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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Chantelise - A Tale of Two Sisters

A whimsical Action-RPG brought to you from the creators of the renowned Recettear ~ An Item Shop's Tale. Purchase before August 5th and save!

Price 7.99€
Rating 7.2
Release 29 Jul 2011

Dungeons of Dredmor

Test your luck and cunning in this exciting RPG as you craft, cast, and pillage your way through Lord Dredmor's Dungeons.

Price 7.79€
Rating 9.1
Release 13 Jul 2011

Jamestown

Jamestown: Legend Of The Lost Colony is a neo-classical top-down shooter for up to 4 players, set on 17th-century British Colonial Mars. It features all the intensity, depth, and lovingly handcrafted pixels of a classic arcade shooter, with a modern twist: deeply-integrated cooperative gameplay.

Price 8.19€
Rating 9.0
Release 08 Jun 2011

Frozen Synapse

Brings the simultaneous turn-based strategy genre up-to-date and lets you give detailed, accurate orders to your squad.

Price 22.99€
Rating 8.0
Release 26 May 2011

DETOUR

A true test your wits and spatial reasoning. Detour combines highway-building fun with the excitement of a competitive real-time strategy game. Construct a path for your convoy to reach its destination in this incredibly addictive title. With online multiplayer!

Price 0.99€
Rating 6.0
Release 16 May 2011

BEEP

A combination of platforming with a gravity gun, BEEP is an amazing physics-platformer. Despite its friendly art style, this is a hardcore platformer in the truest sense.

Price Free to play
Rating 8.2
Release 06 May 2011

Capsized

Capsized is a fast paced 2D platformer focused on intense action and exploration. As a intrepid space traveler, your ship has crash landed on a mysterious alien planet. You must navigate through the perilous environment and fight off blood-thirsty creatures to save your crewmates and escape with your lives!

Price 9.75€
Rating 7.3
Release 29 Apr 2011

Sanctum

You think Tower Defense games are all about building? You thought wrong. Sanctum is not your average Tower Defense title. When the havoc starts, you get to join the fray! As one of the world’s first First Person Shooter - Tower Defense games, Sanctum has taken the best of both worlds to deliver an epic, one-of-a-kind experience.

Price -63% 3.60€
Rating 8.6
Release 15 Apr 2011

Anomaly: Warzone Earth

Lead an armored squad through the perils of this reversed tower defense action-strategy game!

Price 9.99€
Rating 8.4
Release 08 Apr 2011

Revenge of the Titans

The ultimate mash-up of Real-time Strategy and Tower Defense!

Price 16.79€
Rating 7.8
Release 16 Mar 2011

SpaceChem

Zachtronics is back with an ambitious new design-based puzzle game. Take on the role of a Reactor Engineer working for SpaceChem, the leading chemical synthesizer for frontier colonies. Construct elaborate factories to transform raw materials into valuable chemical products!

Price -42% 5.61€
Rating 8.9
Release 02 Mar 2011

BIT.TRIP RUNNER

Experience the rhythmic thrill of BIT.TRIP RUNNER! With its retro charm, simple controls, and award-winning visuals, this classic sets the standard for rhythm gaming. Don't miss the game that started it all in the acclaimed runner series.

Price 7.99€
Rating 8.3
Release 28 Feb 2011

Fate of the World

Fate of the World is a dramatic global strategy game that puts all our futures in your hands. The game features a dramatic set of scenarios based on the latest science covering the next two centuries. You must manage a balancing act of protecting the Earth’s resources and climate versus the needs of an ever-growing world population, who...

Price 9.99€
Rating 7.4
Release 28 Feb 2011

Magicka

Magicka is a satirical action-adventure game set in a rich fantasy world based on Norse mythology. The player assumes the role of a wizard from a sacred order tasked with stopping an evil sorcerer who has thrown the world into turmoil, his foul creations besieging the forces of good.

Price 9.99€
Rating 8.5
Release 25 Jan 2011

STAR WARS™: The Force Unleashed™ II

The Star Wars® Saga continues with Star Wars®: The Force Unleashed™ II, the highly anticipated sequel to the fastest-selling Star Wars game ever created.

Price 19.50€
Rating 6.3
Release 01 Dec 2010

Super Meat Boy

The infamous, tough-as-nails platformer comes to Steam with a playable Head Crab character (Steam-exclusive)!

Price -66% 4.80€
Rating 9.3
Release 30 Nov 2010

BIT.TRIP BEAT

From gameplay to visuals to music and imagination, BIT.TRIP BEAT is inspired by classic games in every way. Get sucked into a whole new world of sight and sound as you juggle beats and ride the vibe in this modern look at the beginning of it all. BIT.

Price 7.99€
Rating 7.7
Release 02 Nov 2010

Lugaru HD

Follow Turner, a rebel bunny rabbit with impressive combat skills in his quest to find those responsible for slaughtering his village. Uncover a far-reaching conspiracy involving the corrupt leaders of the rabbit republic and the wolves of the nearby lands. Streamlined Combat: Gone are the days of combo memorization and button mashing.

Price 9.75€
Rating 7.5
Release 08 Oct 2010

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Take control of Lara and her new partner Totec, a Mayan tribesman, and uncover the ancient artifact known as the "Mirror of Smoke" in this all new action adventure game.

Price 9.99€
Rating 8.8
Release 28 Sep 2010

Hacker Evolution

Hacker Evolution is a hacking simulation game, featuring unparalleled graphics and features. You play the role of a former intelligence agent, specializing in computer security. When a chain of events sets off worldwide, leaving critical service disabled, you assume the role a computer hacker to find out what happened and attempt to stop...

Price 0.99€
Rating 6.4
Release 14 Sep 2010

VVVVVV

VVVVVV is a platform game all about exploring one simple mechanical idea - what if you reversed gravity instead of jumping?

Price -77% 1.16€
Rating 9.3
Release 07 Sep 2010

Riven (1997)

Released in 1997 as the original sequel to Myst, one of the best-selling puzzle adventure games of all time. Prepare to enter a world "torn asunder" by timeless, unresolved conflicts -- a world of incomparable beauty, intrigue, and betrayal.

Price 5.89€
Rating 8.5
Release 04 Aug 2010

Chaser

Mars, 2044. The UN establishes MARSCORP (Martian Security and Economics Committee) under the leadership of Samuel Longwood. In the years that follow, the UN gradually loses control of MARSCORP, mainly due to the non-transparent licence policy of its director.

Price 4.99€
Rating 6.8
Release 16 Jul 2010

Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead

Three years after the conflict in Chernarus, portrayed in the original Arma 2, a new flashpoint explodes in the Green Sea Region. Coalition forces led by the US Army are deployed to Takistan to quickly restore peace and prevent further civilian casualties.

Price 14.99€
Rating 9.0
Release 29 Jun 2010

eversion

The Princess of the Flower Kingdom has vanished! She was taken by the Ghulibas of the north, and it is up to brave Zee Tee to rescue her. On his quest, he - and you - will discover the hidden lands behind the peaceful kingdom, and come face to face with secrets that will set you on edge!

Price 3.99€
Rating 8.7
Release 07 Jun 2010

Toki Tori

The gameplay in Toki Tori is a blend of two genres. While it looks like a platform game, it's a puzzle game at heart. To progress through the game, the player must pick up each egg in a level using a set number of tools.

Price -86% 0.69€
Rating 8.4
Release 28 Jan 2010

Gothic II: Gold Edition

Gothic II: Gold Edition brings together the excitement of Gothic II and the add-on Night of the Raven to your fingertips!

Price -75% 4.99€
Rating 9.1
Release 13 Jan 2010

STAR WARS™ - The Force Unleashed™ Ultimate Sith Edition

A game that will show gamers the deepest, darkest side of the Force in a story that puts them on a collision course with Luke Skywalker himself.

Price 19.50€
Rating 7.4
Release 15 Dec 2009

The Void

Only brought to life by scarce sparks of Color, the bleak, grey Void is a peculiar place. The player gets to explore it, get to know the Sisters, Brothers, and other weird creatures inhabiting it, and learn the ways of Color, harvesting it and drawing sigils that change the world around them.

Price 9.99€
Rating 7.7
Release 15 Dec 2009

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is a visually upgraded and fully Steam supported remake version of the original high-adrenaline single-play and 16-player co-operative arcade-action FPS which was Gamespot's Game of the Year 2001 and which scored overall of 87% on Metacritic!

Price 14.99€
Rating 9.1
Release 24 Nov 2009

Gratuitous Space Battles

Who needs backstory? Who needs resource-gathering? Diplomacy is so last year. Gratuitous Space Battles cuts right to the chase of sci-fi strategy games, and deals with large, completely unjustified space battles between huge opposing space fleets.

Price 14.79€
Rating 6.9
Release 16 Nov 2009

Hammerfight

Hammerfight is about 2D battles of flying machines equipped with various slashing, piercing and blunt weaponry.A unique combat system is based on realistic physics simulation, and it ties the movements of the rider to the movements of your mouse. As you wave the mouse, your rider swings his warhammer, smashing the foe into the wall!

Price Free to play
Rating 7.0
Release 28 Oct 2009

AI War: Fleet Command

"You are outgunned. You are massively outnumbered. You must win." These are your orders. Humanity has already fought its war against the machines -- and lost. AI death squads stand watch over every planet and every wormhole, the few remaining human settlements are held captive in orbiting bubbles, and the AIs have turned their...

Price 9.75€
Rating 7.9
Release 21 Oct 2009

Risen

Delve into a gritty, raw and atmospheric fantasy world in which every action has a consequence. In the epic world of Risen, filled with mysterious earthquakes, fearsome monsters and unimaginable treasures, forge your path with the sword, learn the art of staff fighting or become a powerful mage.

Price -67% 4.94€
Rating 8.6
Release 02 Oct 2009

Majesty 2

In the world of Majesty, you are the ruler of the kingdom Ardania. At your service are your loyal and somewhat obnoxious subordinates, who have their own minds about how things should be done. In fact, Majesty is the only game where your heroes decide on their own what should be done and when, leaving you to try to control them through...

Price 9.99€
Rating 6.7
Release 17 Sep 2009

STAR WARS™ Dark Forces (Classic, 1995)

Behind a veil of secrecy the evil Empire is creating a doomsday army - one that, if finished, will become the final cog in the Empire's arsenal of terror and domination. Your Mission? Join the Rebel Alliance's covert operations division, infiltrate the Empire.

Price 5.89€
Rating 8.6
Release 16 Sep 2009

Zuma's Revenge!

An irresistible force has taken our fearless frog to an island where the puzzle-action of Zuma has evolved in amazing ways… but evil spirits and tenacious tiki bosses rule the land! Survive by firing stone spheres to destroy the deadly stream of balls. Conquer over 60 levels!

Price 4.99€
Rating 9.1
Release 15 Sep 2009

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory®

The year is 2008. Citywide blackouts ... stock exchange sabotage ... electronic hijacking of national defense systems ... this is information warfare. To prevent these attacks, operatives must infiltrate deep into hostile territory and aggressively collect critical intelligence, closer than ever to enemy soldiers.

Price 9.99€
Rating 9.0
Release 27 Aug 2009

Osmos

Enter the ambient world of Osmos: elegant, physics-based gameplay, dreamlike visuals, and a minimalist, electronic soundtrack. Your objective is to grow by absorbing other motes. Propel yourself by ejecting matter behind you. But be wise: ejecting matter also shrinks you. Relax - good things come to those who wait.

Price 8.19€
Rating 8.2
Release 18 Aug 2009

Hearts of Iron III

Hearts of Iron III lets you play the most engaging conflict in world history, World War 2, on all fronts as any country and through multiple different scenarios. Guide your nation to glory between 1936 and 1948 and wage war, conduct diplomacy and build your industry in the most detailed World War 2 game ever made.

Price -88% 1.18€
Rating 7.4
Release 07 Aug 2009

Call of Cthulhu®: Dark Corners of the Earth

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a first-person horror game that combines intense action and adventure elements.

Price 4.99€
Rating 6.6
Release 16 Jun 2009

Velvet Assassin

Inspired by the fascinating story and unbreakable spirit of British secret agent Violette Szabo, players take control of Violette Summer, a beautiful World War II spy deep behind enemy lines with no support or official backing from the British Government.

Price 5.89€
Rating 6.1
Release 01 May 2009

Cogs

Cogs is a puzzle game where players build machines from sliding tiles. Players can choose from 50 levels and 3 gameplay modes. New puzzles are unlocked by building contraptions quickly and efficiently. Inventor Mode: Starting with simple puzzles, players are introduced to the widgets that are used to build machines — gears, pipes,...

Price -37% 3.13€
Rating 8.4
Release 14 Apr 2009

Braid

This is the original version of Braid from 2009, which may not work well on newer systems. For an updated version of the game with nicer graphics, more levels and a large amount of developer commentary, see Braid, Anniversary Edition.

Price 14.99€
Rating 9.1
Release 10 Apr 2009

Dark Sector

A third-person Action/Shooter that thrusts players into a sci-fi flavored nightmare scenario set in the post Cold War era.

Price 9.99€
Rating 7.4
Release 24 Mar 2009

Spectromancer

A turn-based online fantasy card game. No character leveling, no grinding, no deck building - just 100% skill-based and fast-paced card battles!

Price 6.89€
Rating 8.1
Release 11 Feb 2009

World of Goo

World of Goo is a multiple award winning physics based puzzle / construction game made entirely by two guys.

Price 12.49€
Rating 9.1
Release 13 Oct 2008

X-COM: UFO Defense

You are in control of X-COM: an organization formed by the world's governments to fight the ever-increasing alien menace.

Price -75% 1.24€
Rating 9.1
Release 04 Sep 2008