There’s a famous saying that points out that ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’.

But how does that apply to video gaming? When the going gets tough, isn’t it just easier to flick off the console and go do something less difficult instead? Or is this when the challenge is at its tastiest, driving the hungriest and most determined gamers onwards in a quest for success?

There was only one way to find out – to gather the UK’s gamers together to talk boss fights, end-of-level ingenuity and playing on into the small hours. Rise to the challenge and join us on our quest to uncover the most fiendishly difficult games and bosses of all time.

What makes a video game tough?

As gamers play more, they learn more. All the right moves and combinations, when to push forward and when to hold back. They’ll also develop a feel for what works and what doesn’t, along with an early sense of when a game is going to get tricky and put all their skills to the test.

When asked, the UK’s players regarded complex controls as the most difficult element of gameplay, with 47% of gamers calling it out as the hardest component to master. This comes followed closely by unclear objectives or instructions, with 43% of those asked pointing out that a little more crystal clarity wouldn’t go amiss.

Other factors that contribute to a tougher gaming experience include a limited number of checkpoints or save points, with 31% feeling the pain of progressing further than ever before only to conk out just as salvation is in sight. Unforgiving enemies or bosses (more on them later) give 30% of gamers a hard day at the office, while perma-death or limited lives take the shine off things for 22% of players.

So – why carry on?

If you’re not a gamer yourself then you might be asking why on earth would anyone persist? 70% of those we spoke to admitted to abandoning a game for good due to it being too difficult, while 2% would go as far as breaking or throwing something in disgust.

Thankfully, mugs and vases nationwide can generally breathe a sigh of relief, as 56% would take a calmer approach with some time out before trying again later in the day. Meanwhile 36% take zen to the next level and come back to the game refreshed after a break longer than 24 hours, while 17% prefer to grab some fresh air and go for a walk to calm down before having another go.

There are other ways to conquer difficult dilemmas, such as watching walkthroughs online (favoured by 29% of gamers), looking up online hints (27%), or watching streamers play the game on Twitch (8%).

The reasons gamers insist on persisting are numerous. The top reason to soldier on is pure personal satisfaction, with 65% of gamers admitting to feeling well chuffed to have vanquished the big bosses. 63% simply enjoy completing a game, 30% like the feeling of improving themselves as a gamer, while a curious 29% keep going as they are determined to see what happens next.

Top 10 reasons gamers persist with a difficult game

Well hard – gaming’s baddest bosses

So let’s deal with exactly who are the biggest barriers to progress in gaming – the end of level bosses. We scoured Google search data to find out which bosses generate the most searches for help. And because many gamers are visual learners, we took a look to discover the most viewed walkthroughs on YouTube. Between both sources of data, we’ve managed to identify the hardest and most-difficult-to-beat bosses in gaming.

And the title of Boss of the Bosses goes to Malenia from 2022’s Elden Ring. With an annual search total of 30,660 (that’s 1,900 searches a month) for ‘how to beat Malenia’ and a total of 3,130,806 views per year for Shirrako’s ‘Elden Ring – Malenia, Blade of Miquella Boss Fight’ online video, the potent red-haired demigod princess is the toughest of the lot.

Hot on her heels (or her prosthetic right arm, at least) comes Sans, the eternally grinning and blue hoodie-wearing character from 2015’s role-player Undertale. Final boss of the game’s Genocide Route, the popular Sans is the subject of 8,990 annual Google searches for ‘how to beat Sans’ and a staggering 4,069,242 views per year of Sukwako Moriya’s video ‘Sans’ boss fight – Genocide Run’.

Other high-scoring bosses when it comes to difficulty include Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid 5 (1998), Elden Ring’s Omen Margit, and King Dice from 2017’s Cuphead.

The hardest bosses to beat

By Google searches

Help! The toughest video games in the UK

So while Malenia and Sans get settled on their thrones, it’s time to take a look at which games are the toughest overall according to UK gamers. When it came to genre, action games were rated the hardest, taking 30% of the vote. Close behind were first-person shooters (FPS) with a score of 27%, fighting games (21%) and role-playing games (RPG) with 18%.

It's interesting to see how this pans out across the top 15 video games people seem to be the most stuck on, as based on average searches for help on Google. The top three are all action role-players, and Malenia can pat herself on the back for having done a great job, as Elden Ring takes the crown for toughest game by some distance, with an average annual total of 54,600 searches for the walkthrough and a difficulty score of 4.08 out of 5 on GameFAQs, which is deemed “tough”.

Second spot is claimed by 2020’s Final Fantasy VII, (a re-make of the 1997 original), which accrued 36,100 searches for the walkthrough between October 2023 – September 2024. Not quite grasping the Golden Snitch means that Hogwarts Legacy can only reach 3rd spot, despite an impressive 33,900 Google searches for the walkthrough. However, both of these games scored “just right” difficulty scores at 3.08 and 3.05 respectively, showing that it may not be only tough boss fights and unforgiving gameplay that have people searching for help, but that gamers are searching for walkthroughs for other elements that have them stuck, such as puzzles and collectables that help them complete the game.

Looking at the difficulty rating alone, Lost Lands 8, which comes in fourth and Hello Neighbor at 15th take the crown out of the top 15, with both scoring a “tough/unforgiving” score of 4.33 out of 5. Lost Lands 8: Sand Captivity challenges players with intricate puzzles that span across interconnected locations. This requires logical thinking, good memory, and attention to detail. The game offers minimal hints and therefore players must rely on their own problem-solving skills to decipher patterns, find hidden objects, and connect story elements, which is likely why the searches for walkthroughs are so high.

Hello Neighbor 2 uses adaptive AI that learns from your actions, creating a tense and unpredictable experience. Players must navigate complex, multi-layered environments while solving non-linear puzzles requiring exploration and experimentation. Stealth is a critical element in this game as the AI reacts to your strategies, becoming more aggressive with each failed attempt.

And how do UK gamers compare with players across the rest of the world when it comes to the hardest games? Well, by and large, it looks like we’re on a similar page. The top two spots for difficulty are claimed by Elden Ring and Final Fantasy 7, just as they are here. Games that feature higher on a worldwide scale, however, include sixth-placed Super Mario RPG, the super-faithful remake of the 1996 Nintendo classic role-player and Hollow Knight in eighth place – a Metroidvania action adventure.

When looking at the difficulty rating, the toughest game on the worldwide list is Sekiro: Shadows Dies Twice, with a “tough/unforgiving” score of 4.5 out of 5. This game is notoriously challenging due to its precision-based combat system, which involves breaking an enemy's posture through perfectly timed deflections, attacks, and counters. The game demands quick reflexes and a mastery of timing, with mistakes harshly punished and often leading to immediate death. The difficulty is further enhanced with the lack of healing items available and the fact there are no difficulty settings/options.

So, if you’re ready and willing to the rise to the challenge of the very toughest games out there, you’ll need the right gear to head into battle with. If you fancy taking on Malenia on the PS5, we’ve got you covered. And if you’d rather face up to her without having to do so on your TV, why not treat yourself to a handheld Playstation Portal? That way you can take her on wherever you can pick up your home WiFi signal.

We can also line you up with a fantastic handheld gaming PC or a terrific handheld console, such as the exciting Nintendo Switch. Or if you’re an Xbox owner and find yourself in need of a new challenge, why not grab an Xbox Game Pass subscription and download some of the tough stuff?

Methodology

Search volume data for the most search walkthroughs and hardest bosses was taken from Google Keyword Planner using the searches “walkthrough” and “how to beat” plus a list of 100 of the hardest bosses taken from articles. This data was collected between 24/10/2024-29/10/2024.

Boss fight video views were collected manually using the top boss fight search volume data and filtering by view count to find videos with the highest views on YouTube.

The difficulty rating was collected manually for the featured games from GameFAQs

The survey was conducted using Pollfish and included 1,000 gamers (console and PC) based in the UK over the age of 18.