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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1001 Spikes

Discover the lost treasures of Ukampa in South America as Aban Hawkins searches for his estranged father, world-famous archeaologist, Jim Hawkins. Aban Hawkins races into the frozen tundra of the antarctic, undiscovered temple ruins and the vast caverns of South America in search of his father and the legendary treasure rumored to lie...

Price 9.99€
Rating 7.8
Release 03 Jun 2014

Ampu-Tea

The surgeon-simulator inspired Tea-making game is now available on Steam! Using the latest KS-001 Robo-Arm, you must practise making various types of tea.

Price 4.99€
Rating 6.1
Release 30 May 2014

Monochroma

Monochroma is a cinematic puzzle platformer. It’s a game about being a kid, growing up with a little brother that needs your help, facing obstacles and solving unique puzzles in a dystopian 1950's setting.

Price 19.99€
Rating 7.1
Release 28 May 2014

A Story About My Uncle

A Story About My Uncle is a first person platforming adventure game about a boy who searches for his lost uncle, and ends up in a world he couldn’t imagine existed. The movement is a crucial part of the games core gameplay – focusing on swinging through the world with a grappling hook that gives the player a wonderful sense of speed and...

Price 14.79€
Rating 9.0
Release 28 May 2014

Final Fantasy III (3D Remake)

FINAL FANTASY® III, one of the best-loved games from the epic RPG series, available on Steam.

Price 12.99€
Rating 8.0
Release 27 May 2014

ibb & obb

ibb & obb is a two player cooperative game set in a puzzle filled world where gravity goes both up and down. You can only succeed by working closely together. Find a friend for some true local co-op couch fun or match up online.

Price 9.99€
Rating 8.7
Release 26 May 2014

Q.U.B.E: Director's Cut

Q.U.B.E: Director's Cut is the definitive version of the brain-twisting first-person puzzler. Using special high-tech gloves to manipulate cubes in the environment, the player solves an array of conundrums - from physics-based challenges; to 3D jigsaws; to platform-based trials.

Price 6.99€
Rating 7.9
Release 21 May 2014

Toribash

Toribash is an innovative free-to-play online turn-based fighting game where you’re able to design your own moves. Complete control over character's body, hundreds of game mods and bloody mess with full body dismemberment - you've never been able to annihilate your enemies like that before!

Price Free to play
Rating 8.7
Release 16 May 2014

100% Orange Juice

100% Orange Juice is a digital multiplayer board game populated by developer Orange Juice's all-star cast. Characters from Flying Red Barrel, QP Shooting, Suguri and Sora come together with all-new characters to duke it out... with dice.

Price -86% 0.96€
Rating 9.0
Release 16 May 2014

Men of War: Assault Squad 2

Men of War: Assault Squad 2 features new single player style skirmish modes that take players from extreme tank combat to deadly sniper stealth missions. Commanders can now faceoff against opponents on various new multiplayer 1v1 – 8v8 maps.

Price 29.99€
Rating 9.0
Release 15 May 2014

The Impossible Game

The super-addictive and very, very hard platform game finally arrives on Steam - it's quite possibly the world's hardest game! As well as five classic Impossible Game levels, this desktop version includes an EXCLUSIVE new Level Editor.

Price 2.39€
Rating 8.0
Release 08 May 2014

Full Mojo Rampage

Full Mojo Rampage is a rogue-like game that takes place within the confines of the Voodoo reality. In this realm only the most powerful rites and powers can provide a safeguard against evil. Dying is not the end, only the beginning to becoming a stronger voodoo soul!

Price 11.99€
Rating 8.0
Release 08 May 2014

Bound By Flame

You are a mercenary possessed by a flame demon in a desperate world ravaged by seven Ice Lords. In this RPG where every choice counts, you will have to choose between unleashing the powers of the beast within and rejecting its demonic influence.

Price 6.99€
Rating 6.7
Release 08 May 2014

Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure

Tex Murphy is the last of the hard-boiled gumshoe detectives living in dystopian post-World War III San Francisco in the 2050s. Tex is an honest and good-natured private investigator with a penchant for bourbon, cigarettes and getting himself into trouble.

Price 19.99€
Rating 8.3
Release 08 May 2014

You Have to Win the Game

You Have to Win the Game is a free exploration platformer with a retro 1980s PC aesthetic.

Price Free to play
Rating 9.0
Release 06 May 2014

8BitBoy™

Huge classic platformer with several power-ups and 8-12 hours of main story & 300+ hidden locations just begging for exploration · 56 big Levels · 5 huge worlds

Price 5.69€
Rating 7.1
Release 05 May 2014

DARK SOULS™ II

Developed by FROM SOFTWARE, DARK SOULS™ II is the highly anticipated sequel to the gruelling 2011 breakout hit Dark Souls. The unique old-school action RPG experience captivated imaginations of gamers worldwide with incredible challenge and intense emotional reward.

Price 39.99€
Rating 8.7
Release 25 Apr 2014

Vangers

Mind-altering sandbox game that can be described as a racing role-playing adventure game with a complicated storyline. You’ll find a unique atmosphere, complete freedom and lots of gameplay hours to figure out what’s the game is all about.

Price 6.99€
Rating 8.9
Release 24 Apr 2014

Trials Fusion™

Trials Fusion is the gold-standard platform racer for the next-generation of gaming. Built upon the Trials franchise’s proven gameplay foundations, Fusion challenges players endlessly in both classic and all-new ways.

Price 19.99€
Rating 6.6
Release 24 Apr 2014

Wargame: Red Dragon

The new reference in RTS at its best! The Wargame series returns to duty, larger, richer and more spectacular than ever before. In Wargame Red Dragon, you are engaged in a large-scale conflict where Western forces clash against the Communist bloc.

Price 29.99€
Rating 8.7
Release 17 Apr 2014

Circuits

Simple in concept, but very challenging and rewarding,Circuits is a puzzle game that requires careful listening to complete each level. The goal of Circuits : piece together the different parts of a song. Sounds easy, but maybe not.

Price 4.99€
Rating 8.5
Release 17 Apr 2014

Rogue's Tale

Rogue's Tale is a single player turn-based dungeon crawling game.

Price 6.89€
Rating 6.9
Release 28 Mar 2014

Yet Another Zombie Defense

Darkness is coming. How long can YOU survive? Build your base by day, defend it by night. Play in online or local co-op. Stay alive as long as you can.

Price Free to play
Rating 8.4
Release 28 Mar 2014

Quest of Dungeons

Quest of Dungeons is a turn based dungeon crawler game featuring a good old 16-bit retro artistic look. By playing as either a Warrior, Wizard, Assassin or Shaman you have to traverse dungeons, defeat enemies and loot everything you can in order to survive.

Price 4.99€
Rating 7.2
Release 25 Mar 2014

YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z

Step into a living comic book in this new take on the Ninja Gaiden series. Brandishing his ninja sword and the mecha weapons in his cyber arm, Yaiba slaughters zombies with brutal, over-the-top abandon. Will you slice enemies to pieces, crush them with Yaiba's cyborg arm or just rip off a zombie’s arms to use as nunchucks?

Price 29.99€
Rating 6.3
Release 21 Mar 2014

Cloudbuilt

Rocket parkour your way through dizzying obstacles and lethal robot hazards, in this 3rd person action platformer with over 40 levels, and even more community levels.

Price 18.98€
Rating 8.2
Release 20 Mar 2014

Revolution Ace

A deep, tactical shoot'em up. With every takedown, you’ll earn cash and xp to upgrade your ship and unlock new abilities. Online and local co-op. Unique versus mode. Realistic physics and water simulation.

Price 4.99€
Rating 7.0
Release 19 Mar 2014

LUFTRAUSERS

The skies will be set aflame and the seas will overflow with wreckage in Vlambeer’s stylish arcade shooter LUFTRAUSERS! Select from over 125 combinations of weapons, bodies, and propulsion systems and take to the skies to battle enemy fighter planes, battleships, submarines, and rival aces for glory, honor, and high scores.

Price 9.75€
Rating 8.8
Release 18 Mar 2014

LYNE

Deceptively simple. Infinitely complex. LYNE is a minimalist puzzle game that will knot your brain as it calms your soul. Connect the shapes. Fill the board. Lose yourself in the interflowing paths of LYNE.

Price -60% 1.19€
Rating 9.3
Release 17 Mar 2014

TowerFall Ascension

TowerFall Ascension is the definitive version of the hit archery combat game. Inspired by classics from the golden age of couch multiplayer, it's a 4-player local party game centering around hilarious, intense versus matches. The core mechanics are simple and accessible, but hard to master and combat is fierce.

Price 14.79€
Rating 9.1
Release 11 Mar 2014

GIGANTIC ARMY

Side-scrolling mech-shooting bad-assery is BACK!GIGANTIC ARMY is a heartfelt homage to 16-bit era mech shooters such as Cybernator / Assault Suits Valken, Metal Warriors, and Front Mission: Gun Hazard, developed by the studio behind the acclaimed shooter SATAZIUS.

Price 5.89€
Rating 7.1
Release 06 Mar 2014

10 Second Ninja

Ninjas are cool, this is an established fact of the universe. Nazi Robots from space are not cool, they are the complete opposite of cool, and Robot Hitler is out to get you, the world's first ninja. You have 10 seconds to destroy all Nazi Robots in your vicinity. IT. IS. ON.

Price 1.99€
Rating 8.0
Release 05 Mar 2014

Diehard Dungeon

Combining its own unique take on the real-time roguelike genre, with a nostalgic 16-bit look and feel, Diehard Dungeon is a game that feels both familiar and quite different at the same time. Followed by a trusty, treasure collecting companion chest, you must make your way through the dungeons many randomly-generated rooms and levels.

Price 1.59€
Rating 7.0
Release 05 Mar 2014

Tower of Guns

Tower of Guns is a fast paced first-person-shooter for the twitch gamer... with a few randomized elements to keep it fresh with each playthrough. It's a short burst "Lunch Break FPS"... not unlike Binding of Isaac mixed with Doom 2. Tower of Guns was made by a guy named Joe (with his brother Mike composing the music).

Price 13.49€
Rating 7.7
Release 04 Mar 2014

One Finger Death Punch

Experience cinematic kung-fu battles in the fastest, most intense brawler the indie world has ever seen! With the unique 1:1 response system of One Finger Death Punch, players will feel the immediate feedback of every bone-crunching hit. Pay tribute to the masters using five classic kung-fu styles mixed with additional weapons.

Price 4.99€
Rating 9.5
Release 03 Mar 2014

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

(Release: 2014) Special agent Leon S. Kennedy is sent on a mission to rescue the U.S. President’s daughter who has been kidnapped.

Price 19.99€
Rating 9.2
Release 27 Feb 2014

Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge

Ultionus is a love-letter to the home computer arcade games of the late 80s and early 90s, with colorful 2D visuals, catchy chiptune music by the legendary Jake 'Virt' Kaufman, and 7 stages of hard-as-nails gameplay.

Price 6.99€
Rating 6.5
Release 25 Feb 2014

Angvik

Angvik is a platform action game set in a joyful but unforgiving land.

Price 2.99€
Rating 8.4
Release 24 Feb 2014

Hexcells

Hexcells is an ambient logic puzzle game for PC, Mac and Linux.

Price 2.99€
Rating 9.3
Release 19 Feb 2014

Hexcells Plus

Hexcells Plus is an ambient logic puzzle game for PC, Mac and Linux.

Price 2.99€
Rating 9.1
Release 19 Feb 2014

Banished

In this city-building strategy game, you control a group of exiled travelers who decide to restart their lives in a new land. They have only the clothes on their backs and a cart filled with supplies from their homeland. The townspeople of Banished are your primary resource.

Price 18.99€
Rating 8.9
Release 18 Feb 2014

Ikaruga

Shoot! Dodge! and... Get Hit!? "Ikaruga" is a vertical shoot 'em up that features an unique polarity-switching gameplay. Switch the ship's polarity and "get hit and absorb" enemy bullets! Achieve High Score with the chain bonus!

Price 8.99€
Rating 9.0
Release 18 Feb 2014

WazHack

Time moves forward only when you do in the dungeons of WazHack. Think your way out of problems instead of just spamming 'attack' and 'drink healing potion'.

Price 7.99€
Rating 8.4
Release 17 Feb 2014

METAL SLUG 3

“METAL SLUG 3”, the masterpiece in SNK’s emblematic 2D run & gun action shooting game series, still continues to fascinate millions of fans worldwide to this day for its intricate dot-pixel graphics, and simple and intuitive game controls, heads out to the Steam gaming platform!

Price 6.99€
Rating 8.7
Release 14 Feb 2014

Descent

Prepare To Start Your Descent.Sensory overload in 360° 3-D.Welcome to Descent™ - 27 levels of the most mind-bending, stomach-churning action game ever. Featuring true 3-Dimensional worlds with light source shading, texture mapping, 3-D morphing, directional sound effects and sizzling music, this is technology taken to the limit.

Price 9.99€
Rating 8.9
Release 11 Feb 2014

Graviteam Tactics: Operation Star

Graviteam Tactics: Operation Star is a sequel to Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943. It’s an Eastern Front war game with solid graphics and sprawling battlefields that really emphasizes the scope of WWII tank combat.Want to step into the role of a commander in the very heart of Kharkov’s defense?

Price 27.99€
Rating 7.8
Release 11 Feb 2014

Reaper - Tale of a Pale Swordsman

Enter the world ripe with magic and monsters. Become the Black Swordsman and slay thousands of enemies in an epic action RPG!

Price 9.75€
Rating 6.5
Release 07 Feb 2014

LOVE

Love is a reductive platforming game with a retro aesthetic and a focus on a challenging difficulty. It has an custom respawn system, 16 levels, 12 track soundtrack, competitive scoring, and a simple-to-use level creation feature.

Price 2.39€
Rating 8.6
Release 07 Feb 2014