PC gaming offers some of the most challenging and rewarding experiences in the world of video games. These titles are crafted to test even the most skilled players, with intricate mechanics, steep difficulty curves, and unforgiving environments. From classic strategy games that require deep tactical thinking to fast-paced shooters that demand perfect reflexes, these games push the boundaries of perseverance and skill, providing an intense and fulfilling experience for dedicated gamers.
Top 5 Hardest PC Games
In this article, we’ll explore five of the hardest PC games that stand out for their brutal difficulty, offering a thrilling challenge to those brave enough to take them on.
1. Elden Ring
Elden Ring is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Released in February 2022, it was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, who is known for creating the Dark Souls series, along with collaboration from George R. R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire series. Martin contributed to the game’s world-building and lore.
Features:
- Open-World Exploration: Elden Ring features a vast, open world called the Lands Between, which players can explore on foot or on horseback. The world includes various landscapes, from lush forests to desolate ruins, with dungeons, caves, and castles scattered throughout.
- Combat and Difficulty: True to FromSoftware’s style, the game features challenging combat with a variety of weapons, magic, and abilities. Players can choose different combat styles, whether melee, ranged, or magic-based. Combat is demanding and often requires strategic thinking.
- Customization and Classes: Players can create their character, choosing from different classes and stats to fit their play style. The game offers a wide variety of equipment, magic, and combat techniques to experiment with.
- Story and Lore: The story centers around the Elden Ring, a mysterious power that has been shattered, with various demigods vying for control. The game’s narrative is rich in lore and filled with cryptic storytelling, typical of FromSoftware titles.
- Multiplayer and Co-op: Elden Ring allows for online multiplayer, including co-op and PvP. Players can summon others to help in battle or engage in combat against each other.
The game has been praised for its deep gameplay mechanics, immersive world-building, and atmospheric design. Its difficulty is a hallmark, and it has garnered a large community of players who enjoy the challenge.
2. Sekiro
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a popular action-adventure game made by FromSoftware and published by Activision in 2019. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, it’s famous for being challenging and having satisfying combat that mixes stealth, exploration, and sword-fighting. Unlike Dark Souls or Bloodborne, Sekiro has a clear story with a main character named Wolf, a skilled ninja. Wolf’s mission is to rescue his kidnapped master and take revenge on his enemies, making the game more focused on storytelling.
Features:
- Combat Mechanics: Sekiro emphasizes posture-based sword combat, requiring players to deflect and counter enemy attacks while managing their own posture.
- Resurrection Mechanic: The title “Shadows Die Twice” references the player’s ability to revive themselves after death, adding a strategic layer to fights.
- Stealth Elements: Players can sneak through environments and take out enemies quietly, avoiding direct confrontations when needed.
- Prosthetic Arm: Wolf’s prosthetic arm can be upgraded with various tools, such as shurikens, firecrackers, and a grappling hook, giving players diverse strategies.
- Setting and Story: Set in a fictionalized version of Sengoku-era Japan, Sekiro explores themes of honor, revenge, and immortality, with a richly detailed world inspired by historical and mythological elements.
Sekiro has gained a reputation for being extremely challenging but also highly rewarding for players who master its systems. It was widely praised for its combat system, world-building, and design.
3. Horizon
The Horizon video game series, created by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, is an action-adventure RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world. The main games in the series are Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) and Horizon Forbidden West (2022). Known for its beautiful graphics and immersive storytelling, the series combines elements of both primitive and futuristic worlds. Both games are available on PlayStation, and Horizon Zero Dawn was later released on PC.
Features:
- Horizon Zero Dawn:
- Setting: The game is set in a future where robotic creatures dominate the Earth. Humanity has regressed to tribal societies.
- Protagonist: You play as Aloy, a young hunter with a mysterious origin, who embarks on a journey to uncover the truth about her past and the world around her.
- Gameplay: Open-world exploration, crafting, hunting mechanical creatures, and using tactical combat involving ranged weapons, stealth, and traps.
- Horizon Forbidden West:
- Sequel to Zero Dawn: The game continues Aloy’s story as she ventures to the western regions of the world to investigate a mysterious plague and stop new threats.
- Enhanced Features: Forbidden West expands the world, introduces new mechanics like underwater exploration, new robotic creatures, and improved combat dynamics.
4. Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) is an action-adventure game by Rockstar Games, released in 2018. Serving as a prequel to the 2010 game Red Dead Redemption, RDR2 is set in a vast open world inspired by the American Old West of 1899. It is celebrated for its deep storytelling, stunning attention to detail, and immersive gameplay.
The story centers on Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang, as he faces the challenges of a fading outlaw era. Players experience themes of loyalty, survival, and morality while navigating a world filled with main missions, side quests, and random encounters. The game emphasizes realism, allowing players to hunt, rob, interact with the environment, and form relationships with other characters.
Features:
- Detailed World: The game world is vast and dynamic, with changing weather, wildlife, and realistic AI behavior.
- Complex Storyline: RDR2’s narrative explores deep themes of redemption, betrayal, and the struggle between civilization and freedom.
- Immersive Gameplay: The game offers a range of activities like hunting, fishing, and crafting, alongside combat and exploration.
- Multiplayer Mode: Red Dead Online allows players to experience the game world with friends, engaging in cooperative and competitive activities.
Its blend of open-world exploration, detailed environments, and strong character development has made RDR2 one of the most critically acclaimed games of its generation.
5. Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is a role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red, set in a dystopian, open-world future. It takes place in Night City, a massive metropolis where players navigate through a world filled with cybernetic enhancements, corporate warfare, and street-level conflict. The game offers a first-person perspective and combines elements of an RPG with action, exploration, and storytelling.
Players assume the role of V, a customizable mercenary whose story can be shaped by various choices made throughout the game. V’s journey revolves around a stolen biochip that holds the consciousness of Johnny Silverhand, a rock star rebel played by Keanu Reeves. This character adds a major twist to the plot and greatly influences V’s decisions.
Features of Cyberpunk 2077 include:
- Deep world-building with numerous side quests, dynamic characters, and immersive environments.
- Character customization, both in terms of appearance and abilities, such as hacking, combat skills, and body modifications.
- Weapons and technology that range from traditional firearms to futuristic enhancements like smart guns, cyberware, and augmentations.
- Futuristic cityscape, featuring verticality, neon lights, and varied districts, from slums to high-end corporate zones.
After its highly anticipated release in December 2020, the game faced technical issues, especially on older consoles, leading to widespread criticism. However, it has since received numerous patches and updates, improving the gameplay experience. Additionally, the release of its DLCs and updates has helped maintain interest in the game over time.
Most Difficult PC Games
Some of the most notoriously challenging PC games have earned a reputation for their high difficulty level due to complex mechanics, ruthless enemies, and intense strategy requirements. Here are some of the most difficult ones:
1. Dark Souls Series
- Known for its punishing difficulty, Dark Souls has become synonymous with challenging gameplay. It requires players to memorize enemy patterns, manage resources, and face high-stakes boss battles.
2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- From the creators of Dark Souls, Sekiro demands precise timing and fast reflexes, as well as a deep understanding of enemy behavior and patterns. The lack of co-op also forces players to master the game alone.
3. Cuphead
- With its hand-drawn 1930s cartoon-inspired graphics, Cuphead may look charming, but it features unforgiving boss fights and complex platforming sections that require both skill and patience.
4. Hades
- A roguelike with a deep story and action-packed combat. Players must progress through challenging dungeons and deal with the roguelike mechanic of starting from scratch upon death.
5. Nioh Series
- Similar to Dark Souls but with a heavy emphasis on Japanese mythology, Nioh combines complex combat mechanics and difficulty spikes with unforgiving enemies.
6. Super Meat Boy
- A fast-paced platformer that demands precise jumps and timing. It challenges players with intricate level designs and nearly impossible obstacles, making each level a true test of skill.
7. FTL: Faster Than Light
- This space-based strategy game requires quick decision-making and resource management. Permadeath and randomized events make every playthrough intense and challenging.
8. XCOM Series
- A tactical turn-based strategy game that is infamous for its punishing difficulty and permadeath mechanic, where losing a character can be detrimental to long-term progress.
9. Celeste
- Known for its tough platforming sections, Celeste requires pinpoint accuracy and a mastery of complex moves to progress through increasingly difficult levels.
10. The Binding of Isaac
- A roguelike dungeon crawler with randomized levels and permadeath, this game is challenging because players need to learn different strategies for each playthrough, especially with limited health and resources.
11. Escape from Tarkov
- A hardcore first-person shooter with a steep learning curve, where players lose all their equipment upon death, making every raid a high-stakes challenge.
12. Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
- This physics-based game involves controlling a character in a cauldron with a hammer, trying to climb mountains and obstacles. The unpredictable controls make even small progress feel monumental.
Each of these games requires patience, learning from failures, and sometimes, a bit of luck. If you’re looking for a challenge, these titles are bound to test your skills and perseverance!
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