In games, as in life, nice to win. But the taste of victory will be only sweeter, if it is mined in a more severe test, which is why many gamers love more difficult games and pass them at the maximum levels of complexity.

The most difficult games

They improve their skills in countless unsuccessful attempts to once find the surest way. Be prepared for this if you want to try your hand at our list of the most difficult games of all the times, which all these years have forced us to grit your teeth and rushing with controllers into the glory of game achievements.

Berzerk (1980)

Platforms: Slot machines, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, GCE VECTREX

Berzerk was an arcade with a free move, where the player had to run around the labyrinths, kill robots and avoid terrible evil Otto. Angry Otto was a gigantic smiling face, which pursued the player on all the maps and was unnecessary. The game was really difficult, but some of the incidents associated with it did it, perhaps, the most severe in history. In 1981, 19-year-old Jeff Dail died of a heart attack after he broke the record, and in October of the next year, after two hits, 18-year-old Peter Burkowski died from a heart attack.

Ghosts 'n' goblins (1985)

Platforms: Slot machines, NES, C64

Ask any Geimara in the 1980s that he most often remembered in this game, and he most likely tells how the main character, Sir Arthur, ran into some shorts, desperately trying to avoid another crushing defeat. Thanks to ruthless enemies, a tough temporary framework and a final boss, which is a "trap created by Satan himself," GNG even after so many years remains one of the most complex horizontal platforms. And this talks about something.

Takeshi's Challenge (1986)

Platform: NES.

As a rule, each item of this list is a great, but terribly complex game. In this case, this is one of the exceptions. Takeshi's Challenge is a completely idiotic and annoying game created by the Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano. It entered this list for a completely incredible scope. Players decided on this painful adventure, was to see in the game (among other things) fighting, karaoke, deltaplanism, marriage, job search and gambling.

It may seem funny, but design, gameplay mechanics and the game itself were unusual to idiocy: random collisions, due to which the game ended, refusing control and the whole level in which the player for an hour should not be torn the controller. Apparently, Kitano hated video games, there can be no other logical explanation here. It is much more incomprehensible why he generally decided to make a video game.

Mega Man (1987)

Platform: NES

Incredibly difficult missions required quick reactions and a good memory to remember where the enemies were. The lack of checkpoints, along with occasional deadly obstacles and nightmarish enemies, have made the Mega Man series one of the most difficult in history.

Nethack (1987)

Platform: PC

This game is a single player roguelike that is constantly evolving, and many different versions are still being released. Arguably the most famous entry in the genre, it can take several years to fully explore, and players are still finding new ways to play the game more than 30 years after its release. Naturally, there is a final death traditional for a roguelike, so if you are not lucky enough to die, you will have to start from the very beginning.

Contra (1987)

Platform: NES

Konami's Contra originally came out on arcades, and later visited almost all platforms, but we know it first of all in the NES version. The player will become a commando armed with a rifle with infinite ammo, and at first everything seems not so terrible. But it is worth realizing that you always die from one hit, and everything becomes much more complicated. After the release of the game on home consoles, many adherents of other rather complex platformers switched to Contra.

Treasure Island Dizzy (1988)

Platforms: ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, C64, NES, Amiga, Atari ST

At first glance, this game may seem like a fun ride, but with only one life and an awkward inventory system, finding a boat to get Dizzy back to Yolkfolk is much more difficult than you think. In addition, this first mission required finding all 30 coins scattered around the island, and the "complete" walkthrough map subsequently released by Commodore Format did not show the location of the coins, which further annoyed many players. But the game was perhaps most infuriating when the player picked up an object underwater, immediately and inevitably dropping the diving tube, which caused Dizzy to immediately drown.

Battle Toads (1991)

Platform: NES

Released as a competitor to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the game became famous for its fun knockdown attacks and incredible difficulty. Despite the limited number of lives and the need for exceptionally fast reactions (especially at that level on anti-gravity bikes), Battletoads is considered one of the best games on the NES (or Dendy, as most of us know this console). And the battle toads are back – at E3 2018, Microsoft announced a brand new game for Xbox One and PC.

Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels (1993)

Platform: NES

In fact, in Japan, this game was released under the name Super Mario Bros 2, and the game we know by this name is actually a redrawn version of Doki Doki Panic. Nintendo decided that the Japanese sequel would be too difficult for Western gamers, and it wasn't until 1993 with the release of the Mario All Stars collection on the SNES that we were able to see for ourselves. And the developers are quite understandable.Despite the external similarity from the first Super Mario Bros, Lost Levels is a much more complex platformer, in which even a false bonus in the form of a poisonous mushroom.

Day of the Tentacle (1993)

Platform: PC.

The game that brought fame to Tim Shafir, praise for the unique style and plot. In addition, this is a point-and-click quest, in many respects characteristic of its era. Puzzles are strange and incomprehensible, and decisions are not always intuitive, as you would like. Try to cope with it without a variety of trials and errors without looking into the passage.

Zelda's Adventure (1994)

Platform: Philips CD-I

The Legend of Zelda series on Philips CD-I has been famous for complex control, terrible graphics and absolute lack of similarities with the main series of Legend of Zelda. Zelda's Adventure is the worst of them. Videos are terrible, gameplay clumsy, charts are disgusting – and this is not a threat, but a warning. Zelda's Adventure is difficult because bad.

Discworld (1995)

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 1, Saturn

Based on the same series of Terry Pratchett, the game was difficult, not because the skill demanded, but because its puzzles were absurd and incomprehensible. And it was connected not with an annoying "hunt for pixels." For example, the solution of one of the puzzles was as follows: put in the mouth of Rinswind a frog so that he stops snoring and frighten the butterfly. Catch a butterfly and use it on a lamppost so that the monk in the future fell into the storm and removed the robe. And the developers wanted people to think before that!

Stuntman (2002)

Platform:PS2, GBA.

The game is remembered by a unique gameplay and a move with perfectly worked out by physics. She was praised for innovation, but scolded for the incredible complexity and the inability to pass any stage from the first time. It is very annoyed, despite the fresh style and decent gameplay.

Ninja Gaiden (2004)

Platform: Xbox.

The first game in the three-dimensional reboot of the 1988 platformer series was so difficult that many gamers barely cope with her heavy duty first boss. Brilliant Hack-and-Slash, seasoned by hellish complexity. The only way to break through through all the levels of Ninja Gaiden is a combination of the time-cleaned time, accurate attacks and a huge number of blocks and deviations.

DWARF FORTRESS (2006)

Platform: PC.

In most games you have to master some special jargon. Dwarf Fortress needs to learn a whole language. Here everything is displayed in the form of symbols, and as long as you do not understand what is happening, each symbol can be dangerous. It is hard to figure out that everything means here, but only after that a real game begins, also insanely complex.

I Wanna Be The Guy (2007)

Platform: PC.

It seems to be specifically created to break the player on the bloody wagon. Here is incomprehensible (confusing, dishonest and cruel) level design and a peculiar unique use of objects sparkled from other video games. And when it comes to many fatal objects flying from above, from below and from all sides, "small" (The Kid), who seeks to become a "guy" (The Guy), simply can not avoid a terrible end, not knowing in advance where they are located , or without determining this by samples and errors.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007)

Platform: PC

This gritty survival game sent players into a radioactive zone with limited ammo, food, and light protection. Set in a fictional world where another accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant some 20 years after the first, the player's survival in the open world is made more difficult by mutated animals, humans, and changes in the laws of physics. The game was originally intended to require sleep and rest, but the potential for death from starvation, radioactive contamination, or bleeding provided enough difficulty anyway.

Spelunky (2008)

Platforms: PC, Xbox, PS3, PS Vita, PS4

In this game from Derek Yu, we'll have to go into procedurally generated dungeons and find treasures while avoiding monsters and instant kill traps. What's the catch? Death is final, so each step through the dungeon must be carefully considered. However, with increasingly difficult tasks being handed out in the Daily Challenges, bravery in the face of new depths becomes imperative.

ArmA 2 (2009)

Platform: PC

The action of this incredibly realistic military shooter takes place in the fictional Eastern European country of Chernarus, strongly reminiscent of the Czech Republic, the homeland of the developers. The exact realism of the game boils down to a simple principle: take a bullet and die. With its focus on simulation, ArmA 2 is definitely one of the more complex examples of modern military first-person shooters.

Demon's Souls (2010)

Platform: PS3

The predecessor of the Dark Souls series, upon its release in Japan in 2009, immediately became a cult classic and eventually reached the rest of the world. She created a new world of near-impossible challenges that could only be made easier by clues left by players from other worlds. This community-driven role-playing adventure is remembered for its gruesome, ghoulish bosses and the toughest fights against the undead. But despite the loneliness of the player, Demon's Souls is filled with fantastic locations, unique concepts, and lively gameplay.

Super Meat Boy (2010)

Platforms: Xbox, PC, PS4, PS Vita, Wii U, Switch, Android

Super Meat Boy by Edmund McMillen is one of the most famous platform games. And one of the hardest. Once you stumble through one of the game's 300 dastardly levels, your squelching square meat hero turns into a bloody mess of pikes, swords, and buzzsaws. Perfect controls and a harsh but fair approach to mastering the game should keep you from throwing your tablet out the window. Should.

Dark Souls (2011)

Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox

From Software's Dark Souls welcomes exploration and off the beaten track, but punishes as much as it rewards. The game is famous for its difficulty, enemies that are happy to cripple the player, and bosses that kill him in two hits. Dark Souls will make you fail again and again, but rewards perseverance and teaches patience like no other game.We are still confident that the first Dark Souls was and remains the most difficult, but the second and third part also cost their money.

FTL: Faster Than Light (2012)

Platforms: PC, Mac, iOS

In this scientific fiction simulator, you will have to lead the crew of the reconnaissance spacecraft, which is responsible for all the nuances of his well-being. Tracking fuel and oxygen reserves, fire localization and other control points become an epic test on multitasking, especially in battle with pirates that are seriously superior to you in firepower. What's worse, you must give the name to every member of the crew, strongly tied to him before he finds a terrible death in space. Having lost the ship, you start everything from the very beginning. The game is strict, but tightening, and here it always seems that the next time you will succeed.

Hotline Series: Miami (2012-2015)

Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Android

Hotline: Miami is a dynamic fighter with a top view that boasts uninterrupted action. The events of the game are unfolded in Miami in 1989, where the player in the role of Antigerus challenges the harmonious criminal world.

The gameplay is built on stripping levels that are divided into floors. At each of them, the player will meet an abundance of armed opponents, and he himself decides how to get better with them. You can pass through stealth, use cold weapons or just shoot everyone. He adds hardcore and the fact that the character himself is not "Rambo" and may die from one injury. The predominance of neon in the picture, the drive soundtrack and a rather diverse gameplay helped Hotline: Miami stand out, get tens of thousands of positive feedback in Steam and get a continuation.

Super Hexagon (2013)

Platforms: PC, iOS, Android

The principle of this game from Terry Kavana Devilish is simple. You play a small triangle pushing through a rotating hexagonal spiral, and must control your minimalistic ship, getting into the intervals between the fences. The goal of the game is to survive as much as possible. Of course, here is a wonderful desire to try one more last time, and it is impossible to relax for a second.

The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth (2014)

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox, Switch, Wii U, 3DS

Let technically this and not the most difficult game of the list, but often it seems endless. You always need to kill another boss or take another test, each time more complicated. And the Roguelike format suggests that you have to repeat these attempts again and again to get another task.

Assetto Corsa.

Platforms: PC, PS4 / PS5, Xbox

Assetto Corsa is a racing franchise, which, despite respectful age, still heads the tops of the most complex autosimulants from existing ones. Any arcade racer, accustomed to Physics Need 4 Speed or Forza Horizon, who tried incredible suffering, was going to take a leading position in Assetto Corsa, so the game rightly deserved a place in our selection.

Bloodborne (2015)

Platform: PS4.

Despite the fact that Bloodborne a lot bombs from the previous SOULS series, this adventure in the industrial gothic world is much more focused on the attack than protection.Это означало, что ветераны Souls должны были пересмотреть свою тактику, а новички были шокированы запредельным насилием и количеством убийств, которое сопровождает их в попытке сбежать из гротескного города Ярнама. Но, как и Souls, Bloodborne ценит точность и упорство.

N++ (2015)

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox

N++ — продолжение сложного, но интересного платформера N+, который требовал от игроков высокой точности. Оно лучше предшественника во всем. Вы играете за ниндзя, собирающего разные предметы и избегающего ловушек. Звучит банально, но все сделано практически идеально, а ловушки тут такие, что в движениях нельзя допустить ни малейшей ошибки.

Enter the Gungeon (2016)

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox

Enter the Gungeon – рогалик, который частенько в отзывах называют лучшим в своей нише. И он на порядок сложнее, чем тот же The Binding of Isaac.

По задумке игрок отправляется в многоуровневое подземелье на поиски таинственного сокровища Оружелья. Можно выбрать среди 4 персонажей с различными навыками, а в самом путешествии геймер найдет обилие огнестрельного оружия – от обычных винтовок и автоматов до замораживающих лучей, почтовых ящиков и других креативных вариантов.

Сложная игра потому, что оружие выпадает рандомным образом, и не всегда попадается хорошее. Здоровья мало, боеприпасы ограничены, а умереть можно по нелепым причинам.

Devil Daggers (2016)

Platform: PC.

Представьте Super Hexagon от первого лица с огненными демонами из глубин ада, и вы получите что-то похожее на Devil Daggers – подлый дебют австралийского разработчика Sorath. Вы заперты на маленькой круглой арене, а со всех направлений на вас надвигаются легионы ужаса, которые вы должны победить, бросая в демонические черепа огненные кинжалы. Постарайтесь выжить максимально долго. Наш текущий рекорд – 90 секунд.

Darkest Dungeon 1-2 (2016 — 2021)

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox, Switch

Партийная ролевая игра Darkest Dungeon заслужила имя одной из самых хардкорных в своем жанре. В мрачнейшем, почти Лавкрафтовском мире, подопечные игрокам группы наемников спускаются во все более смертоносные подземелья, вынужденные бороться не только за свою жизнь, но и за психическое состояние. 26 октября 2021 года в раннем доступе вышел сиквел, который стал временным эксклюзивом EGS.

NieR: Automata (2017)

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox

Если играть в NieR: Automata на уровне сложности Easy, то фактически она будет играть в себя сама. Специальные чипы позволяют главной героине, 2B, делать все автоматически, поэтому в основном вы управляете движением. Но если увеличить сложность до Very Hard, вы поймете, почему игра вошла в этот список. Вас может убить любой удар, независимо от силы. Будь то пуля в местах, где по вам ведут плотный огонь, или удачный удар слабого врага, вы начнете с последней контрольной точки.

И да, разве мы не сказали, что здесь нет автосохранения? Длинные участки без возможности сохранения могут загнать вас в бесконечную петлю, из которой вы вырветесь только если бросите играть или соберетесь с силами и справитесь.

Escape from Tarkov (2017)

Platforms: Xbox, PC.

In the tactical online simulator, Escape from Tarkov, players are sent to explore the closed city for valuable resources, and then try to evacuate with the stunned. The complexity lies in the fact that other participants in the session do not intend to share the Khabar, and even torment to take away your prey. There are no markers of goals or an interactive card or any interface to the game, it all depends exclusively on your care and the speed of reflexes.

Cuphead (2017)

Platforms: Xbox, PC.

In visual style, the game is inspired by the cartoons of the 1930s, but in terms of the gameplay, it is much similar to the classics of slot machines. It makes you identify and memorize the schemes of actions, perform accurate movements, solidly punishing errors, and constantly continue this path. Cuphead is great – but not all that is beautiful, carries good.

NiOH series (2017-2020)

Platforms: PC, PS4

Nioh is another game that appeared thanks to the success of Dark Souls. The plot narrates about the traveler William, which arrives in Japan in at most suitable time. He will fight with gangsters and supernatural creatures, like they and Yokai.

The gameplay is similar to Dark Souls – it is focused on the closest battle, and even the most ordinary enemy can accompany the player. However, the system of racks is implemented here – the gamer can switch between low (fast attacks), top (slow and powerful blows) and medium (intermediate option). NiOH also boasts a gloomy atmosphere of what is happening.

Dead Cells (2018)

Platforms: PC, PS4, XBOX, Nintendo Switch

Dead Cells is an indie platformer with elements of a bagel. In the role of a resurrected branded warrior, the player will go on to clean the diverse levels and kill ordinary opponents and bosses. One of the features of Dead Cells is the nonlinearity of locations. At each level there will be two exits, and the player himself decides where to go.

Like any self-respecting Rogali, Dead Cells boasts a high complexity, an impressive arsenal, spells, colorful special effects and an abundance of secrets that are not so easy to notice. And when you think that I already understood the rules of the game and you will reach the end without any problems – a final boss that kills with one or two blows and a player, and its nervous cells appears.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2018)

Platforms: PC, PS4, XBOX, Nintendo Switch

A collection of remaster about the legendary Crash Bandicoot can and played with new colors, but remained so-and-sophisticated. Especially if you want to close all tasks at levels. The project will hold players through three original parts of the franchise, including the legendary Episode Stormy Ascent, which will become a real test even for very experienced gamers.

SEKIRO: Shadows Die TWICE (2019)

Platforms: PC, PS4, XBOX

SEKIRO: Shadows Die Twice has become a test, surpassed even the difficulty difficult Dark Souls and Bloodborne from the same developer from Software.

The adventures of the ninja – to some extent step as compared with the previous studios games, but the passion for brutal and uncompromising battles here has been fully preserved.Few games give such satisfaction and delight, but even the most modest soldier can kill you if not refer to him with due respect. And a lot of battles with bosses, often take away a few hours of your time, become a test for each grape of your skill, patience and perseverance.

Pathologic 2 (2019)

Platforms: PC.

The Russian Studio Ice-Pick Lodge described the remake of the original "Mora" as Survival-Thriller, and, you need to say, it turned out very accurately. In Pathologic 2, you will try to save the very distinctive world from the deadly disease epidemic. With each new day, circumstances will put on the player more stronger, and whatever efforts he will adopt it is not enough.

GTFO (2020)

Platforms: PC.

One of the most complex cooperative games on the PC will send suicide players in the abyss of despair and madness literally. Fighters forced to perform tasks in the pitch darkness of underground corridors will constantly suffer from lack of ammunition and creepy, fast on mass monsters. One incorrect movement in GTFO can cost the life of everything for a detachment.

Squad (2020)

Platforms: PC.

Network military shooter Squad – something more than just a large-scale shooter. There will be no prompts on the screen, and the only bullet can become fatal for your fighter. Players here are divided into specific roles and are divided into squads, each of which is managed by the authorized leader. There is nothing to do anything in Squad – this is a strictly command game in which the voice message is no less important than the ability to shoot.

Remnant: From the Ashes (2020)

Platforms: PC, PS4, XBOX

Remnant: From the Ashes is a cooperative action similar to Dark Souls. The game events unfold in the postpocalyptic future, which was provided by monsters and monsters that appeared from another dimension. In the role of one of the few survivors, the player will explore dynamically generated worlds, perform tasks, collect resources, pump skills and, of course, fight with numerous enemies.

It is possible to pass on Remnant: from the Ashes and you need with friends, because coherent teamwork will help defeat the most terrible and strong creatures. The battles are focused on the use of various firearms. Kraft here is not for a tick – manufacturing various armor, weapons and improvements, the player will be able to recreate his passage style.

Noita (2020)

Platforms: PC.

Noita's pixel rogalik will please the players with a variety of insane situations in which they will drive them if not random generation of the world, then careless handling of magic – for sure. The world in Noita is completely destroyed, and different elements are included in the reaction with each other, often provoking spectacular and no less deadly explosions.

Metroid Dread (2021)

Platforms: Nintendo SWITCH

Metroid Dread – the long-awaited continuation of Metroid Fusion, which tells about the adventures of the heads of the heads on the planet ZDR. In the best traditions of the genre, the game does not spare with non-historical gamers, and the improved mobility Samus Aran balancing EMMI sinister robots, which are almost impossible to destroy in the usual way, and the most complex bossfights.

Returnal (2021)

Platforms:PS5

Roguelike third-person shooter Returnal is a very beautiful, perfectly adapted for DualSense, but extremely hardcore exclusive for PlayStation 5. Here, players in the role of explorer Selene Vassos crash on the planet Atropos, where they fall into a kind of loop that loops on a seemingly inevitable death of the main character.

Mortal Online 2 (2021)

Platforms: PC

The sequel to one of the most hardcore MMORPGs, in the vast expanses of which outside the cities any of the oncoming players can be your death, and upon death you will lose absolutely all belongings, weapons and hard-earned funds. Otherwise, this is a picturesque and modern game that has absorbed most of the standard activities for the genre, such as multi-stage crafting, collective hunting for world bosses and taming wild animals.

Pending: Elden Ring

Platforms: PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox

Judging by an early version recently provided by FromSoftware for testing purposes, the most anticipated game of 2022, Elden Ring, promises to be no less hardcore than the studio's previous creations. Before the players will be a huge, open to explore the world in the setting of dark fantasy, inhabited by incredible and powerful creatures, and the faithful horse Torrent will help them cover vast distances.

I've been on the gaming wave since the time of the Atari 2600. I love horror more than other genres, even though I'm still afraid of them to hell. In games, details are very important to me, developers' attention to detail. I try not to judge by the FTUE cover, but listen to the feelings during the final credits.

The most difficult games in the world: top complex PC games