Hard games game recommendations
No easy mode, no excuses: these are the games that wear difficulty as an identity — and that is why they deliver the sweetest wins. If you want a real challenge, this list of hard games is your starting point.
The 25 best hard games
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1
96Half-Life (1998)
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2
95Elden Ring (2022)
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3
93Patrick's Parabox (2022)
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4
92Braid (2008)
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5
92A Monster's Expedition (2020)
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6
92Ultrakill (2020)
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7
92Sanabi (2023)
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8
92Balatro (2024)
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9
92Kingdom Rush (2011)
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10
92Helltaker (2020)
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11
92One Finger Death Punch (2013)
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12
92Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (2021)
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13
92Iron Snout (2016)
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14
92Armored Head (2020)
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15
91Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2002)
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16
91Death Road to Canada (2016)
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17
91Dark Souls II (2014)
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18
91Ori and the Will of the Wisps (2020)
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19
91Hades II (2025)
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20
91Black Myth: Wu Kong (2024)
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21
91Awaria (2024)
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22
91Cruelty Squad (2021)
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23
91Ultimate Chicken Horse (2016)
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24
91Tametsi (2017)
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25
91Nuclear Throne (2015)
How this list was built: we start from a catalog of 20,827 PlayStation, Nintendo and PC games, then filter and sort by score — the critic score (Metacritic or IGDB) where it exists, the player score in the exceptions (hover a score to see its source). It is updated along with the catalog.