The 10 HARDEST PS4 Games

10 Hardest PS4 Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re looking at the most challenging games to grace the PlayStation 4.

“Nioh” (2017)

We could easily wrap this entry up by saying “it’s Souls-like, so of course it’s hard”. However, there is more to it than that. Yes, “Nioh” does hold the same level of difficulty as FromSoftware’s games but with more of a focus on enemy variety. Though some enemies may repeat, the mixing and matching of them can create new and interesting challenges. And hey - if you manage to beat this one, you have a whole sequel to jump into immediately after. And yes, it does ramp up the difficulty.

“Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy” (2017)

Now, in all honesty, this collection of the classic “Crash” games remade are the easiest games on our list. So, why put them here? Well, it’s that platforming managed to become harder by complete accident. Some of you may remember back when “N. Sane Trilogy” launched, many were questioning whether developer Vicarious Visions somehow made the game harder or if some of us were starting to show our age. Turns out that for the remake, Crash was rendered as a rounded object whereas the original version of our marsupial was rendered as a block object. This is why “N. Sane Trilogy” feels like Crash is always slipping off edges, and it’s also why completing all three games was a lot tougher than before.

“Dead Cells” (2018)

“Dead Cells” is certainly a tricky action-platformer. For starters, you will need to thoroughly explore the land to increase your stats and increase them according to the kind of build you’re going for. However, there are also rewards tied to reaching the end of one region within a set time or defeating a certain number of enemies without taking damage. Speedrunners and those who crave the “no damage” run will find plenty of challenge here, especially since “Dead Cells” has seen several expansions including one that crosses over with Konami’s legendary “Castlevania” franchise and a couple of updates that add playable guest characters.

“Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus” (2017)

You can absolutely play “Wolfenstein II” on whatever difficulty you so desire. But if, for whatever reason, you have the raging urge to ram your head into a wall, well, crank the difficulty up and see how long you survive. “Wolfenstein II’s” I Am Death Incarnate difficulty means enemies can down you in just a couple of shots. And if you somehow beat the game on that, you can try the secret “Mein Leben” difficulty, which is PERMADEATH mode! No auto saves, no manual saves, die once and you have to do the whole game from the very beginning. And if you’re a trophy hunter, you will need to do the Mein Leben difficulty to get the Platinum. Have fun!

“Enter the Gungeon” (2016)

Granted, the developers at Dodge Roll have balanced the game a bit more since “Enter the Gungeon” initially launched. However, this bullet-hell dungeon-crawler can still make a player sweat. Of course, what else would you expect from a literal bullet-hell? Thing is that it isn’t just the bullets that you’ll have to worry about. You need to make sure you’re finding decent weaponry to make a balanced loadout for yourself. Every gun functions differently than the rest from damage output to fire rate to even the amount of ammo it holds. Make the most of every chamber before you move to the next, and you might be able to finally kill your past.

“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019)

Look, we promise that this list isn’t going to be loaded with FromSoftware titles. Everyone knows their games are hard. It isn’t news. But “Sekiro” deserves the recognition because of how differently it plays than “Dark Souls”. Dodge rolling isn’t going to save you like it has in the past. You need to be smart in your stealth and know how to make use of the world’s verticality to your advantage. There’s more of a focus in studying the environment and knowing when to strike. So, if you haven’t played “Sekiro” yet, don’t go charging headfirst.

“Hitman: World of Assassination” (2016-21)

Many of you may simply know these games as “Hitman” (2016), “Hitman 2”, and “Hitman III”. With all three being lumped into a single package as of January 2023, we felt it appropriate to put them as a single entry. Moving forward, this collection of stealth games will test your critical thinking and planning. You will be given a target to eliminate every mission but will stumble across many obstacles preventing you from getting an easy kill. Each level presents a variety of methods to dispatch your target, too. However, taking too long on one method might force you to improvise and deviate from your original plan. If you want a challenge in carrying out cunning kills, these are definitely the games to check out.

“Monster Hunter World” (2018)

Have you ever tried to play a “Monster Hunter” game solo? It’s nearly impossible and unnecessarily elongates missions. What about in a full party? Easier, but not by much. Playing “Monster Hunter World” with people requires everyone to understand their roles, the mechanics of their weapons, and knowing when to jump in for attacks. As fights go on, you’re all going to have to adapt accordingly to prevent your target from running away or unleashing a powerful attack. And make sure no one gets lost; these maps can be confusing sometimes, so stick together.

“XCOM 2” (2016)

Anyone who has played “XCOM 2” knows exactly why this is here. How many times have our soldiers proved their incompetence after missing a shotgun blast at point-blank range? Too many, and for some reason, every soldier feels highly prone to failure regardless of the chance of success. To make things even more frustrating, “XCOM 2” is not afraid to start shoving borderline OP enemies within the first couple of missions. Get ready to run the gauntlet on this one.

“Bloodborne” (2015)

It was an obvious choice. “Bloodborne” has long been known to be the hardest game on PlayStation 4, if not the hardest game FromSoftware has put out ever. The enemies hit hard, the bosses hit harder, and it’s easy to get yourself killed in the dumbest ways possible. On top of that, the enemy variety is so uniquely diverse that no area ever feels like it's reusing the same enemies from previous environments. But what makes the game especially tough today? That frame rate. Sony, when are we getting a PS5 iteration? The sixty frames are sorely needed here!


What was the hardest game you played on PS4? Did it make our list? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to MojoPlays for more PlayStation videos!