic, and it really helps in pushing through the initial difficulty curve.

For all these reasons and more, Spelunky 2 isn’t just one of the hardest games of all time, but also one of the best roguelikes ever made.

7. Ninja Gaiden

• Release Date: March 2, 2004
• Developer(s): Team Ninja, Tecmo
• Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox, PlayStation Vita

Released as a flagship title for the original Xbox, Ninja Gaiden quickly built a reputation as one of the toughest games of its time. It stood out not just for its cinematic presentation, which was rare back then, but for how unapologetically demanding it was compared to its peers.

Enemies respawn the moment you scroll the screen, birds swoop in at the worst possible times, and platforming sections leave no room for hesitation. It constantly disrupts your rhythm, forcing you to play carefully while still reacting on instinct.

Then comes the infamous final stretch, where the game truly earns its legacy. Brutal boss fights paired with a punishing checkpoint system can send you all the way back, turning each attempt into a test of endurance. It made for a harsh and punishing loop that took absolutely no prisoners, and that’s why it’s still heralded as one of the hardest games ever made.

6. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

• Release Date: June 3, 1986
• Developer(s): Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development, Nintendo
• Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, Famicom Disk System, Wii, Game Boy Advance, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS

While 2D platformers have always been challenging, it is about time we give props to one of the classics, Super Mario Bros. 2, a.k .a. The Lost Levels. The game was released in 1986, a year after the original. It retained a lot of the original feel, but with a dollop of difficulty stacked on top. There were more challenging obstacles, with poisonous mushrooms added for good measure. Nintendo did not miss a beat when deciding how tough to make this game, and it’s still quite the challenge.

Fortunately, you don’t need to unearth a Famicom to play this game, as it is available on both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

5. Cuphead

• Release Date: September 29, 2017
• Developer(s): Studio MDHR
• Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, macOS, Mac operating systems

They say never judge a book by its cover. Well, Cuphead took that personally. With its cartoony visuals and jazzy soundtrack, Cuphead is a run-and-gun side-scroller that looks rather harmless from afar. It packs the same panache as Disney cartoons from the 1930’s, and the controls are simple enough for anyone to pick it up and play.

But don’t let the charming veneer fool you. Cuphead quite literally starts with your character making a deal with the devil, which has to be paid in scalps. You’ll hop from one joyously realized locale to another, fighting vicious monsters that’ll turn your screen into a mess of projectiles. You’ll have to chip away at their health bars relentlessly, while your own character can fall with just a few hits. That obviously doesn’t sound balanced on paper, but in practice, it feels just right.

Like a handful of other games on this list, Cuphead’s combat mechanics are so fine-tuned that every death will feel like your fault, and you’ll even know exactly where you went wrong. You’ll never feel undone by some deception on the game’s part or feel like a boss is too difficult. The soundtrack powering all this madness is also so delightfully peppy that it’ll ring in your ears long after the final credits have rolled.

With all that being said, I feel pretty confident in deeming Cuphead as one of the hardest games of all time. And while we’re at it, it’s also one of the best couch co-op games available on any platform.

4. Hollow Knight: Silksong

• Release Date: September 4, 2025
• Developer(s): Team Cherry
• Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC

Hollow Knight: Silksong wastes absolutely no time proving it belongs on a list like this. If the original eased you into its world, Silksong assumes you’ve already graduated. Within the first few hours, you’re dealing with enemies and bosses that hit harder, move faster, and expect you to keep up.

A lot of that comes down to Hornet herself. She’s quicker, more agile, and built for aggressive play, which means the game pushes everything else to match her pace. Combat becomes sharper and less forgiving, with tighter windows to attack and reposition. Healing is stronger but riskier, enemy attacks often deal heavy damage early on, and platforming demands precision from the jump. There’s no difficulty slider to soften the blow either, so you either adapt or get stuck.

What makes it especially brutal is how consistent it is. There are difficult spikes in the latter half, sure, but the game almost conditions you for that incline from the jump. You’re constantly reading animations, reacting on instinct, and trying to carve out tiny openings to survive. It’s demanding in a way that feels deliberate yet fair, and that’s part of the reason why many players felt that it deserved the top prize at the 2025 Game Awards.

3. Elden Ring: Nightreign

• Release Date: May 30, 2025
• Developer(s): FromSoftware
• Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC

This might seem like a controversial pick at first, but you can trust me when I tell you that there’s nothing more morale-breaking than playing Elden Ring: Nightreign solo. The co-op spinoff to FromSoft’s 2022 masterpiece is built for multiplayer, and even features a roguelike upgrade system to encourage new runs. Being a soulslike, however, it also supports single-player, and even the devs themselves advise against playing this way.

You might be wondering why that is the case. Well, imagine descending on a forlorn world from the heavens, scampering around for weapons, rolling past fodder enemies, and slowly building up a capable Nightfarer. You might’ve beaten a field boss or two along the way and gathered a mythic sword or some strong Talismans. You’re starting to feel good about your build and are ready to take on the horrors the night has to offer.

All of a sudden, the mood shifts, and a fantastical demon appears in front of you. You take your time analyzing its moveset, taking stabs here and there until the demon slashes at you, and whoop, there goes half your health bar. You chug down a Flask to shake it off, only to be interrupted by the dozen or so fodden enemies that have joined hands with the demon to create the ungodliest of ganks.

You go through this loop – again and again and again and again – like beating your head up against an iron wall. I can assure you that there’s no breaching this barrier. If you die, you aren’t sent back to a bonfire or a Stake of Marika. You go right back to the lobby, and are forced to run it back from the top all over again. What makes it worse is that you probably won’t encounter the same demon that you just fought. Any knowledge that you might’ve picked up is a waste, because there’s going to be a new boss waiting to end your foolish ambitions.

Oh, and this is just Night 1. The second, more climactic night, sees you take on an all-powerful Night Lord that will annihilate you so quickly that you’ll probably never touch Elden Ring: Nightreign ever again. I know I certainly didn’t.

2. Dark Souls

• Release Date: October 4, 2011
• Developer(s): FromSoftware Inc., QLOC, Virtuos
• Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360

If we’re talking FromSoftware, we simply have to mention the original Dark Souls. Who could have ever imagined that this obscure PS3 game would end up establishing a genre of its own? It’s undeniable that Dark Souls turned punishing difficulty into a selling point, creating the template for an entire subset of games that would go on to become iconic.

But despite being the original, Dark Souls has arguably the least hand-holding of the bunch. It offers no quarter to the player. You’re thrust into all manner of mazy dungeons without a single instruction to guide your journey. You’re pitted against fearsome bosses and even more terrifying runbacks. You’re told next to nothing about the game’s character and weapon scaling – the onus is entirely on you to figure it out.

And your reward for powering through these initial hurdles? A string of unfinished and underbaked final areas that are genuinely abysmal to play through. Lost Izalith, Tomb of the Giants, f***ing Blighttown – these areas have forever been etched into my memory, and I don’t have a single nice thing to say about them. But despite all my grievances with the game, Dark Souls is still special, and it’s certainly one of the hardest video games of all time.

1. Super Meat Boy

• Release Date: October 20, 2010
• Developer(s): Team Meat, Blitworks
• Platform(s): Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Nintendo Switch

The world of difficult side scrollers is already populated with creations like Super Mario Bros. 2. Team Meat took that as a challenge and made sure their game was even more punishing. Super Meat Boy, released in 2010, features unmatched level design that is destined to make you rage every time you crash onto the throne wheels.

The gameplay is snappy and fast, challenging you to be fast and precise simultaneously. But no amount of dexterity will help you beat the core platforming challenge. In my opinion, no game has come closer to the difficulty Super Meat Boy showered us with, and this is why it’s the perfect closer for our list.

And that wraps up our picks for the hardest video games of all time. Do you agree with our selections? Let us know in the comments below.