Top 10 Hardest Video Games of All Time

Top 10 Hardest Video Games of All Time

Written by Zeromage 101 Comments
Last Updated:: June 8, 2008

Remember the first time you played a game where you couldn’t get by the first level no matter how hard you tried? Remember thinking to yourself that you spent 3$ dollars borrowing a game that was so difficult you wanted to return it and ask for something more tolerable? The staff here at Old-Wizard remembers these games like we played them yesterday. We remember all the controllers crushed under the weight of our throwing power. We remember the broken windows from the throwing of the controller at them. It wasn’t until the invention of the Game Genie and emulator programs that we were able to make any headway into the places we wanted to in these video games. We didn’t think that all of the video games on this list were difficult because we couldn’t conquer the first level though. Some of the games on our list hit points where we just gives up because we knew that it would take a year of practice to conquer the part. On top of this, one would have to go back through the whole game to get to the part that takes a year of practice to conquer. This was vexing and when one had the chance for using cheats, they were used, knowing that they would get them to where they wanted to go regardless of the pride lost in the apparent lack of skill. These next games then are the definitive most difficult games of all time for us. No games more than these have ever been as smashed after playing them.
10. Gauntlet

Gauntlet was an extremely fun game with four players on any system. The first 30 levels or so were filled with the best medieval melee in all of videogamedom. It was past these levels though that Gauntlet started to become difficult even with four players playing at one time. Not only were the levels filled with enemies around every corner, but the levels seemed to never end. The daunting task of completing this game seemed like one of the most protracted video game adventures. Codes would be used often by the gamer who couldn’t bare going meticulously through each and every level. Gauntlet was a game that was to be enjoyed by players who wanted to have immediate fun with their friends trouncing bogeymen. When the game was played for over an hour though, the fun factor would give way to the never endinglessness of the game. In this sense, Gauntlet was never meant to be beaten, but to be enjoyed for only a certain amount of time. I’m pessimistic about the odds of me ever meeting anyone that has been through this entire game. Like other games on this list, people will say that a game is easy and could be beaten quickly, but we know deep down that this is mostly just talk. I’m sure this is the case with Gauntlet.

9. Blaster Master

Blaster Master had great music and a winning overall theme. The game was hard as fuck though. The most difficult part of the game was that there was no saves anywhere and no password system. To be able to go throughout this game with no save was a remarkable feat. The bosses were hard, the obstacles were hard, every part of this game was hard. One would have to convince himself that they were to spend the entire day working on conquering this game as one hint of lost attention would leave the adventure never to be beaten again. Some of the obstacles in Blaster Master were obfuscating and mind numbing. Parts where you had to fit the tank into a place that was about 5 times smaller than the tank proved to be disparaging. Parts where you had to walk around a bosses level with an inordinate amount of dead ends proved to be just as disparaging. The final bosses of the game seemed to take forever to destroy with not much energy to come by. Five continues and three lives per continue may seem much for any game, but the player would have to be prepared to use each and every one of their lives to accomplish this game. As the player grew accustomed to the difficulty level, they would become accustomed the fact that they needed the best weapons to make any headway in this game. Bosses would not be able to be extirpated with regular weapons. Like most great games though, Blaster Master could be beaten, showing a charm in making the player word hard for his achievement. It was not like some games on this list where it was basically impossible to beat even the first level. Blaster Master is heralded for its difficulty level then, even if it seems just a bit too hard at some points.

8. Bayou Billie

Bayou Billie had an absolutely ripping soundtrack. The main theme was as heavy on funk as a Parliament record. Bayou Billie was also absolutely difficult. The enemies that Billie came across in the game would not die. You would knock them down and they would just keep getting up. This wouldn’t be a problem if all the enemies were final bosses in levels, but every enemy was like fighting Abobo from Double Dragon. If one mastered the skills of fighting these sempiternal beasts, one would have to play even more difficult levels like the driving levels that would just not end. One quarter of the way through the level and you were overwhelming proud of yourself for making that far with all the insanely difficult turns and plethora of bombs coming from planes. Bayou Billie didn’t have it easy. Poor guy had to fight never ending levels with final bosses coming at him at every angle. Has anyone ever beat this game? I’ve put in about 100 hours in trying to get to the end of this game. I didn’t succeed. Bayou Billie had to go on the list for this reason.

7. Mike Tyson’s Punchout

Mike Tyson’s Punchout, unlike many games on this list, was actually moderately difficult to play through. Certainly, fighters such as Glass Joe and Don Flamingo were no challenge for little Mac. As one became good at this game, one could beat the likes of Mr. Sandman and Super Macho man easily and with a little practice. It was the last boss in Mike Tyson though that we witness one of the most difficult moments in video game history. One was amazed by how one small uppercut by Tyson could take Little Mac to the ground gasping for breath as Doc smiled on. Could a final boss really be this hard? Where was the gradual increase in difficulty level that could get you ready for this domination? Certainly, it wasn’t Super Macho Man regardless of how powerful his Tornado punches were. It wasn’t Don Flamenco part two who had the stamina of 10 men. Nothing could get you prepared for having to dodge oddly timed uppercuts by the Bronx basher. Timing down Tyson’s uppercuts was beyond challenging. The gamer had better hope he had a game genie where one punch to an opponent could knock them down, or infinite stamina so that Tyson’s punch no longer had any impact. Take away the cheats, and one had to time all the uppercuts perfectly which was unbearably difficult. Unlike Contra though, Tyson could be beat with hours and hours of practice. Still, Mike Tyson is one of the most noticeable signifiers for “Difficult Boss” in video game history. Every gamer is struck with fear in having to battle an opponent who could spell game over for you in 1 hit.

6. Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden was known for amazing game play, solid controlling and smooth cut scenes not seen in any other game up to that point. Ninja Gaiden was also know for its difficulty. The bosses after each area were always challenging, making the player try 10-20 times before they were able to master a boss’s moves. Some of the jumps that Ryu had to make while evading occidental birds were annoyingly difficult. The player had to earn their way through the game with each level getting increasingly more difficult to the point of having to stop the game and come back to it some time later. After the player made it through the difficult levels of 3 and 4, they had to face some of the most difficult gaming in level 6. Beyond the later levels of the game, Ryu had to fight 3 bosses at the end of the game, all subtly difficult in their own right. We also cant forget the fact that every time you lost to a boss, you had to start over from the beginning of the level making the player more cognizant of the energy he expended in the level before. This kind of mentality required many lonely nights in ones bedroom to conquer Ninja Gaiden…Everything was put on hold to defeat Jaquio. The later Ninja Gaiden games would all be known for their conspicuous difficulty level, but none would ever come close to the challenge that lied in Ninja Gaiden 1. Anyone who has ever played stage 6-2 and 6-3 in Ninja Gaiden will be able to affirm this claim. There have never been levels in video game history that require as much focus, prudence, and skill to be able to conquer. One felt proud of themselves after beating these levels.

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101 Comments

#1 Excelsior says:
March 19th, 2010 at 6:59 pm

good call on ninja gaiden…that bastard game took part in wasting my young fruitful life…

#2 Chad'z says:
March 19th, 2010 at 7:25 pm

Good list, but it’s mistitled. Shouldn’t this be the Top 10 hardest NES games of all time!?

Well, 9 out of 10 isn’t bad. I’d disagree about “Paperboy” being difficult. The NES port is fairly challenging. It IS quite possible to beat it, though because I’ve done it.

I think you left out: Silver Surfer; Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde; Dragon’s Lair; Top Gun; Fester’s Quest (all of which have been reviewed by the ANgry Video Game Nerd, and HILARIOUSLY I might add!)

#3 seiji says:
March 19th, 2010 at 7:58 pm

some games are missing here…. the masochist Star Wars saga for SNES, sifficult on hard, suicide in the “bonus” jedi difficult. (“Bonus” because it felt more like a punishment than a reward…)

#4 AoZain says:
March 19th, 2010 at 9:34 pm

Ok, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is agonizingly stupid, but frankly, I don’t know if its POSSIBLE to get past the rolling barrels level. And where does any of it fit in the lore? GOD only knows why the good doctor can EAT BEES. It really deserves a place on this list.

#5 Pingfa says:
March 19th, 2010 at 9:57 am

I seem to remember The Ninja on the Master System being a very difficult game – though I was quite young when I played it, even though dying was frequent and I had to start again it never made me want to smash the game; instead, it made me want to keep on playing until I do it, and although I never completed it, one gets a great feeling of satifaction each time they get to a new level.
That game was most likely my favourite Master System game. Loved it. Most played game as a child. I want it back…

Another game I seem to remember being awfully difficult and more vexing than The Ninja, was Asterix and Obelix for Master System. That was another I was playing as a young child during The Ninja days.
Although, I never really got very annoyed at video games like most old-school gamers did; but this one was a little annoying, and less satisfying. Still a real fun game, though.

#6 Sulphur Man says:
March 19th, 2010 at 10:33 am

Ikaruga. Granite hard.

#7 Fossil says:
March 19th, 2010 at 4:27 pm

Ghost and Goblins was one of my all time favorites, it was difficult to beat but I did it.

#8 pitt says:
March 19th, 2010 at 5:12 pm

contra is not hard, i can beat the thing in 20 minutes. and how the hell do they not mention Fester’s Quest, Bubble Bobble or Wizards and warriors.

#9 Furry Apple the Pear Tree says:
March 19th, 2010 at 12:00 am

Contra was hard as fuck without the code!

#10 plo says:
March 19th, 2010 at 5:11 am

do you know anything?

#11 Pingfa says:
March 19th, 2010 at 3:16 am

I don’t know about Contra for the NES, – I haven’t played it – but Contra: Hard Corps for the Genesis/Mega Drive is definitely one of the most difficult games I’ve ever played.

This is deliberate on Konami’s part. A little nitpick everyone may or may not know, “Hard Corps” is synonymous with the word HARDCORE, so as to imply that the game is for ‘hard core gamers’

Good luck in trying to find anyone who will sweat it out with you to reach the end. Most people give up after dying first few times.

#12 James says:
March 19th, 2010 at 10:44 am

Sub-Terrania on the Mega Drive / Genesis was hard as a rock

#13 poon says:
March 19th, 2010 at 8:14 am

def battletoads was hard, but it was awesome

#14 Chink says:
March 19th, 2010 at 8:25 pm

Wtf?

What kind of pussy are you?

#15 MARC says:
March 19th, 2010 at 10:45 pm

Are these really the hardest games you have ever played. was the reviewer 12 yrs old when he wrote this? Speaking as an adult of 35 yrs, and a gamer for 30, non of these games are that challenging and were not that challenging at the time…….

As someone else said, maybe this list should be hardest games on nes. Maybe you should get a PC engine, spanks the arse of Nes and SNES……..Get over your BLATANT Nintendo fanboyism and you might start learning something about video games. As it is my friends and I just come to laugh at your over zealous love of Nintendo.

(Just one of many videogame companies, some companies even make games for adults)

#16 GamerMan says:
March 19th, 2010 at 7:01 pm

This list blows, and should have been labeled hardest nes games.

And here’s a better list of hardest nes games
http://flamingbaby.com/gaming/top-10/20-most-difficult-nes-games.html

#17 Helequin says:
March 19th, 2010 at 5:00 pm

Gamerman your list has most of the same games on it. So if “this list blows” then so does yours.

MARC if you didn’t find Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins challenging then good for you, but I doubt there are many people who have the monumental skills that you must therefore posses, even if you are thirty five. Which by the way i feel I should congratulate you for. I’m not sure why, but seeing as you think being thirty five makes your opinion more valid I guess there must be something about it, so congrats.
Also, if you think nintendo doesn’t make games for adults then you’ve got a thing or too to “learn about video games” yourself. Also perhaps you and your friends should find a pass time that doesn’t require you to be such an ass? just a thought.

#18 Will says:
March 19th, 2010 at 10:22 pm

Great list! You called it…I was the guy hitting my Battletoad partner from behind, only holding us back..

Have you ever played Star Wars on the NES? that game is HARD! Sandpeople just run over you if you aren’t ready…

#19 old-wizard.com says:
March 19th, 2010 at 10:26 pm

Yeah Star Wars was an epic game.

#20 Sean says:
March 19th, 2010 at 4:50 pm

I can (well, could) beat Blaster Master in about 2.5 hours, all the way through. I played that game till my thumbnails bled.

Good call on Battletoads. Damned hard game with the jetski level, if I remember correctly.

#21 gary says:
March 19th, 2010 at 7:44 pm

O.K. First things first. I beat Bayou Billy!! And where is Alundra(ps1) Only the second hardest game i’ve ever played!! However, you must be on crack for not putting Shin Megami Tensei NOCTURNE(ps2) at number one much less at all on this list!! No codes, and a strategy guide with nearly 400 pages, and it means NOTHING!! This game still can’t be beat!!! And strangely enough it’s still fun!

#22 Chris says:
March 19th, 2010 at 2:49 am

I’ve got a list idea: how about the top 10 or whatever most painfully addictive games. These were games ridiculously hard and unrewarding, yet we were compelled to hit “continue.”

#23 zlothemeek says:
March 19th, 2010 at 11:01 pm

shinobi for the sega master system was frustratingly difficult.

#24 Shadsilvson says:
March 19th, 2010 at 7:21 pm

Hmm interesting. I’m suprised that Silver Surfer isn’t on there.

#25 Eddie says:
March 19th, 2010 at 3:47 pm

Good article. I remember playing Double Dragon 3 and even at a young age getting stressed out knowing my parents gave me one rental a weekend and this was my game. You had to have two players and nunchucks to get anywhere near the second level and if you did get to the second level, you might as well walk away then. Contra, Gaiden, Battletoads, all hard as hell.

#26 kevin15man says:
March 19th, 2010 at 5:25 pm

I want to be that guy 999999 times harder them those games http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/

#27 Richard says:
March 19th, 2010 at 8:35 pm

35 year old guy is just fanboying. I have probably finished every popular game since the 90’s and Battletoads is easily the hardest videogame ever. Maybe he played the Genesis or the japanese NES version, games that were much harder than stuff like Ninja Gaiden Black, but much easier than theoriginal Battletoads. I partially agree with some stuff. Contra was pretty hard, but not hardest games in history material. Battletoads is right on the money though.

#28 Richard says:
March 19th, 2010 at 5:14 am

BTW, I wanna be the guy is way easier than Battletoads and it is also easier than Ghost’n Goblins. IWBTG impresses new school players only – people that think Ninja Gaiden Black is really tough (it isn’t)

#29 Internet Toughguy says:
March 19th, 2010 at 11:00 pm

You forgot any bullet-hell style shmup, ie: DoDonPachi, Ikaruga, Mushihime Sama…etc. Plus you forgot Gunstar Heroes, and don’t put the “of All Time” tagline on your articles if the games included are not from all time.

#30 drnicely says:
March 19th, 2010 at 10:38 am

This was a great list until you missed the single most bastardly difficult game ever conceived – the original Castlevania. If that doesn’t make the top 10 most difficult list, then something’s wrong with the list. Great otherwise. Especially Bayou Billy and Ninja Gaiden. Never beat Bayou Billy, but made it to the “French Quarter?” I think. Horrible.

#31 e says:
March 19th, 2010 at 8:43 pm

So, a NES list of hard games without Bucky O’Hare…
I though you knew about NES games lol.

#32 Lobo says:
March 19th, 2010 at 11:06 am

The one game I have never finished without any cheats was Walker

#33 CHandler Frisbee says:
March 19th, 2010 at 4:34 am

I Wanna be the Guy? Should have been number 1.

#34 Richard says:
March 19th, 2010 at 7:03 pm

Some games you missed: Ironsword, Section Z, Star Voyager, and Robocop 3. Ironsword is like playing Contra with no code. Star Voyager is annoyingly lame and difficult with an underpowered starship and enemies that kill you faster than you can hit reset. Section Z is a game that requires a full day without an emulator, no saves, and a maze of sections to reach each new area. With 60 sections and a very vulnerable hero, you’ll die quick. Robocop3 just gave you a poorly responsive hero who took up too much of the screen, couldn’t jump and had a suit that attracted bullets. They were all NES or SNES games, but I promise they were harder than any modern equivilant.

#35 ron says:
March 19th, 2010 at 3:57 am

I am playing Ninja gaiden 2 right now and I can beat 3 damn bosses after completing the horrible level 7-2! 3 bosses!

#36 Richard says:
March 19th, 2010 at 2:15 am

Ninja gaiden 2 is by far the easiest Ninja Gaiden for the NES. The other two blow the roof off of difficulty.

#37 Crapcarp says:
March 19th, 2010 at 11:05 pm

Battletoads, while very challenging(to say the least), is nothing compared to the homage the games on this list and more. A game that is not on a console, but a free download for your computer(I suppose that makes it disqualified from the list). I am talking about the ultimate gamer challenge that is “I Wanna be the Guy”! Play that and then tell me Battletoads is harder.

#38 DoomCanoe says:
March 19th, 2010 at 9:15 am

Solomon’s key

that’s all I’m sayin

#39 Jono says:
March 19th, 2010 at 7:02 am

Wow, I can’t believe Papperboy made it in at number 2.

I got my hands on a copy for the NES a few weeks back (no emulation crap here, only the real deal) and finished the game in around 15 attempts after not playing the game for 10 odd years – and I am no Papperboy junkie (just an old cart junkie).

I am not saying the game is not hard but it is certainly not up their with games like Impossible Mission II and Raid 2020 – those two games in particular a absolute nightmares as classic as they may be.

Also I thought I might mention that Papperboy goes all the way to freaking Sunday!!! Dear god when I first got up to the end of Friday my heart was racing thinking I had just beat this darn game but oh no when I saw the words Saturday appear I almost literally crapped myself knowing all to well that this game would end on Sunday.

Also after beating the game all you get is a screen saying “Papperboy retires gracefully” or some crap long those lines.

Well it was still satisfying to complete so now I never have to played it again – a little like Crash Dummies for the SMS, I guess.

– Jono

P.S
If anyone has any questions or comments regarding the above, feel free to drop me a message on finger_freak@hotmail.com

#40 wwcoop says:
March 19th, 2010 at 6:31 pm

I don’t think Battletoads can be considered #1. There are games on this list that I could never beat without cheating, but this is not one of them. Similar to Contra, there is a way to rack up lots of extra guys, but this isn’t a cheat – it is part of the game. The game is all about learning the patterns. Once you know the pattern, there are few sections that require a high level of agility. The wave 3 scooter stage is pretty brutal. I will say that it is next to impossible to get past that in 2 player mode.

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In the second wave, if you keeping hitting the birds and other enemies, you can juggle the enemies to rack up extra guys. It takes some practice, but it is not terribly difficult to learn this technique. With these extra “toads”, you are given a lot more chances to get through later sections.

#41 Matt says:
March 19th, 2010 at 9:38 pm

Dude, Contra certainly does not require the code to be beaten. I can easily beat it with the base number of lives that you are given. All you have to do is play it a good amount of times and you come to know all the enemy patterns. To say that you can’t get to level 3 without the code is ridiculous. Anyone who can’t do that is pretty pathetic.

#42 tyler says:
March 19th, 2010 at 11:58 pm

The hardest game of all time is Smash TV for NES.

And I agree with Matt, Contra is easy.

#43 Kamposhj says:
March 19th, 2010 at 7:43 pm

Paperboy is #2? I used to play that game like crazy on the C64 and distinctly remember reaching Sunday several times. Once you memorized wear all the obstacles were, it wasn’t hard if you took it slow. My brothers never did make it past Wednesday or Thursday though.

#44 Lenny says:
March 19th, 2010 at 2:03 pm

What about Kingdom Hearts 2?

#45 kt says:
March 19th, 2010 at 12:42 am

Great pick on no. 1. Battletoads was definitely hard. Great call on Double Dragon too. But I disagree on Contra. I can finish that game without using a cheat and not die once back then. Of course it took some practice but I did it.

And yeah, why are all the games here in NES? I think Super R-Type should be here too.

#46 Dazir says:
March 19th, 2010 at 1:37 am

I was shocked to see Double Dragon 3 on this list. If you had DD2 experience, you shouldn’t have trouble starting this game. The only hard parts are at the end of the 3rd level and the end boss who had an array of magic attacks and lot’s of health. After playing DD2 and DD3 i picked up DD1 and i personally find that the hardest of them all.

#47 mulebob says:
March 19th, 2010 at 5:53 am

yeah this is an ok list. ninja gaiden is a good addition especally. im only 18 and ive played most of these at one time or another. paperboy particularly had alot of time into it but i only ever reached Friday (i was so if i was doing that at 8 i can prolly do sunday now. i never beat ninja gaiden i got to the second to last level once and i just got fed up with it. ghost’s and goblins i got to the damn 3rd to last boss i think or somthing like that, tried for about 6 hours to egt past that section, never did and i havent tried again sience this was 2 years ago. and i actually beat contra when i was 8 without the cheat code i was good at memorising that game but i put countless hours in.

I however have one game that should be an addition to this. ninja tirtles for the NES OMFG this game was the most frustratingly hard game i have ever played just geting past that damn part where you need to defuse the damn at the end of the first level area took me almost a year to egt past, and then i cant even figure out what to do in the next section so out of frustration i simply gave up and put that game down forever I want to punch whoever made that game right in the crotch for taking those precious hours away from me with almost no reward.

otherwise though this is a pretty good list except it also dosent have the original donkey Kong

#48 Avi says:
March 19th, 2010 at 10:56 am

am I the only one that found the code made contra harder?

#49 Michael says:
March 19th, 2010 at 3:14 pm

well this seems like you made a list for hardest nes games. Yes battletoads was pretty damn hard to beat. However contra wasnt that hard. And double dragon 3 is pretty easy (especially the boss fights). However good list.

#50 byron says:
March 19th, 2010 at 2:49 am

final fantasy 3 was by far the hardest game i ever played. you guys cant sit there and tell me u beat it without a walkthrough. mike tyson is too easy. thats embarrasing

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