The PlayStation 4 had a great run. It gave this generation some of its best games, introduced unforgettable characters, and pushed the limits of video-game storytelling. But alas, nothing can last forever, and with all eyes on the release of the PS5, the PlayStation 4's chapter is slated to end.
Related: The Best PlayStation 4 Games (According To Metacritic)
So, in honor of our soon-to-be-vanquished comrade, let's look back at the PS4 games that put up the biggest fights. Titles that took the most time, skill, and sheer determination to beat. Not only were they frustrating, but they were also difficult to get through, and they left both sweat and tears in their wake. Goodbyes can be hard, but these games were harder.
Updated on January 3rd, 2020 by Jack Pursey: Following the PlayStation 3's difficult start to life that it never quite recovered from, Sony needed to hit the ground running with the PlayStation 4 in 2013. They succeeded in this with a well-marketed launch and continued their momentum through the console's seven-year cycle with a plethora of excellent exclusive titles.
Like with any console generation, the gaming industry went through many changes during the PS4's lifespan. One notable change was the lessening of hand-holding and increase in difficulty inspired by the groundbreaking Soulsborne titles. The PS4 is now home to some of the toughest titles in modern gaming, so we've decided to expand this list by a further 5 entries in recognition of this.
Updated on August 13th, 2021 by Ritwik Mitra: There was a time when most AAA developers shied away from creating challenging video game titles. The majority of big studio releases featured a gameplay loop that wasn't really all that hard to deal with, coupled with difficulty levels that felt like artificial ways to increase the difficulty. However, this perception changed near the tail-end of the PS3 generation. At this time, new games were full to the brim with some truly challenging experiences that are worth any player's time who wants their game to be difficult yet fair. Keeping this in mind, here are some of the hardest video games ever from the last PlayStation generation.
19 Devil May Cry 5
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC
After a rather disappointing attempt at rebooting the Devil May Cry series, Capcom went back to the drawing board. Clearly, the next entry needed to be something spectacular that could finally bring the hack-and-slash series back to its glory days.
Devil May Cry 5 definitely didn't disappoint in this regard. The title served as a return to form for the series. Its incredible combat system that took a while to master, but felt incredibly satisfying once players managed to pull off complicated combos. Of course, the initial moments with this game will be somewhat hard for beginners to handle, but it'll get easier the more familiar they get with the game's mechanics.
18 Monster Hunter: World
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
For the longest time, the Monster Hunter series was a fairly niche title that not many mainstream gamers would've taken note of. All that changed with Monster Hunter: World, one of the biggest and most popular titles in the series.
All of a sudden, a new batch of gamers could finally ingratiate themselves with a series that was just out of their reach. This improved accessibility, coupled with an excellent community, turned Monster Hunter: World into one of the hardest games on PS4 and other platforms. What's more, it was always fun with friends.
17 XCOM 2
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Mobile, and PC
Strategy titles always end up providing a ton of difficulty options to ease players into the game. However, XCOM 2 is an exception to this rule.
Not only is the game extremely hard, but players who mess up will be rewarded with permanently dead party members that will ultimately make their game even harder. XCOM 2 is not for the faint of heart; however, players who are patient enough to learn the game's mechanics will definitely be satisfied with one of the hardest video games ever made.
16 Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC
The Wolfenstein series has been going through a resurgence in recent times, courtesy of MachineGames' excellent work on the series. While Wolfenstein: Youngblood might've besmirched this work, there's no denying that the other games in the reboot have been phenomenal.
RELATED: Wolfenstein: The New Order – The Best Perks & How To Unlock Them
The second game in the rebooted series is notable for being quite a challenging experience as well, especially due to the handicap placed on the player's health near the start of the game. However, over time, players will hone the skills required to blast through their enemies and complete this brilliant shooter.
15 Alien: Isolation
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and PC
Released in 2014, Alien: Isolation paid homage to Ridley Scott's classic film with one of the PS4's most genuinely unsettling survival horror games. The stealth title took influence from games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Outlast. Much like those games, players receive minimal weaponry throughout the story and must rely on their survival instincts instead.
The game was well-liked by critics, earning respectable Metascores between 78 and 83, as well as receiving IGN's Best VR Game award.
14 Darkest Dungeon
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, and PC
A dungeon-crawl RPG released in 2016, indie title Darkest Dungeon was one of the year's surprise success stories. The game received Metascores between 80 & 85 and was nominated for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize.
Red Hook Studios, didn't pull any punches when it came to Darkest Dungeon's difficulty. Along with the punishing turn-based combat, players have to keep a constant eye on their stress level, which punishes players who don't bring food or light sources.
13 Remnant: From The Ashes
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC
Developed by Gunfire Games, Remnant: From The Ashes released in 2019 and was instantly branded by the tagline "Dark Souls with guns." As the phrase suggests, the game is brutally difficult.
RELATED: The Best Weapons In Remnant: From The Ashes
Remnant: From The Ashes', like Dark Souls, comes from its bosses; unlike FromSoftware's game though, Remnant features a randomly generated world, giving players less time to prepare for tough encounters. The game certainly wasn't up there with some of 2019's best releases, but it did provide an enjoyable alternative that will appeal to fans of the Soulsborne franchise.
12 Grim Fandango Remastered
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, and PC
Originally released in 1998, Grim Fandango was a fitting end to the point and click genre's time of popularity. It provided one of the best graphic adventures in gaming history, exemplified by its eye-watering 94 Metascore.
The game wasn't just a fitting end for its quality. It also perfectly encapsulated the genre's infuriating difficulty. With the internet still making its way into the mainstream, players couldn't simply hop onto an online walkthrough when getting stuck. To take advantage of this LucasArts, Sierra, and other point and click developers often ramped up the difficulty in their games, and advertised tie-in guide books or helplines for players to seek help from if they became stuck.
11 Cuphead
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC
Cuphead originally released on Xbox One and PC in 2017 before coming to the PlayStation 4 in July 2020. Studio MDHR's indie game was an instant hit with fans and critics, with praise being directed towards its smooth platforming-action and stunning hand-drawn 30s inspired animations.
The game's story predominantly centers around simply defeating boss after boss. This is far easier said than done though. The side-scrolling boss fights will take players back to the brutal difficulty of classic arcade titles.
10 Surgeon Simulator
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, and PC
This 2013 Playstation VR title may not have been in the conversation for game of the year, but it is incredibly fun. At least, it's fun at first, when accidentally reaping irreversible destruction is both shocking and amusing. But the hilarity quickly wears off, and players are left with unpredictable controls and an impossible task.
Scalpels are extra slippery, players' hands feel like crab legs, and human organs seem resolute on flying across the room. This simulator is simply not designed for the surgeon to succeed. It's designed to produce accidental atrocities that no one believed were possible. It's carnage, and a good argument as to why surgeons need many years of schooling.
9 God Of War (Give Me God Of War Mode)
- Playable on: PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
God of War is not a top "10 most difficult" candidate for most gamers. It tells an amazing story, and the combat system comes with both complexities and a learning curve. But it's not that hard — that is, until players pick the "Give Me God Of War" difficulty setting.
RELATED: God Of War: Video Game Villains Kratos Could Defeat (& Other Villains He Would Lose To)
Suddenly, everything about the game is ratcheted up in intensity. Kratos' insanely powerful weapons do crumbs of damage, and the timing windows for dodges and parries are shortened to nanoseconds. Atreus' potency as a sidekick is squashed, and a sneeze from an enemy can send Kratos to the underworld. Only the real Gods Of War even tried the game on this mode. Even fewer actually finished it.
8 Sundered
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and PC
Sundered is just another one of those atmospheric independent titles that love to blur the line between gaming and at. Truly, every Lovecraftian scene in this Metroidvania is just dripping with mood. But players must not be misled by the top-class concept art: this hand-drawn hero's journey is stupidly hard.
What really makes Sundered unique is the giant hordes of enemies that randomly pop out of nowhere. Random riots of enemies can swarm the screen in seconds, and they very routinely cause death. Which is kind of the point of Sundered. Death comes for us all, no matter where we are in the level.
7 The Witness
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Mobile, and PC
If players ever walked the island of Myst, they know that first-person puzzle games set on deserted islands are guaranteed to be both scenic and hard. The Witness is no exception to this trend, as it's a gorgeous adventure on a labyrinthian island where nothing is ever explained
Things are basic at first, and clues to the puzzles are hidden all over the map. But matters quickly get mind-bending, and discovering the story becomes part of the maze. While The Witness can be beaten with attention and determination, it's going to furrow your brow for an obnoxiously long time.
6 Dead Cells
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, and PC
In Motion Twin's Dead Cells, players take control of a headless, reanimated corpse tasked with traversing the procedurally generated halls of an island prison fortress. Success in this beautiful gulag is predicated upon timing and skill, and players will find themselves dying time and time again, only to come back and use what they've learned to make it just a little bit farther.
Normal playthroughs involve hundreds of attempted runs, items are never in the same place twice, and level layouts continue to change even after the final boss is defeated. Death is always waiting around every newly generated corner, and the players' only choice is to keep charging ahead.
5 Bloodborne
- Playable on: PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
From Software games are notorious for causing hatred and despair. Bloodborne carries on this tradition with panache, pitting players against a brutal host of enemies armed with nothing but their own perseverance, and maybe a few weapons. It's easily one of the hardest PS4 games by a country mile.
RELATED: Ways Bloodborne Is The Best Dark Souls Spinoff (& Other Ways It's Sekiro)
Bosses are horrifying. The world resembles a giant crypt. Big creepy crawlies have a taste for hunter flesh, and any foe can bring instant death if the player loses focus. The combat rewards offense and timing, and switching between weapons becomes a critical skill. Bloodborne is hard, and the merciless deaths may induce fits of weeping. But that's just how it goes in the Soulsborne family.
4 Nioh (1 and 2)
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC
Yes, it's cheating to combine two games into one entry. And yes, some would argue that the first Nioh is more difficult than Nioh 2. However, Team Ninja's samurai "soul-likes" are not independent experiences. Their light and goofy stories are meaningfully connected, and their ridiculously deep combat is equally infuriating.
All enemies can kill, and one must adapt their play-style by the second if they want to survive. There are a whole cluster of complicated stances and combat systems that need to be learned, and failure to do so will result in non-stop decimation. The Niohs are out for blood, plain and simple.
3 Dark Souls III
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
The first Dark Souls started its own era. The atmospheric world-building, unforgiving difficulty, and complete lack of direction redefined the action role-playing genre. And honestly, it's hard to decide which one is the hardest. They are all nightmarish.
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But Dark Souls III takes the cake simply because of the Nameless King. He's got to be the most treacherous boss in perhaps all of video games. The dude rides in on a dragon, then goes full super-Saiyan over the death of his comrade. Fighting him is like fighting a gothic Zeus, and frankly, it's just ridiculous.
2 Super Meat Boy
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, and PC
It's a tale as old as time: a sentient hunk of meat falls in love with a female bandage, just to have her snatched away by an evil fetus.
It's also one of the most ridiculously challenging platformers of this generation. Players are going to die an untold amount of times. That's just a fact. But it's worth it because, by golly, this meat is in love.
1 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Playable on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and PC
It's a tricky thing to pick the hardest game on any console. After all, everybody's different, and all of the games on this list are maddeningly hard. But what sets Sekiro apart from From Software's other games is its sheer dependence on skill.
There are no secret weapons to be acquired, nor armor to be discovered. The main unlockables are combos and attacks, and mastery of the combat system is the only way to get to the end. The learning curve is brutal, parrying is required, and players are going to watch Wolf die more than just twice. But, if they improve and learn, they will be able to will themselves to the end. If they do not, it's okay. It's the hardest game on the PS4.
NEXT: Reasons Why Sekiro Is Better Than Nioh 2 (& Other Reasons Why It Isn't)
