You against the world
From slick sci-fi horror to bold new twists on literary classics, get ready for the fight of your life.
From the makers of Ninja Gaiden and Nioh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a demanding action adventure set in a dark vision of the Three Kingdoms’ Later Han Dynasty. You play as a nameless soldier fighting human and demonic threats and must maintain your Morale Rank to succeed against powerful foes and brutal bosses.
Those experienced with previous Team Ninja games will know that the team loves to challenge its players, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is no exception. It’s hard but fair and provides warnings when you are about to face especially difficult foes.
Practise your Deflect ability, as this will allow you to maintain momentum in combat. The more aggressive you remain, the better your Morale Rank and the quicker enemies will fall. If you die, ensure you return to kill the enemy that defeated you to reclaim lost Genuine Qi, as this is needed to level up.
A novel evolution of its arcade shoot 'em up legacy, Housemarque's PS5 exclusive pulls no punches. Designed to intensify the main character Selene's ongoing struggle for freedom, Returnal's world and enemies transform every encounter into a desperate, fast-paced fight for survival.
Returnal is definitely out to challenge the player. Some of its tougher segments will see the play area absolutely filled with dangerous projectiles, brutal teleporting enemies, and environmental traps. Staying alive requires concentration and finesse.
As a roguelike, perseverance is baked into the design. The cyclical nature of the game welcomes experimentation: play around with different weapons, tackle objectives in different orders and build your familiarity with how all the games different interlocking systems can work to help or to hinder you.
Lies of P is a brutally challenging, but exquisitely executed action adventure that celebrates the very best of the genre. Fast-paced, precision combat, colossal boss battles and sprawling interconnected environments strewn with hidden secrets and deadly traps lie in wait for all who dare enter.
There's no doubt about it: Lies of P is a tough cookie, with a particular emphasis on the multi-phase boss fights. These encounters will test your ability to dodge, parry and attack fiercely aggressive enemies with huge health pools and devasting attacks.
Paying careful attention to your build is key to victory: each of your main components can be swapped out to improve your resistance to varying damage types, weapons have their own unique damage types and combat styles and amulets offer additional perks that can very much even the odds. If you're struggling, then careful planning can often trump bloody-minded determination.
The sequel to Team Ninja's ruthless samurai adventure ups the ante in every department, featuring enormous bosses, fiendish level design, and nuanced combat that offers a wealth of options depending on your playstyle. You'll need to hone your skills if you're going to see the end credits – prepare for the fight of your life.
Team Ninja deliberately design their games to push players and Nioh 2 is no exception. Its most basic enemies can easily cut you down, while its bosses can often flatten you in a single hit. Though the challenge is never unreasonable, it's often considerable.
There's a dizzying amount of variety in Nioh 2 and as much of the game's mastery comes from outside of combat as in it. Regularly review your weapons and armour. Take full advantage of the blacksmith to forge new equipment and alter equipment attributes - also, pay attention to the benefits added by Soul Cores and Guardian Spirits - everything adds up!
This stunning new vision of the legendary Prince of Persia series presents players with a bold 2.5D aesthetic and a brand-new Prince to play as. Use your extraordinary Time Powers alongside the Prince’s acrobatic combat style to battle corrupted enemies and mythological beasts across beautiful but dangerous levels.
It’s not just the tougher enemies in this game that pose a challenge, as The Lost Crown features frequent environmental puzzles to overcome which will take brain power, quick reactions and precise control of the Prince to solve.
Simply hacking and slashing at enemies is unlikely to get you far. Work on mastering the Prince’s parry and dash abilities and mix these moves up with well-timed strikes from his dual blades while maintaining distance from the largest and most lethal opponents.
Veterans of hardcore action
The Tokyo-based developer behind the 'Souls' series has forged a fearsome reputation for itself amongst gamers - it's time to 'get good'.
Building on over a decade of experience designing hardcore fantasy roleplaying games, FromSoftware returns in collaboration with George R. R. Martin, author of The New York Times best-selling fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, with a sprawling journey through the fantastical Lands Between. Elden Ring combines stealth, action, character building and open-world traversal to deliver their most ambitious game to date - all with their signature style of brutal difficulty. Download the game’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion to further your adventures in this captivating world.
While it's probably not FromSoftware's most challenging game, it's by no means a pushover. While Elden Ring's open-world design does make it a little easier to pick your fights, you'll eventually have to face down some daunting enemies.
There's a lot to be said for taking your time in Elden Ring. It's a huge game and while you can follow Sites of Grace directly from one boss to the next, you're far better served exploring the world. There are dozens of armour sets, unique weapons and amulets to acquire that will improve your chances - and a great deal of practice to be had!
Bloodborne is a stand-out among the studio's celebrated output, trading dark fantasy settings for a more modern, gothic feel. Taking on the role of a lone hunter in foreign garb, you must explore the blighted town of Yharnam and its surrounding locales in search of the cure to a terrible blood curse. Filled to bursting with grisly body horror and monstrous foes, Bloodborne is every bit as challenging as its siblings.
For sure. Its fast-paced combat and huge enemy variety drive a much more aggressive style of play that will be a difficult adjustment for Dark Souls veterans. Beyond the many encounters and bosses around Yharnam, there are still more to conquer in Bloodborne's Chalice Dungeons: fiendish labyrinths filled with traps, unpredictable enemies and intimidating bosses.
The trick is to be aggressive. Bloodborne employs a special mechanic known as 'rallying' that means if you retaliate quickly enough after taking damage, you'll regain some of your lost health. The side-step maneuver (replacing Dark Souls' dodge-roll) also means that you're more mobile and can benefit from moving quickly around enemies and landing hits from all angles.
From the same merciless team behind Bloodborne and Dark Souls, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a meticulously crafted ninja adventure that demands concentration, patience and precision. What's more, you'll be suffering alone – unlike its forebears, you can't call on other players to help take down bosses. The rewards are worth it though: brilliant combat, extraordinary enemy design and a huge world to explore.
Many have argued that Sekiro is FromSoftware's toughest game to date and there's plenty to support the assertion. While the world does have challenging moments, Sekiro's duel-style boss encounters demand a level of concentration and finesse not often seen in games.
Don't play it like other FromSoftware games. Sekiro's unique combat puts a strong emphasis on blocking and deflections. Whilst some attacks have to be dodged, there's much more to be gained by deflecting - done repeatedly it will push the enemy off balance, leaving them vulnerable to devastating Death Blows.
Devotees can argue for days over which is the most challenging entry in the ground-breaking Dark Souls series, but the third instalment makes a very convincing claim for itself, featuring some of the series' most complex environments and demanding boss encounters. An unapologetic celebration of the influential series, Dark Souls III features a huge array of build and weapon choices, some truly enormous areas to navigate and more than a few familiar faces.
As the third title in FromSoftware's notorious Dark Souls series, it should come as no surprise that Dark Souls III is a challenging game, though perhaps not as difficult as some others on this list. The combat is finely tuned and excellently paced throughout, making for an experience that avoids excessive difficulty spikes.
Keep an eye on your weight. While donning a suit of inch-thick steel plate might seem appealing, it'll severely hamper your combat options. Don't be afraid to ditch a helmet or pair of gloves and gain back a little mobility - armour can only reduce the damage from a blow, getting out of harm's way lets you avoid it altogether.
The first new entry in the long-running Armored Core series in over a decade, Armored Core VI reunites the veteran developer and franchise in a brutal, brilliant combination of classic mech combat and modern production values. As a merc for hire, players control the ‘AC’ (Armored Core) that they can customize to their liking by assembling it with a wide variety of frames and weapons, repainting individual parts, and engage in fast-paced battles across the battlefield.
Though it's far removed from the 'Souls'-style formula, Armored Core VI remains an intimidating game. For most, the very three-dimensional approach to combat (which involves both grounded and aerial tactics) is an extra level of demand, alongside the huge number of weapon options, masses of incoming projectiles and fast-moving foes.
Your Armored Core (or AC) is almost infinitely flexible and there's a huge variety of options in how it's built and outfitted. If you're riding the same loadout into every mission you're likely making life harder than it needs to be. Consider the challenges of each mission, the types of enemies you'll be up against and outfit your AC to give you the advantage.
Big challenges from small teams
As one of the most diverse spaces in gaming, indie development has something to offer everyone - including those looking to test themselves.
The sequel to The Game Kitchen's arresting action platformer expands and improves upon everything that made the original such a break-out hit at the time of release. The art direction is sublimely grotesque, the combat deliberate and visceral and the level design truly masterful. Moreover, it packs a real punch when it comes to difficulty, building an atmosphere of dread that perfectly complements the world's characters and setting.
Featuring a cavalcade of challenging enemies, tough platforming puzzles and some fearsome boss fights, Blasphemous 2 is without a doubt a tough game. It might not be the most brutal on this list, but it will most certainly give you a run for your money.
Don't be afraid to explore around - there's more than one direction to take through Blasphemous 2. If you're struggling with one area, it's sometimes best to try your luck elsewhere. You might find additional weapons and items, or unlock new abilities that will come in handy in overcoming earlier difficulties.
Despite deriving its striking art style from 20th-century children's cartoons, Cuphead is anything but child's play. Beyond the colourful, characterful facade is a brutally challenging bullet-hell shooter. You'll need patience, careful timing and deft thumbs to overcome the many, multi-stage bosses, some of which comprise whole stages by themselves.
There's an old-school run-and-gun sensibility to Cuphead's combat that harkens back to the hard-as-nails shoot 'em ups of the arcade scene. If you were playing this on an arcade cabinet you'd need a lot of quarters to get to the end credits.
If you want to make life that much easier, then take time to master Cuphead's 'Parry Slap' mechanic. This very useful and relatively straightforward ability will allow you to avoid damage from a whole assortment of projectiles (look out for anything pink), whilst also filling up your Super Meter.
Beware the stylish presentation here - the denizens of Hallownest might not look all that threatening, but don't let that fool you. An award-winning action platformer, Hollow Knight is famed as much for its high level of difficulty as it is for its outstanding art direction, brilliant level design and snappy combat. There are cunning bosses and hidden challenges everywhere and your primary means of defence is a nail - best of luck!
Cutesy though some of the design might be, make no mistake, Hollow Knight is a genuinely uncompromising game. From tight, perilous platforming to brutal bosses, the developers at Team Cherry have crafted an experience designed to put the player through their paces.
Don't sweat the little things. Trying to collect and conserve every piece of Geo you come across can be exhausting and you might find you end up with more than you need. Hollow Knight's real reward is the play itself. Discovery is your greatest treasure and the really valuable things to be found in Hallownest can't be dropped or lost.
Form a party, equip your stagecoach and set off across a decaying landscape in this sequel to the critically acclaimed Darkest Dungeon. Avert the apocalypse through roguelike gameplay, experimenting with tactics to overcome unspeakable horrors and building bonds with your companions.
Each mission, or expedition, presents its own challenges, so some are easier than others. The most-demanding ones require utmost concentration and the right preparation, as how you use the limited resources at your disposal can be the difference between life and death.
Forming friendly bonds with your party members is essential for keeping the group together in battle. The game’s Affinity System determines how individuals work with each other, and establishing and maintaining team harmony will give you an edge against the nightmares before you.
Explore a surreal labyrinth spread across a non-linear, interconnected world in this perplexing, combat-free Metroidvania-styled experience. Manipulate the pixel-art world around you, encounter strange creatures and rely on your wits to survive whatever lurks in the dark.
Animal Well’s array of puzzles take some serious work to solve and the next path to take won’t always be obvious. Your success may rely on how creative you can be with the tools at your disposal. There are also various hungry creatures in here, eager to make you their next snack, so stay clear of their beaks and claws.
Your map is everything in this game, so whenever you find something interesting that you can’t use yet, mark it. Go old school: get a pen and paper and make notes as you play. And if you’re really stuck, look to where you’ve not been yet – you might just find what you need there.
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