The Hardest Games of 2021

The hardest games released in 2021, ranked by community difficulty votes. 30 titles have enough ratings to qualify, led by Aeterna Noctis at 8.9/10, ahead of Sunblaze and The Binding of Isaac: Repentance. Scores are averaged from player votes, with a five-rating minimum to appear.

Game	Release Year	Rating	Weighted Rating	Number of Ratings
Aeterna Noctis	2021	8.9	8.7	9
Sunblaze	2021	8.5	8.3	10
The Binding of Isaac: Repentance	2021	8.3	8.1	19
Jupiter Hell	2021	8.3	8.0	12
Stardash	2021	8.2	7.9	6
Cyber Shadow	2021	7.8	7.6	10
Returnal	2021	7.7	7.5	21
Astalon: Tears of the Earth	2021	7.6	7.4	7
Darkest Dungeon II	2021	7.4	7.3	7
Rift Wizard	2021	7.5	7.3	12
Grime	2021	7.3	7.1	19
Blue Fire	2021	7.1	6.9	11
Revita	2021	7.0	6.8	12
Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy	2021	6.5	6.3	10
Synthetik 2	2021	6.5	6.2	11
Metroid Dread	2021	6.2	6.0	20
Against the Storm	2021	5.9	5.8	18
Resident Evil Village	2021	5.8	5.6	12
Halo Infinite	2021	5.3	5.1	12
Loop Hero	2021	5.3	5.0	16
Valheim	2021	5.1	5.0	8
Death's Door	2021	5.0	4.8	12
Call of Duty: Vanguard	2021	4.8	4.6	14
Far Cry 6	2021	4.6	4.5	8
Psychonauts 2	2021	3.9	3.7	15
Vampire Survivors	2021	3.6	3.4	20
It Takes Two	2021	3.5	3.4	13
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond	2021	3.4	3.2	11
Forza Horizon 5	2021	3.3	3.1	13
Pokémon Shining Pearl	2021	3.3	3.0	11

Hardest games by genre

RPGs Platformers Indie Games Shooters Puzzle Games Turn-Based Strategy Games Hack-and-Slash & Beat 'em Ups Arcade Games Simulators Strategy Games

Hardest games by era

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s

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Difficulty Rankings

Find the most difficult, or the easiest, games as rated by players. Games must have at least 5 difficulty ratings to be ranked.

Game	Release Year	Rating	Weighted Rating	Number of Ratings