5 Notoriously Difficult Video Games That Test Your Skills (Dark Souls, Cuphead & More)

"Hardest" is subjective—skill, genre preference, and settings change everything. However, these five are widely cited for extreme challenge:

1. Dark Souls Series (1, 2, 3): Punishing combat, opaque mechanics, learning through death.
2. Cuphead: Relentless boss gauntlets demanding frame-perfect memorization and execution.
3. Bloodborne: Faster, aggressive Souls-like with rally mechanics and cosmic horror.
4. Super Meat Boy: Precision platforming with instant respawns; hundreds of deaths per level are normal.
5. Ghosts 'n Goblins (Arcade/Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection): Brutal arcade design, limited lives, unforgiving enemy patterns.

Honorable mentions: Sekiro, Ninja Gaiden Black, Celeste (B-sides), Kaizo Mario, I Wanna Be The Guy. The "hardest" game is the one that matches your weakness.