Top 25 Hardest Video Game Bosses of Each Year (2000 - 2024)

“Final Fantasy IX” (2000)

In the pantheon of superbosses found across the Final Fantasy franchise, few fill us with as much dread as this blinding ball of difficulty. Should you manage to navigate the hefty prerequisites, you’ll find yourself given the chance to take on Ozma, and trust us, it is not going to make things easy for you. Not only does it have some absurd attacks under its non-existent belt, such as Meteor and LV5 Death, but it will never use an elemental attack that can be absorbed or negated. Best stack up on those Phoenix Downs. A lot of them.

“Dead or Alive 3” (2001)

Early fighting game bosses are known for their cheapness and tendency to abuse the limits of what the player character can do. Omega easily slips into that bracket. First thing’s first – what is up with this camera angle? You’re liable to get disorientated by the sudden switch in view before Omega cheap shots you from afar. And yes, he does have projectiles. From fire to lightning to shockwaves. Unless you’re quick to roll your fighter out of the way, you can easily find yourself knocked to the floor, primed for a follow up attack. It’s a cycle of punishment that Omega loves to exploit!

“Kingdom Hearts” (2002)

Leaping out of Final Fantasy 7 and into the role of secret boss, the One Winged Angel is waiting for those who dare to try and best the Olympic Coliseum’s Platinum Match. As expected, Sephiroth is a beast, carrying over his move-set from the beloved JRPG into the hack and slash medium. Aside from having immense reach with his sword and being able to summon his signature Supernova on the fly, the real danger stems from his Heartless Angel technique, which can instantly reduce Sora’s HP and MP to their minimum. Not even Disney can quell Sephiroth’s propensity for slaughter!

“Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” (2003)

Whether you follow the path of the Jedi or wholly embrace the Dark Side, this Sith Lord is still going to cause you no end of trouble. Malak’s attack and defense are the highest in the game, and depending on your stats, will be able to devastate you with his flurries. Along with his Force Immunity and Lightning, he also has eight captive Jedi that he can use to replenish himself. Unless you’re quick to save or kill them yourself, then this duel of the fates is one you’re destined to lose!

“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)

This ancient sniper is perpetually a step away from death’s door, not that it will stop him from riddling you with bullets. Able to camouflage himself and seemingly shoot Snake down from any angle, locating the End’s hiding spot is just as much of a challenge as getting in a shot of your own. It’s a meticulous and borderline arduous process that will force you to play by his rules, as opposed to running and gunning your way to victory. That is, of course, if you didn’t take the coward’s way out of preemptively shooting the End in an earlier level or changing your game console’s internal clock to kill the geezer via old age.

“Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening” (2005)

Dante’s brother is a lot of things. Effortlessly cool. Callous and cynical. And possibly the hardest boss of his generation. The speed at which he can deal damage is insane, made all the worse by his ability to parry, counter, and bust out his own Devil Trigger as swiftly as his sibling. Just when you might think you’ve finally worn him down and got to grips with his attack patterns, he’ll ramp everything to eleven and fill the screen with his Judgment Cuts. Like with everything Vergil-related, it’s all too easy to be overwhelmed!

“Persona 3” (2006)

Fourteen phases! Fourteen! In the long history of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei bosses, few struck fear into the hearts of players quite like this nightmarish end bringer. Just when you think you’ve got a read on its weaknesses and strengths, it will shift to a new Tarot card and switch it all up, forcing you to readjust your tactics on the fly, made all the worse by Persona 3’s brutal fatigue system. Unless you prepared beforehand, this final boss is going to be an unforgiving gauntlet.

“God of War II” (2007)

The god of thunder takes no prisoners. After Kratos fights through time and fate to take another crack at eliminating his father, the Kingpin of Olympus demonstrates why he’s the top of the pantheon. First – he grows to the size of a mountain, sending out bolts and shockwaves, all the while summoning a horde of sirens for you to contend with. Things arguably get even more difficult when Zeus returns to normal size, since he’s either going to beat your Spartan ass all around the arena with fisticuffs…OR steal the Blade of Olympus for himself!

“Dead Space” (2008)

A derelict spaceship filled with mutated creatures made from corpses was hellish enough, but then along came this unkillable monster to further ruin Isaac Clarke’s day. An entity crafted by the zealous Unitologists, the Hunter is essentially a super-Necromorph. You can shoot off its limbs, you can freeze it in place, but it will always regrow what it's lost and resume the chase. It’s not until the final stages of the game that you’ll have the chance to incinerate it – but that’s far easier said than done!

“Bayonetta” (2009)

Between heaven and hell, there’s no greater weaponsmith than Rodin. Supplying Bayonetta with armaments and cheesy dialogue, he’s one of the Umbra Witch’s most trusted confidants. He’s also a hidden boss that can be fought across all three games in the series. In his first incarnation, Rodin takes on an angelic guise, which is fitting because this man dishes out divine punishment like nobody else. His main attack may just consist of dashes and punches, but getting hit even once can spell your doom. Better dodge like your life depends on it, because Father Rodin doesn’t believe in turning the other cheek.

“God of War III” (2010)

That’s right, he’s back, and now he’s hitting harder than ever. The final clash between father and son amidst the ruins of Olympus is pure hype. Despite players being armed with an outrageous assortment of godly weaponry, Zeus is still the biggest challenge of the original trilogy. The first phase of the fight acts as a borderline 2D beat-em-up, with Zeus lashing out with lightning, teleportation and some lethal haymakers to knock Kratos down for the count. This eventually shifts to the inside of the Titan Gaia. While you certainly have more room to move here, Zeus will also clone himself. Lag your attacks for too long, and he’ll smite you where you stand.

“Dark Souls” (2011)

As you might have guessed, there’s going to be a lot of bosses related to the Souls series among this collection. Starting with what just might be the franchise’s most iconic duo. Attacking in unison, both the Executioner and Dragon Slayer offer two distinct yet equally grueling challenges. While one will use their size and scale to crush you, the other is faster and can unleash lightning from afar. Of course, even after you cut down one of them, the trouble is just beginning, on account that the other will take the fallen’s power for themselves. There’s no easy choice here, only pain and persistence.

“Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss” (2012)

We told you; the Souls train isn’t stopping anytime soon. Dark Souls' first ever DLC took everyone’s chosen Undead into the heart of its corrupted world, presenting them with its greatest hero and villain. The latter of which just happens to be the hardest boss in the original game, bar none. Manus is a towering foe who deals immense physical and magical damage in equal measure. This would go on to become something of a trend in Souls games going forward – DLC bosses are a whole different breed and not to be messed with.

“Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” (2013)

He’s the ultimate American, and for the sake of rebuilding the nation, he’s going to lay the smack down on Raiden and anyone else who gets in his way. Not only is Armstrong the meme that keeps on giving, but his battle is one of Metal Gear’s most demanding. Even with Raiden’s sword skills and speed, Armstrong’s blows are devastating. Unless you’re adept with parries and dodges, he’s going to beat the nanomachines out of you each and every time. He can shave off attacks like they’re nothing, has crazy health, and played college ball. Best watch out.

“Dark Souls II: Crown of the Old Iron King” (2014)

Fans certainly had their issues when it came to this sequel, but everyone was in agreement that this DLC boss was the most lethal of the bunch. While you might not think much of yet another armored knight in a Souls game, it's when this corrupted warrior goes all out with his ultra greatsword that things get gnarly. Given the range of the lethal smog it exudes and the skewness of its hit box, the Fume Knight proved to be unexpectedly punishing.

“Bloodborne: The Old Hunters” (2015)

It says a lot when a DLC as packed with insanely difficult bosses as this still has one that definitively overshadows all others, and that would be this monstrosity born of the dead remnants of an eldritch god. Wielding its own placenta like a club, the Orphan is about as unrelenting as they come, able to pile on crazy amounts of damage in a flash. And that’s all before you really piss it off and it starts bombarding the shoreline with projectiles, lightning and unholy explosions aplenty. All these years later and it still finds a way to inspire fear.

“Dark Souls III” (2016)

The discovery of Archdragon Peak already had fans beyond excited. What could be lurking within such a well-hidden area? The answer turned out to be a boss fight that broke everyone. The Nameless King not only proved to be a pinnacle piece of lore as Gwyn’s forsaken son, but also a boss battle that put all others in the base game to shame. Atop his wyvern, he can blanket the arena in flame, but it's when he decides to settle things mano y mano that the difficulty really spikes. The askew timing of his strikes and swings, the AOE lightning attacks, get caught by any one of these and it’s likely the battle’s already over.

“Dark Souls III: The Ringed City” (2017)

The conclusion to the original Dark Souls saga was rife with some of the most formidable foes ever conjured, but none could hold a candle to what might just be the singularly most difficult dragon boss in all of gaming. Its teeth, claws and tail alone can tear through an Ashen One’s health in no time at all. But when you pair that with it s sheer amount of health, the scope of its flame breath, and its abyssal projectiles, Midir proved itself a mountain of an obstacle to overcome.

“Hollow Knight: Godmaster” (2018)

Upon its debut, this hidden final boss put everyone through their paces thanks to a combination of intense platforming, minimal attack windows, and spamming abilities that would fill the screen at any given moment. It was the truest test for those dead set on getting the best ending. And then along came the Godmaster DLC, where they decided to give the Radiance the most intense of glow ups. The platforming? Even more treacherous. It’s attacks? Twice as many, twice as fast. Openings to counter? Ha, what openings? Don’t be shocked if this heavenly moth makes you see the light…and subsequently break your controller.

“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019)

Mastering Sekiro’s style of combat and navigating its pool of bosses is one thing. Trying to square off against the likes of Isshin in his prime is another matter entirely. Thanks to the dying wishes of his grandson combined with the Black Mortal Blade – Isshin is resurrected, now at his apex. What follows is several stages of gamer grief as the Sword Saint won’t only test your parry skills to their maximum, but will quite literally bring the thunder thanks to duel-wielding a spear in his second phase that can catch lightning. It’s still up for debate who truly is the most challenging boss FromSoft has developed, but Isshin at the very least is in the conversation for top dog.

“Resident Evil 2” (2020)

Nothing filled players with dread quite like the approaching footsteps of Mr X. This walking weapon was unstoppable, hunting down Leon and Claire all throughout the majority of the game, only able to be stunned with a shotgun blast to the face. This all comes to a head during the final portion of Leon’s side of the campaign, where Mr X has swapped the trench coat for a vicious evolution, complete with a mutated claw and a serious amount of aggression. What truly ups the difficulty here is the layout of the fight – you’re stuck on a descending platform with barely any space between Leon and the Super Tyrant. Throw in a tiny weak spot and limited ammo on hand, and this encounter has the odds stacked against you from the get-go!

“Metroid Dread” (2021)

Samus has vanquished all manner of alien scourge in her time as the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter. But who would have guessed her ultimate challenge would have been her dear old dad? After manipulating her journey from the start, Raven Beak makes himself known, with plans to use Samus for his own nefarious gains. He’s also the furthest thing from all bark and no bite, as this mechanical Chozo is a walking armory with no end of weaponry to his name. From launching giant energy waves to miniature suns, Raven Beak leaves no margin for error and no room to breathe!

“Elden Ring” (2022)

She has never known defeat, but she sure as hell knows how to dish it out. Every Tarnished worth their salt was trepidatious when rumors began to circle of this demi-god. As we all learned first-hand, Malenia was a million times more dangerous than we could ever imagine. Every strike not only did a serious amount of damage, but also healed her. And that’s to say nothing of her now infamous Waterfowl Dance. Keep in mind this is all Phase One. After she unleashes her true strength as the Goddess of Rot, she not only has all of her previous skills at her disposal but can unleash vast waves of Scarlet Rot. Malenia is just built different.

“Lies of P” (2023)

Standing on the shoulders of Soulsborne giants, this brutally brilliant take on the classic Pinocchio tale left us with no shortage of fearsome foes to best, though none could compare to the brutality of this particular puppet. Able to swing her towering sword with shocking ease, Laxasia’s rampages can only be survived if you’re a beast with the parry mechanic or get the hell out of dodge. Though not even that will save you when she loses the armor in exchange for acting as a lightning rod, able to send out as many thunderbolts as she does impeding status effects!

“Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree” (2024)

As if FromSoftware wouldn’t find a way to repeat history – delivering unto us a DLC boss of such magnitude and ridiculous difficulty that many are still yet to conquer it. Radahn’s return isn’t only epic in terms of presentation and lore but it also proved that just when we thought we had a grasp on how trying a Souls boss can be, along comes this ungodly warrior ready to rip us into pieces. His sword slashes are as fast as they are hefty, he’s got blood and gravity magic on stand-by, he’s built like a tank, while phase two also adds lasers to literally everything, plus an insta-kill move courtesy of Miquella just for good measure. We have no doubt they’ll accomplish it, but we have no idea how you top this!

Which of these bosses proved to be the bane of your existence? Let us know in the comments!