Best Difficult games on Steam

Unlike generic lists, our difficult game recommendations are based on a rigorous analysis of Steam user reviews. We believe that player feedback is the most reliable indicator of a game's true quality and enjoyment. Our algorithm evaluates user reviews to identify difficult games that consistently deliver exceptional experiences. This means you can be confident that our lists feature only the best difficult games on Steam, validated by the community itself.

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Downward: Enhanced Edition

Downward is a first-person open-world parkour based platform adventure set in the medieval ruins of a post-apocalyptic planet Earth. Make your way through breath-taking landscapes, face ancient guardians and unravel the deep mystery that lies behind the disappearance of humanity.

Price 9.99€
Rating 6.8
Release 13 Jul 2017

Loading Screen Simulator

A game about never-ending problem of loading screens. We've all experienced it while playing games, while downloading something, while installing an operating system ect. And now you can experience it once again in Loading Screen Simulator: Steam edition

Price Free to play
Rating 8.4
Release 13 Jul 2017

qop

qop is a minimalistic puzzle which goal is to get the cube to finish using 4 directions in space.

Price 1.99€
Rating 8.6
Release 13 Jul 2017

The End Is Nigh

The End Is Nigh is a sprawling adventure platformer where you die a lot, but thats ok because you are probably already dead anyway.

Price 14.79€
Rating 9.0
Release 12 Jul 2017

Brigand: Oaxaca

Brigand: Oaxaca is a highly difficult post-apocalyptic RPG/FPS set in Mexico. Emphasis is on challenge, a branching story with multiple endings, and total freedom of action (kill friendly characters, rob stores, jump across roofs, etc.).

Price 8.79€
Rating 8.8
Release 11 Jul 2017

Wild Guns Reloaded

Wild Guns Reloaded is a fast-paced arcade-style shooter, mixing the Wild West with steampunk. Play as Clint, Annie, Doris, or Bullet the dog with his sentry drone. Grab some friends and play together for some four player action!

Price 12.49€
Rating 8.1
Release 11 Jul 2017

1982

1982 is a FREE retro inspired blasta-thon that will test your gaming skills to the max.

Price Free to play
Rating 8.8
Release 28 Jun 2017

b

play as you desire b free flight experience

Price Free to play
Rating 8.8
Release 26 Jun 2017

CRYPTARK

Cryptark is a 2D sci-fi shooter where you take on the role of a heavily armed privateer seeking to earn government contracts by boarding deadly alien space-hulks. It's up to you to strategize a plan of attack, pick an equipment loadout, and destroy the central core to be victorious.

Price 14.99€
Rating 7.9
Release 20 Jun 2017

Nex Machina

Nex Machina is an intense arcade style twin-stick shooter from Housemarque. Taking hints from both Robotron and Smash TV, Nex Machina focuses on pure action, voxel destruction and competition in the distant, cablepunk themed future.

Price 19.99€
Rating 8.3
Release 20 Jun 2017

Kindergarten

Welcome to Kindergarten! Have fun trying to learn and share...and not die. That's important too. In a school that's just not quite right, it's important to be friendly...and take out those that aren't.

Price 4.99€
Rating 9.4
Release 15 Jun 2017

Zup! 5

Minimal physical puzzle with explosions

Price 1.99€
Rating 9.0
Release 13 Jun 2017

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap

Boasting beautiful, hand-drawn animations and a re-orchestrated soundtrack, the cult classic returns with a unique blend of exploration, action, and adventure!

Price -70% 6.06€
Rating 8.2
Release 08 Jun 2017

Star of Providence

Star of Providence is a top down action shooter with procedurally generated elements. Explore a large, abandoned facility in search of incredible power, fighting dangerous foes and gaining new weapons and upgrades as you progress.

Price 14.79€
Rating 9.3
Release 07 Jun 2017

Cart Racer

Get a new gaming experience as a racer in a shopping cart! Play for the brutal and steep Cart Racer. Overcome obstacles in the city, in the sea, in the ancient castle and the snowy mountains!

Price 0.99€
Rating 7.5
Release 05 Jun 2017

Tormentor❌Punisher

Everything in Tormentor❌Punisher can be killed in one hit, from bosses to yourself. Bosses conjure traps to make the arena hellish. Demons adjust to your play style and punish you. Perform combos on enemies and gain cool upgrades. Reload your machine gun by firing your shotgun. Let's do this!

Price 7.99€
Rating 8.3
Release 02 Jun 2017

TEKKEN 7

Discover the epic conclusion of the long-time clan warfare between members of the Mishima family. Powered by Unreal Engine 4, the legendary fighting game franchise fights back with stunning story-driven cinematic battles and intense duels that can be enjoyed with friends and rivals.

Price -84% 6.25€
Rating 8.2
Release 01 Jun 2017

Putrefaction 2: Void Walker

Putrefaction 2: Void Walker is fast-paced, hardcore, arcade FPS, inspired by old-school shooters.

Price 4.99€
Rating 7.4
Release 29 May 2017

EVERSPACE™

EVERSPACE™ combines fast-paced combat with roguelike elements, great visuals and a captivating story. It takes you on a challenging journey through an ever-changing, beautifully crafted universe full of surprises. Shoot, craft and loot your way to victory while the odds are stacked against you.

Price 19.99€
Rating 7.7
Release 25 May 2017

UBERMOSH Vol.5

The fifth volume of the arcade series UBERMOSH.

Price 0.99€
Rating 8.7
Release 25 May 2017

Caveblazers

Caveblazers is a challenging and brutal roguelike platformer. Journey into a mysterious cave, fighting orcs and goblins with an abundance of weapons and magical items! Make friends along the way, then watch in despair as they are crushed in to a bloody pulp under a troll's fist.

Price -90% 1.00€
Rating 8.3
Release 24 May 2017

The Surge

Welcome to CREO, the megacorporation saving the world! A catastrophic event has knocked you out during the first day on the job… you wake up equipped with a heavy-grade exoskeleton, in a destroyed section of the complex.

Price -82% 2.64€
Rating 7.4
Release 15 May 2017

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile

The followup to 2009's Dead Samurai, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is a combo-fueled, fast-paced, stylistic 2D action platformer that features the series' staple gritty, graphic novel-inspired art style, built on a new engine that allows for an even more visually gruesome experience.

Price 9.99€
Rating 9.0
Release 12 May 2017

OVIVO

OVIVO is a minimalistic platformer with unusual mechanics where everything is as simple as black and white. The journey in this metaphoric world is filled with illusions and hidden messages.

Price 9.75€
Rating 8.4
Release 12 May 2017

STRAFE: Gold Edition

STRAFE® is the worlds bloodiest roguelike first-person shooter! Featuring mind melting secrets and persistent gore that allows you to paint levels red with the excessive entrails of your enemies. 30+ weapons, 20+ enemies, & a red hot soundtrack.

Price 14.79€
Rating 7.0
Release 09 May 2017

Shio

“Shio” is a challenging platformer game in which you deep and moving story by jumping from lantern to lantern. If you are big fan of Super Meat Boy, you will like Shio as well!

Price 11.99€
Rating 7.6
Release 04 May 2017

ATOMINE

Atomine is a twin stick procedural shooter rogue-lite set in a virtual world with minimalist design, where the player recounts on the screen the real events of STUXNET, the first weapon ever created in the form of computer virus.

Price 9.99€
Rating 7.2
Release 04 May 2017

WAVESHAPER

WAVESHAPER is a minimalist score attack game in which you attempt to stop the 2D vector menace, one obstacle at a time.

Price 1.89€
Rating 8.5
Release 03 May 2017

I Expect You To Die

Test your problem-solving skills in this virtual reality escape-the-room puzzle game. Play as a secret agent armed with telekinetic abilities on a mission to stop Zoraxis, an evil corporation with plans for world domination.

Price 22.99€
Rating 9.0
Release 25 Apr 2017

BlazBlue Centralfiction

Combining a 2D fighting game with a visual novel, the BlazBlue series continues on with massive fan support! The latest installation, BlazBlue: Centralfiction, serves as the ending to the Azure Saga, revealing the hidden truth of the world!

Price -75% 9.24€
Rating 9.1
Release 25 Apr 2017

Immortal Redneck

Immortal Redneck is a FPS set in Egypt with rogue-lite elements. Frantic gameplay, twitch controls and an arcade-style feel meet randomly generated dungeons, a complete skill tree, permanent death and 9 classes with different traits.

Price 19.95€
Rating 8.7
Release 25 Apr 2017

Orbt XL

Defy gravity in Orbt XL! A fast-paced, addictive, 'just-one-more-round' arcade score chaser. Stay in orbit, dodge obstacles, and rack up points—the closer you are to the black hole, the higher your score! Easy to learn, tough to master, and perfect for quick play sessions while waiting in queue.

Price -51% 0.49€
Rating 9.3
Release 21 Apr 2017

aMAZE 2

aMAZE 2 is a straightforward and surprisingly-difficult celebration of the simple beauty of the maze.

Price -72% 0.55€
Rating 8.1
Release 21 Apr 2017

Flinthook

Live the life of space captain Flinthook! Armed with your mighty hookshot, your uncanny slow-motion powers and your trusty blasma pistol, plunder and fight your way through an infinite variety of randomly-assembled spaceships for treasure, loot and fame!

Price -16% 12.60€
Rating 7.1
Release 18 Apr 2017

Mr. Shifty

Teleport, shift through bullets, and master lightning-fast takedowns in an all new kind of action game from tinyBuild and Team Shifty!

Price -84% 2.38€
Rating 8.4
Release 13 Apr 2017

Asura: Vengeance Edition

Asura is an Action Rogue-like set in a fantasy world inspired by the richness of Indian mythology. It features a unique procedural skill tree which changes on every play-through.

Price 7.99€
Rating 8.0
Release 13 Apr 2017

Gloom

Afflicted by severe amnesia, you drift deep into the Common Dream. You scour for the lost pages of the Necronomicon, while clinging on to any little purpose you have left. Faced with mad dreamers, horrible abominations and eldritch deities, you feel drawn to the dark Abyss deep within.

Price 9.99€
Rating 7.9
Release 13 Apr 2017

Spark the Electric Jester

Spark the electric jester is an action/platformer video game heavily based on best classics from the 16-bit era from both sides of the aisle.

Price 6.59€
Rating 8.8
Release 10 Apr 2017

Slime-san: Superslime Edition

Slime-san was minding his own business when suddenly… A giant worm appeared and gobbled him up! Deep within the worm’s belly, Slime-san has to face a decision: Be digested by the incoming wall of stomach acid... Or jump, slide and slime his way through the worm and back out its mouth!

Price -90% 1.49€
Rating 7.9
Release 07 Apr 2017

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

Take control of Specter Knight, servant to the Enchantress, in a quest to recruit a cadre of knights and create the Order of No Quarter. Experience perfect platforming, world-class visuals, impeccable stage design, incredible music, and even meet a friend or two in Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment!

Price 9.99€
Rating 8.7
Release 05 Apr 2017

Rain World

You are a nomadic slugcat, both predator and prey in a broken ecosystem. Grab your spear and brave the industrial wastes, hunting enough food to survive, but be wary— other, bigger creatures have the same plan... and slugcats look delicious.

Price -65% 8.57€
Rating 9.2
Release 28 Mar 2017

Snake Pass

Slither, coil and climb your way to the top of Haven Tor in this one of a kind physics based, puzzle platform adventure from award winning independent studio Sumo Digital!

Price -94% 1.22€
Rating 7.7
Release 28 Mar 2017

Sumoman

Sumoman is an adventure puzzle platformer with advanced physics, destructible objects and the ability to reverse time. Solve various physical puzzles, trying to keep the unstable Sumoman on his feet in challenging environments.

Price 11.79€
Rating 7.6
Release 28 Mar 2017

Grass Cutter - Mutated Lawns

Challenge lawn monsters!

Price Free to play
Rating 8.1
Release 24 Mar 2017

McOsu

A free open-source circle-clicking rhythm game practice client for osu! beatmaps with Virtual Reality support. McOsu is developed separately from and has no direct affiliation with osu! or ppy Pty Ltd.

Price Free to play
Rating 8.6
Release 20 Mar 2017

64.0

64.0 is a minimal fast-paced arcade game, where you shoot the squares that have the same color as the background.

Price 2.99€
Rating 8.6
Release 16 Mar 2017

Cosmic Express

Plan the train route for the universe's most awkward space colony!

Price 14.79€
Rating 8.6
Release 16 Mar 2017

Styx: Shards of Darkness

Styx returns in a new stealth adventure! Explore and master huge open environments, sneak past or assassinate new enemies and bosses, and experiment with the new array of lethal abilities and weapons in our goblin assassin's arsenal.

Price -83% 3.31€
Rating 8.1
Release 14 Mar 2017