The Most Difficult Video Game Levels In History

This article originally appeared on RelationshipSurgery.com

The Water Temple – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

If there was any video game level to test your patience, it was the Water Temple. Dark and difficult, the player must constantly equip and un-equip Link’s Iron Boots to survive the rising and lowering water levels. The Iron Boots also cause Link to move as fast as a turtle, as if the level couldn’t annoy you enough already.

Rainbow Road – Mario Kart Wii

The Rainbow Road has seen several incarnations throughout the Mario Kart series, but in the Wii edition, you’ll really be tested. Unlike a lot of racing levels or indeed racing games, there are no guardrails on the Rainbow Road. If you veer too much, that’s it, you’re gone. Throw in a heap of sharp turns and steep drops and your sanity will be questioned.

Aztec – Goldeneye

Given that Aztec is 19 levels into Goldeneye, you’d think players would be fully prepared for any kind of difficulty. Think again! This labyrinth of claustrophobic corridors and endless enemies (who operate at twice the speed of average Goldeneye enemies) is not something you are ever going to beat the first time round. Or maybe even the thirty-eighth.

Demolition Man – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Who knew that driving a real helicopter was easier than driving a toy one? Those who’ve played Vice City, that’s who. Tasked with navigating a remote-controlled helicopter around a large construction site to plant four bombs, you will have to dodge angry construction workers and security guards trying to shoot you down. One bump will blow up the helicopter. Oh, and did we mention you have seven minutes to do this?

Mile High Club (on Veteran) – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Yes, the title may seem strange, but this level is one of the hardest a COD player will ever come up against. Stick it on Veteran difficulty and you’re gonna be wondering why anyone voluntarily plays games. Bubble wrap your entire surroundings before diving into this level, in which one false step will force you to restart, because that controller of yours will go airborne. Mark our words.

Slippery Climb – Crash Bandicoot

Crash Bandicoot? The zany kids’ game? Yes, the very same. Speak to anyone who played the 24th level of the original 1996 game and ‘Fortunate Son’ will play in their head. Climbing Cortex’s castle on a rainy, stormy night, while also hopping between moving platforms and ducking acid attacks is some task. This level, if beaten, takes only six minutes. On your first try? Make it sixty.

Goldenrod City Gym - Pokemon Gold

Do you remember Miltank? If you played Pokemon Gold and face gym leader Whitney, you definitely do. And for all the wrong reasons. In some strange twist of fate, the Miltank you face off against is not the cute cow you’ve seen frolicking about the fields. This time it can knock out entire teams of Pokemon all by itself with Rollout. And if you do land a decent shot on it, Whitney will just heal the damage with a Milk Drink.

Tubular – Super Mario World

The run time of the Tubular level in Super Mario World is around a minute, if you can believe that. Slogging around the P-Balloon, players face many obstacles in the form of vicious plants and baseball-throwing enemies. One hit, you will fall to your death. Forget about power-ups – they won’t make a lick of difference here!

Through the Fire and the Flames – Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

DragonForce’s Through the Fire and the Flames will have its honest fans, no doubt. But to most of us, this song exists as nothing more than a meme of sorts. A notoriously fast-paced and technically tricky riff, it made perfect sense that it would one day end up on a Guitar Hero game. If you manage to nail this song on Expert mode on the first attempt, you should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Tree Tops – Spyro Reignited

In a similar vein to Crash Bandicoot, most gamers might brush off the likes of Spyro as nothing too difficult outside of childhood but its Tree Top level is often considered one of the hardest levels of all time. Factoring in a gazillion different platforms and gaps, zipping your way across the Tree Tops in Spyro Reignited feels way harder than a game about a small purple dragon has the right to be.

The Impossible Lair – Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

Nothing prepares you for the eponymous Impossible Lair in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. It’s plain sailing (more or less) up to that point, and then it becomes one of the hardest levels in all of gaming. With each section of the Impossible Lair testing your pace and reflexes, completing this level can take dozens and dozens of tries.

Assault – Hotline Miami

Assault is the thirteenth chapter in Hotline Miami. Unlucky for some? Try everyone! This level is notoriously difficult simply thanks to the sheer volume of people you have to beat. On the second floor of this level alone you come up against 12 armed men, about three of whom move around at the speed of light. Not literally… but man, are they rapid.

Car Park Training – Driver

In order to prove to Driver you have the chops to make it in the game, players are required to complete a car park training drill. While not the longest or most visually stimulating video game level, it is one of the most tense given the short amount of time you have to pull off a slalom, a reverse 180 and a lap of the entire car park. Among a good few others…

The Ringed City - Dark Souls 3

You have to be one tough and patient cookie to take on the Ringed City. Players have to fend off multiple ghostly archers, shooting a host of arrows your way, usually into your body, killing you. This may happen a few times so don’t be upset if you don’t beat them on the first go. And then there’s Darkeaster Midir, one of the franchise’s hardest bosses ever.

The Flying Machine - Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight is your standard platformer game: fun and whimsical to look at, infuriatingly difficult to play. This entry, about a knight who carries a shovel, comes up against some tough competition in the form of Green Hover Meanies, who are annoyingly efficient at throwing you into the path of cannonballs.

Death Mountain – Zelda 2

Death Mountain will take a while to complete. The enemies you face have precise weaknesses and it’ll take a bit of trial and error to learn about these (unless you Google them). So forget about hammering away at the attack button and start dodging those red axes.

Welcome to the Machine - Ecco the Dolphin

What do you get when you mix together a narrow environment, an auto-scroll setting and a pace so rapid it’s impossible to avoid bumping into people? One of the most irritating and hard video game levels of all time. Who knew you’d face such a challenge in Ecco the Dolphin? You’re also taking on a green dinosaur-alien hybrid, which obviously won’t give any child nightmares.

Stage 6–2 – Ninja Gaiden

A surefire way to make an ex-smoker 80s kid to take up the habit again is to remind them of Ninja Gaiden. This soul-destroying level in particular, Stage 6–2, has enemies flying at you from each and every direction, ceaselessly, as if it wants you to headbutt the screen in anger. What’s crazy is that things don’t get any easier from here on out. Every subsequent level of Ninja Gaiden could make this list.

Dr Wiley’s Castle - Megaman 9

The way Dr Wiley’s Castle gets you is that it introduces a whole manner of surprises and traps that have never even been hinted at in the buildup. That is a fairly common progression in game levels, but Megaman 9 doesn’t pull any punches. Here you have to defeat a team of enemies bearing shields who only offer you a small window to get them (which most of the time, is covered by said shields).

Chapter Nine – Farewell Celeste

The whole of Farewell Celeste is enough to make anyone punch a hole in their wall, but the free DLC that is chapter nine will make you want to burn your entire house down. Want to master this level? Get your move combination game down to a tee. And pray. Get on your knees and pray.

Water Dam – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

What’s worse than a really hard video game level? One that has a timer. Seriously, stop with the timers. Life is twisted enough, does our main source of escapism have to drag us down too? The Water Dam in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will have you ducking around random, surprise energy beams that chip away at your health. Thankfully you have the option to switch turtles.

Turbo Tunnel - Battle Toads

There’s no room, quite literally, for blunders in Battle Toads. One slight misstep and that’s it, you’re toast. Its hardest level, Turbo Tunnel, brings this stark reality to life like no other. Timewise, on paper, the level shouldn’t take that long. It’s not so much about the scope of the challenge but the volume of obstacles.

Dark Side of the Moon – Super Mario Odyssey

After you locate 500 power moons, Super Mario Odyssey will treat you to a secret level that is not as fun as it sounds. In fact, it’s quite dull. There are many requirements to beat this level is to mainly catch RoboBroodal lacking, cutting him back down by the legs before he can do any damage. Practice your long jumps, too.

Mike Tyson Fight - Punch-Out

Now this may look hammy, but if Mike Tyson was deadly in real life, they weren’t going to make him a breeze in video game form, where strength is usually exaggerated to the -nth degree. Against him, you’re basically two-foot tall and highly prone to uppercut knockouts.

Level Nine - Castlevania II

At the beginning of level nine players will have to shimmy their way past a throng of evil monkeys dropping out of the sky. From there you have to climb against running water countless enemies either dive or shoot at you. Then you cross a platform and take Medusa Heads which can kill you instantly through touch alone.

Cortana – Halo 3

Cortana is the ninth and hardest level of Halo 3. Your mission is simple: find Cortana and activate Installation 08. What’s difficult is completing it. If you do it in either Normal, Heroic or Legendary difficulty mode, you’ll earn The Key achievement and 40 Gamerscore. Emphasis on the ‘if’ there.

Sephiroth Battle - Kingdom Hearts

In the Platinum Match at Olympus Coliseum, Sephiroth will appear and fight Sora. He’s one of the toughest bosses in the franchise by the way. After that, Cloud (you) will come up against him. Sephiroth will try to sway you to turn to the darkness. You’ll refuse and enter a battle in the air, which is very, very hard to overcome.

Eggmanland – Sonic Unleashed

For a cheery theme park name, Eggmanland is a bastion of frustrating and difficult obstacles. As if the thousands of booby traps and high-speed conveyor belts weren’t bad enough, this level is excruciatingly long. Talent and skill isn’t worth much here. You’re gonna need some incredible luck.

Flight Town - Dark Souls

Do you love video games to have tricky, botched vertical descents? Who doesn’t! Flight Town in Dark Souls opens with them, which is a really nice treat. Because, after all, all gamers love tricky, botched vertical descents. At the bottom, you’ll have to face off against dozens of creatures and land hazards that can easily pick you off.

The Library – Halo: Combat Evolved

They say when one door closes, another one opens. Well, they have clearly never played the Library level in Halo: Combat Evolved. Here, the doors shut and they stay shut much to your detriment. Your only way is by getting them open while fending off gunshots from every angle.

Velvet Hammer – MechWarrior 2

Escort missions are never fun, but Velvet Hammer takes the cake. This is the escort mission to either make or break a player. And it’s all just get some guy to the opera, so it’s not as if you can be inspired by a noble and worthy cause.

Castle Siege – The Witcher II

The prologue for The Witcher 2 is hella restricted and arduous, making it one of the most frustrating levels in video gaming. Running away from the dragon and fending off multiple enemies can wear out a seasoned Witcher fan out, let alone newcomers to the series.

Radec - Killzone 2

Radec is pretty damn hard to beat, but the tactic is relatively simple. Pick up a flamethrower and shoot it at his outline. When he’s up in flames, Radec will run around screaming for about ten seconds. That’s your chance to get out your sidearm or knife and finish him.

Alien Autopsy Part III - The Simpsons: Hit and Run

In this brilliantly wacky if surprisingly difficult level, Homer locates his father at the playground with his revamped WWII vehicle. The two of you then drive to the power plant, while being followed by the alien car, which is out to get you and then some. The level is completed by collecting the nuclear waste and delivering money that finally brings the alien pursuit to a halt.

Supply Lines - GTA San Andreas

What’s odd here is that you have to pay (game money) to play this level. $30,000 to buy Zero’s RC shop in San Fierro and then the worst experience of your life. What’s better than that? To beat the mission you must destroy all the couriers before they make their deliveries and then fly back to Zero’s roof.

Swoopbike Level - Shadows of the Empire

Sure, the Swoopbike is a handy vehicle if you’re looking to reach unseen speeds in open land with no obstacles whatsoever. But if you’re trying to navigate sharp corner and boulders, it’s a match made in hell. This bike is so sensitive, it’s impossible to drive more than two seconds without banging into something.

Rug Ride - Aladdin

The Rug Ride is fun. There’s no denying that. On the first attempt, anyway. On the hundred and twenty-seventh? Not so much. This SEGA Genesis game, aimed at children, is remembered as one of the most strangely difficult of the era. And it’s all because of the Rug Ride, baby.

Challenge of the Gods - God of War

It’s a challenge of the Gods. You can’t go into this expecting a free pass. Players must face gang after gang of undead soldiers and Gorgons simultaneously. Forget about using magic here - it won’t work. Use Lance of the Furies (L1+0) in the air over and over until this long level is done.

Ornstein and Smough - Dark Souls

No list of difficult video game levels would be complete without Dark Souls, would it? You could even say the battle with Ornstein and Smough is now synonymous with tough levels. Defeating them, on paper, is as simple as defeating any other enemy in the game. All you need to do is nail every single reflex and precision hit with zero faults. In reality, this is soul-crushingly hard.

Priority: Earth – Mass Effect 3

The final level of Mass Effect 3 may be one of the game’s most challenging, as players face off against hordes of Reaper enemies, including multiple Banshees (a flying enemy that can kill you instantly if you get too close). The onslaught of enemies can be overwhelming for gamers if they make even the slightest mistake.

Recovering The Plans – Star Wars: Battlefront II

The original Star Wars: Battlefront II has been called one of the best video games ever made. However, it has its difficulties. For example, the level aboard the Tantive IV can be a challenge because of its cramped setting and respawning Rebel soldiers. As players complete objectives, the difficulty increases as more enemies spawn in the small space. Also, at the end of the level, all your stormtrooper comrades stop respawning. However, the Rebel AI continues to respawn indefinitely, meaning you’ll have to fight almost single-handedly.

Pavlov’s House – Call of Duty

The Call of Duty franchise has a large and dedicated fanbase, who enjoy the challenge of hard levels such as Pavlov’s House. The mission begins with your fellow soldiers being killed in the first 30 seconds, while you are outnumbered by an overwhelming number of German enemies. There are also very few opportunities to heal yourself during this mission. If that wasn’t enough, players will have to deal with constant bombardment from tanks and other obstacles, making the level a challenge to complete.

Champion’s Road – Super Mario 3D World

This is the final level in the game, and it’s a doozy. 2013’s Super Mario 3D World is filled with clever platforming challenges, but this particular one is among the most difficult. The level is packed with perils: disappearing blocks, enemies that require quick reflexes to dodge, and a variety of platforms to traverse. One misstep means instant death.

Djinn Hallucinations – Uncharted 3

The Uncharted series is known for its challenging gameplay. In Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, one section stands out: the Djinn hallucinations. After drinking contaminated water, Nathan Drake begins to hallucinate that enemy agents are possessed or replaced by mythical fire spirits called Djinn. As Nate fights his way through the battlefield, he encounters enemies who can throw fireballs and teleport. These supernatural abilities make his journey seem more challenging to players who have become accustomed to fighting only other humans in previous games in the series. On top of that, players also must deal with Nate’s warped field of vision.

Chamber 18 – Portal 2

Portal 2’s Chamber 18 is one of the most difficult puzzles in the game. In this chamber, GLaDOS threatens to bake Chell into a cake and has you navigating lasers, hard-light bridges and turrets while avoiding acid pits. Though the solution is not that hard to figure out, navigating through can be a difficult and tedious task.

Springlock Suit – Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location

In one level from Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location, the player is trapped in a rapidly failing springlock suit. To stay alive, they must continue to wind the springlocks while also fending off attacks by small animatronics called Minireenas. This level requires players to complete the series of tasks in quick succession for several consecutive minutes. The game was released with this level so difficult that many players couldn’t make it through, which prompted the developer to patch the game to make it easier.

Just Can’t Wait to be King – The Lion King

Despite the Disney movie’s reputation for kid-friendly entertainment, one level in the Sega Genesis game The Lion King was particularly stressful. The second level of the game, “Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” involves throwing you from one moving object to the next. You have to jump on giraffes and swing on hippopotamus tails while avoiding monkeys who throw you in the wrong direction and cause you to fall into a pit. Memorizing the correct path through this level is no small feat.

Labyrinth Level – Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog’s Labyrinth level is among the most difficult video game levels. The Labyrinth level’s watery design, with its ramps and spikes, makes it a challenge for players to beat. The labyrinth level is mostly underwater, so you need to be careful and make sure you get between breathing spots quickly. If you run out of breath or stay underwater too long, Sonic will die.

The Kid’s Level – Super Meat Boy

Super Meat Boy is a difficult platforming game that requires fast reflexes and concentration to beat. While there are dozens of challenging levels, The Kid’s Level is considered by players to be the most difficult. Although you do get unlimited lives and each stage is relatively short, there’s no room for error. In the first level, you must learn how to jump from wall to wall effectively; in the second, you must time your jumps as you tap forward and backward to avoid spikes aboard a moving platform; in the last, you must perform perfectly precise jumps.

Trench Battle – Super Star Wars

Super Star Wards is a notoriously difficult Star Wars game that was designed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment Series or SNES. Many people would argue that every level of the game is actually pretty impossible. That said, Trench Battle, as the final level, is a noticeable step up from the rest of them. This level has players flying through a trench directly at attacking spacecrafts. Naturally, this does not allow for much movement, making things that much trickier. Getting through the trench battle alive is nigh on impossible!

Parking lot tutorial – Driver

The driving game series aptly named Driver is not up there in the hardest games of all time. Ironically enough though, the tutorial section of the first Driver game on PS1 is more challenging that the entire game that follows on from that point. It takes place in a parking lots and navigating the small gaps and odd turning of the building is hard enough, but it also gives you driving tasks to complete with very limited times. It’s no wonder lots of players never made it past this point.

Animal Antics – Donkey Kong Country 2

Donkey Kong Country 2 is not the hardest game of all time for the most part. Not even the whole of the Animal Antics level is too impossible, though the accuracy it calls for is tricky. There are a few things about level that brings it up into being one of the most difficult video game levels. The wind in the Animal Antics level along with all the squawkers coming at you means successful completion of the level that much harder.

The Pickup – Cyberpunk 2077

Though The Pickup is one of the first missions in Cyberpunk 2077, it is still the trickiest in the game. There are a lot of choices you as the player have to make during the pickup, some of which will make the mission even more difficult. Some choices lead to this mission being particularly tough just for endurance reasons since it can be a slog, but other choices lead to you having to be incredibly quick and stealthy in order to complete the mission.

Orphan of Kos, Bloodborne

Many of the fights you have to undertake in Bloodborne feel absolutely deadly but none more so that the Orphan of Kos. He is undoubtedly the most challenging creature to beat. This is partially because his health level is impossibly high, but has an arsenal of moves that will hit you from either close up or from a distance. You are not safe anywhere around this creature and oh boy does that make things difficult. Your only chance is perfect timing, and even then it’ll be a tough one.

Psycho Mantis – Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid is primarily a series of stealth based games that bring you right into a thriller. Psycho Mantis is one character that you are put up against who wears a gas mask to hide both his face and mind. He is one of the most difficult characters to beat due to his ability to know what you’re going to do. He’s incredibly fast and scuttles about, hence the name, and his attacks hit harder than a lot of other bosses.

Malenia battle – Elden Ring

There aren’t exactly levels in Elden Ring, but there are lots of different bosses. This open world fantasy combat game is pretty well known as being hard to complete. Many of the bosses feel impossible to beat but none quite as much so as Malenia. There are two phases of Malenia as a boss which are Blade of Miquella and the second is Goddess of Rot. It takes speed, accuracy and approximately 763 tries to beat her once and for all.

Path of Pain – Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight looks like a pretty cute game, given the art style. If you decide to pick the game up, you’ll discover that it’s a lot trickier than you first expected. The Path of Pain is unequivocally the hardest section of Hollow Knight which, given the name, isn’t too shocking. Getting through this level of the game takes immense precision. Your timing has to be perfect and you must be constantly on the lookout for whatever could knock you down to get through this one.

Frigid Outskirts – Dark Souls 2

The Dark Souls game franchise is known for being one of the most challenging out there which is why several quests from it appear on this list. Frigid Outskirts is another quest from the second Dark Souls game that is too hard for most to complete. Not only is the boss in this area nearly impossible to beat, but the trek to reach them is beyond difficult. It takes place in a snowstorm which reduces visibility significantly and reindeer enemies you can barely see come at you from all sides on the way.

Mission 18 – Devil May Cry 3

The third instalment in the Devil May Cry game franchise is known by all players to be the hardest of the lot. The game had you fighting incredibly difficult enemies throughout, but in the 18th mission, you are made to fight all of them at the same time. The confusing map which is somehow both super narrow and all over the place makes it so there is no way around any of those enemies either. It doesn’t help that there are hardly any ways to reinstate your health throughout either.

Archstone of the Chieftain – Demon’s Souls

Overall, Demon’s Souls is not renowned for its difficulty but this archstone is on a similar difficulty level to some of the hardest Dark Souls levels. The poisonous swap setting combined with the plague status which makes you lose health at twice the speed is already enough to set players off. Most players do what they can to avoid enemies but it only gets you so far, given the high numbers.

The Ghoul’s Stomach – Super Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts

The Ghoul’s Stomach is the fourth stage of the game. The platform you are stuck on for part of that stage scrolls from side to side over powerful geysers as you attempt to overcome it. The difficulty of the rotating location makes the entire stage of the game incredibly daunting and there are so many kinds of enemies to keep track of throughout. It’s a wonder anyone completed it in one piece.

Lavender Tower – Pokémon Red and Blue

Located inside Lavender Tower are two Pokémon which the player has to vanquish, but they’re invisible, making fighting them impossible. Players have to travel to an entirely different area, fight through Team Rocket’s underground lair and procure a special item which finally renders their foes visible. Worst of all, players have to figure all of this out for themselves.

Olympus Heights – Bioshock

Even in a game as infamous for its difficulty as Bioshock, Olympus Heights still stands out. For the first half of the level, players have to contend with their health bar inexorably draining itself, making resource management and avoiding damage imperative. Then, once they find the antidote to that particular problem, the special powers they have grown reliant on to handle enemies begin to malfunction unpredictably.

Meat Circus – Psychonauts

Meat Circus, the final level of 3D platformer Psychonauts, was so punishingly brutal that rereleases of the game had the difficulty toned down. Thanks to a blend of platforming that requires almost supernatural reflexes, horrifying circus-themed enemies and a moronic child that players have to continually shepherd out of harm’s way, Meat Circus caused many players to abandon the game without completing it.

Unfortunate Development – Rain World

The only saving grace about Unfortunate Development is that exploring the nightmarish region is optional. Even diehard fans of Rain World loathe the level, and there are entire Reddit threads dedicated to complaining about the abrupt introduction of new, unfair physics and the utterly horrifying giant daddy longlegs that seem to be lurking on every single surface.

Warehouse – Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

The Final Fantasy spinoff Crisis Core ditched the franchise’s turn-based combat in favor of real-time action. While the makers of the game did a good job with the combat mechanics, the same cannot be said for their grasp of stealth. A level in the Modeoheim area required players to sneak into a warehouse, relying on trial and error (mostly error) to find a path through the guards.

Maridia – Super Metroid

Navigating Maridia, the penultimate level of 1994’s Super Metroid, is borderline impossible without the gravity suit that can be found in the previous area. The problem is, the game doesn’t bother to tell you this, and there’s no way to go back if you didn’t pick it up. Even with the suit, Maridia is a fraught experience, with players having to simultaneously deal with relentless enemies and hidden environmental dangers.

The Club – Sifu

Every time the player dies in martial arts brawler Sifu, their character is revived slightly older, until they finally die for good and have to restart the game. This mechanic gives dying real weight and also explains why the second level is so stressful. Set in a nightclub, the level involves fighting an onslaught of increasingly difficult foes, and it’s ruthlessly difficult.

Argent D’Nur – Doom

The 2016 reboot of Doom delivered an experience that’s as close to a pure FPS as possible. Players have to rely on their reflexes to survive, moving nonstop to avoid taking damage and unleashing heavy fire on hordes of demons. The game’s last level – Argent D’Nur – upped the ante significantly, throwing wave after wave of powerful enemies at the player in a truly breathless finale.

Dead Wind Cavern – Fallout: New Vegas

Deathclaws – reptilian, carnivorous warnings about the dangers of GMO – are universally feared by players of the Fallout franchise, for good reason. Fortunately, the mutant lizards are encountered infrequently, and rarely in groups. The exception to the rule is Dead Wind Cavern, an underground labyrinth populated with numerous Deathclaws, including a Legendary Deathclaw which is one of the most fearsome opponents in the entire game.