The video game industry is a wondrous place full of all manner of games that can scratch just about any itch you can imagine. And while they don’t technically have a uniform genre of their own, the most challenging games tend to be the most satisfying ones; that is, if you are good enough to finish them.

There is nothing quite as rewarding as facing a near-impossible boss dozens of times, and through painful trial and error, eventually finding the right combination of attacks and abilities to finally bring them to their knees. Regardless of what the in-game prizes are for accomplishing such a feat, they do not compare to the invisible badge of glory you’ll carry with you for being one of the elite gamers who was able to claim victory. 2023 was filled with plenty of challenging titles, but these are the hardest games of the year.

These rankings are based on a direct vote put out to DualShockers’ 100+ contributors, writers, and editors, not our individual reviews.

10 Ghostrunner 2

Non-Stop, Lightning Fast Decision-Making

There is a unique kind of rush that you get when playing a fast-paced game. While some games may challenge your utilization of the available weapons and skills or your persistence in facing a nearly impossible foe, Ghostrunner 2 will instead challenge your reflexes to the highest degree.

To complete each mission, you’ll have to quickly make your way through the area, balancing challenging parkour platforming while utilizing lightning reflexes to execute kill after kill. And although you can take down most enemies with one hit, you can also be taken down just as easily. While Ghostrunner 2 doesn’t provide the same kinds of challenges you’d expect from other notoriously difficult titles like Dark Souls, it more than makes up for it by never letting you slow down for a second, requiring an endless stream of split-second decision-making throughout the 12-hour campaign. Ghostrunner 2 earned a 9.5/10 from DualShockers.

9 Dead Space Remake

Adrenaline Inducing Environments & Encounters

2023 was also a year full of brilliantly designed remakes of fan-favorite games, Dead Space being one of the best of the lot. You’ll find yourself back in the familiar setting of the USG Ishimura, only this time with a slew of quality-of-life improvements to the controls and game mechanics, along with revamped enemies that add even more challenge than they did in the original.

But quite possibly the most challenging element of Dead Space is the setting itself. It is, at its core, a horror game, and one that delivers on that horror brilliantly.

There are plenty of difficult moments where you are surprised by an ambush or a new enemy type that requires a specific sequence of attacks to permanently take it down. But quite possibly the most challenging element of Dead Space is the setting itself. It is, at its core, a horror game, and one that delivers on that horror brilliantly. So, although it may not be filled with the most challenging enemy encounters when compared to some other games on this list, the constant dose of adrenaline it will induce adds an extra layer of difficulty, which makes landing that precision shot just a bit harder with shaky hands. Dead Space Remake earned an 8.9/10 from DualShockers.

8 Resident Evil 4 Remake

Tension Building Action Meets Masterfully Redesigned Enemies

Not unlike Dead Space, Resident Evil 4 is also technically a horror game, though one that leans more on suspenseful, tension-building action than it does pure atmospheric horror. It, too, has serious quality of life improvements when compared to the “clunky by today’s standards” original version that was released in 2005. With improved movement controls and added stealth mechanics, you’d think that the Resident Evil 4 Remake would pose a lesser challenge than the original, and you’d be both right and wrong.

The RE4 Remake is less challenging in some regards, since you can now move and shoot, and Ashley no longer has a health bar to worry about. But redesigned enemies and boss encounters mean you’ll have to put a lot more skill into play to avoid the dreaded Game Over screen. And for gamers who haven’t played the original, you’re bound to experience plenty of difficult moments trying to determine an elite enemy’s weakness or survive a horde of villagers surrounding you while you are being chased around by a chainsaw-wielding madman. Resident Evil 4 Remake earned a 7/10 from DualShockers.

7 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Reflex Mastery & Combat Puzzle Solving

If you are familiar with some of the best Soulslike games, you are sure to experience a similar degree of challenge in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. With gameplay that feels like a hybrid between Sekiro and Dark Souls, Wo Long will challenge your reflexes and require you to employ unique strategies to take down the elite enemies and formidable bosses you encounter.

…enemies can still be quite punishing and will often change up the timing of their moves, requiring you to constantly adapt throughout the battle to come out on top.

Although there are many SoulsBorne elements present here, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty feels a bit more modest in difficulty due to a staggering amount of weapon and skill options at your disposal, and your ability to block without taking damage. Sure, you still have to prioritize perfectly parrying attacks to get the edge on the more difficult opponents, but you can do so while holding block, effectively nullifying the brutal consequences of imperfect timing you’d normally experience in Sekiro or Lies of P. Even so, the enemies can still be quite punishing and will often change up the timing of their moves, requiring you to constantly adapt throughout the battle to come out on top. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty earned a 6.8/10 from DualShockers.

6 Remnant 2

Constantly Changing Enemies Meets Roguelite Integration

Not only is 2023 full of some of the hardest games and fantastic remakes of cult classics, it is also full of well-executed sequels. The original Remnant quickly built a cult following when it was first released in 2019, adequately dubbed a “SoulsBorne with guns.” And although there were some clunky or half-baked elements present, it was a solid game that provided a degree of challenge we’ve all come to expect from any games boasting relation to the coveted SoulsBorne genre. Well, Remnant 2 was released this year and brought with it a slew of improvements that make the gameplay even more thrilling.

There are plenty of punishing enemy and boss encounters to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Like many of the other titles on this list, there are plenty of punishing enemy and boss encounters to keep you on the edge of your seat. But Remnant 2 also adds another degree of challenge with its Roguelite elements. You’ll have to constantly change up your loadout and strategies depending on which universe you are in, since switching universes not only vastly changes the environment, but also the types of enemies you face as well. In addition, bosses are one of the biggest improvements in this sequel, each acting as a unique combat puzzle that will challenge you in a variety of ways. You will likely never get bored, since the moment you think you have a level down, you can reroll it and experience something new and equally formidable. Remnant 2 earned an 8.5/10 from DualShockers.

5 Blasphemous 2

Masterful Platforming Skills Required

Another fantastic sequel, Blasphemous 2 delivers an experience that is enhanced in almost every way from the original game. This time around, you’ll have more weapons and abilities at your disposal. Although that may seem like the recipe for a lesser degree of difficulty, the developers have done a fantastic job of fine-tuning enemy encounters and platforming challenges to maintain a good balance of challenge and reward.

This time around, you can switch between three weapons on the fly, each equipped with its own unique abilities that allow you to navigate the platforming challenges in each area, and slay the various enemies along the way. You’ll have to carefully think out your strategy while sometimes making use of multiple traversal skills back-to-back to avoid falling to your death. Enemy encounters can range greatly in difficulty, though some just require a frustrating amount of patience. Although the bosses may not require dozens of attempts like some do in the other titles on this list, they will still push you to your limits and require a high degree of precision to beat them. Blasphemous 2 earned a 7.7/10 from DualShockers.

4 Darkest Dungeon 2

Hardest Learning Curve Requiring Godlike Grit

Quite possibly the game on this list with the hardest learning curve, Darkest Dungeon 2 can be excruciatingly difficult to get the hang of, especially if you aren’t familiar with the mechanics you learned in the first game. Although this Roguelike game is turn-based and won’t challenge your reflexes like the others on this list, it will challenge your ability to strategize and require the highest degree of determination to complete the campaign.

And although you can probably get by with one character lost in the earlier parts of the game, doing so spells certain doom after you pass the midway point in the campaign, effectively making an entire run a failure by making a simple mistake or two.

Each run you attempt will require you to meticulously think through the types of heroes you are bringing, their position in battle, the combination of skills you employ, and what unique strategies you’ll use to defeat each group of enemies. Make one wrong move, and you could lose a character. And although you can probably get by with one character lost in the earlier parts of the game, doing so spells certain doom after you pass the midway point in the campaign, effectively making an entire run a failure by making a simple mistake or two. On top of this, you are still at the mercy of the random item drops you get as you progress through each challenge, meaning even the most careful planning can be undone by simply being dealt a bad hand.

3 Lords Of The Fallen

Realm Shifting Shenanigans & Performance Issues

Not that SoulsBorne games have a monopoly on being the hardest, but it is interesting to see that the most challenging games of the year were either made by FromSoft themselves or follow the SoulsBorne formula very closely. Coming in third place with 20% of the DualSHOCKERS team vote for Hardest Game of the Year, Lords of the Fallen is one such game. Serving as somewhat of a remake/sequel to the original Lords of the Fallen that was released in 2014, the 2023 version dials up the difficulty even further.

Performance issues aside, you’ll have to make use of the most unique mechanic that LotF brings to the genre, shifting between the mortal and Umbral realms to navigate each area and defeat the most challenging enemies.

Most of the difficulty you’ll experience in this game lies in the hordes of enemies you face, rather than the bosses themselves unfortunately, from the frequent frame rate drops and buggy enemy mechanics that persist long after the game was released. Performance issues aside, you’ll have to make use of the most unique mechanic that LotF brings to the genre, shifting between the mortal and Umbral realms to navigate each area and defeat the most challenging enemies. Doing so drastically changes the landscape and types of enemies you face, and is often required to remove some buffs the elite enemies have that would otherwise make them nigh invincible. There is a lot of fun to be had here, just be prepared for it to be equally matched with frustration.

2 Armored Core 6

Frequent Deaths Require Careful Decision-Making

As a long-time fan of FromSoft games, I was surprised to find out that they don’t just make the coveted Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring titles, but also Armored Core. If you have ever wanted to live out your mech war dreams, Armored Core 6 is quite possibly the best game to give a shot. But aptly receiving 30% of the DualSHOCKERS vote, be prepared to endure a ton of trial and error mixed in with the high-octane mech battle mayhem.

Even with the most thoughtful planning, prepare to die…a lot. Doing so allows you to learn valuable lessons and tweak your loadout and strategies to match the specific challenges ahead of you.

Before each level, you’ll be required to build out your mech, which is equipped with four weapons and a variety of body parts that affect your movement speed, range, and weapon power. Even with the most thoughtful planning, prepare to die…a lot. Doing so allows you to learn valuable lessons and tweak your loadout and strategies to match the specific challenges ahead of you. But you can’t just slap the most powerful weapons on and hope that is enough. You have to carefully weigh the pros and cons of adding each element to your build, factoring in weight and movement speed alongside energy requirements to power your weapons. Again, there is a high degree of trial and error present here, but the bigger the challenge, the greater elation you’ll feel when you finally find the right formula and emerge victorious.

1 Lies Of P

Bosses That May Make You Quit

Confidently taking the number one spot for the hardest game of the year with a staggering 68% of the DualSHOCKERS vote is none other than Lies of P. What initially at the outset may have seemed like just another studio’s wack at the familiar SoulsBorne formula quickly shifted to experiencing the near-perfect realization of the genre itself once players finally got their hands on it. Lies of P brings all the typical combat elements you’d expect in this kind of game but delivers an incredibly fine-tuned and challenging experience that feels unique in a sea of FromSoft imitators.

Not all bosses are equally difficult, but there are a few that are hard enough that they may make some players quit the game entirely.

There are dozens of unique enemies to face in every level, each with its own oddly timed movesets that will challenge your reflexes and mastery over the latest weapon combination you’ve dreamt up. But the moment you think you’ve mastered a particular loadout, you’re bound to run into an elite enemy or boss that will quickly humble you, requiring you to completely rethink your strategy. Not all bosses are equally difficult, but there are a few that are hard enough that they may make some players quit the game entirely. You can easily expect to give the King of Puppets or some of the later game bosses 50+ attempts before you finally master the precise parrying, dodging, and carefully timed attacks required to win. But for those of you who are up for the relentless challenges you’ll face throughout the game, you can expect the purest satisfaction to carry you from the ending credits right into New Game Plus to experience it all over again. Lies of P earned an 8.5/10 from DualShockers.