A game can make you rage quit in a number of ways: its overwhelming difficulty, consistent failure at trying to unlock a tedious/grueling achievement, or perhaps the skill difference between you and other players. Still, there’s fun in a good challenge!

I’m a person who loves spending as much time as possible on one game, just to see everything and reach as close to 100% completion as possible. However, there are a few titles out there that are incredibly difficult to fully complete, likely for one of the three reasons mentioned above.

Let’s take a look at games that won’t be a breeze to complete, and will instead present you with challenges so demanding that it’ll be sure to make you feel accomplished when you’ve finally triumphed over its hurdles.

Up for the challenge? Try your hand at these rage-inducing video game challenges to get your heart racing. Warning: There will be spoilers for several of the titles below.

Challenge #1: Beat Akuma & Climb the Ranks Online

Are you winning a fight? Are your combos landing? Well, perhaps your opponent will tap a single button on their controller to activate and land their Rage Art (appropriately named, by the way), which is essentially a cinematic special move that’ll have you watch in anger as your health is pummelled into oblivion. If you’ve played online against other real players in Tekken 7, you’ll have likely encountered the frustration that’s tagged with these maneuvers. That’s not all though: Play the Special Chapter after beating the main story to face Akuma from the Street Fighter universe. It’s already difficult on regular difficulty settings, so let’s not even think about amping it up just yet. Playing as the powered-up Devil Kazuya is nothing short of cool, although facing the fireball-spamming Akuma will probably make you forget that you’re playing as such an intimidating figure. Take me back to an earlier Tekken when I can spam 3 as Hwoarang to kick my way to victory!

Challenge #2: A Legendary Camo Among a Sweatfest

Try not to throw your controller when you’re playing online multiplayer in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Yes, even though that title is a mouthful, you’ll probably feel like hurling words of rage whenever skilled-based matchmaking kicks in after you’ve levelled up a good number of times. You’ll be seeing red if you try to unlock the DM Ultra camouflage skin for your weapons, which requires you to first unlock the Diamond camos for every weapon category, which first must be unlocked by obtaining individual Gold camos by completing a certain set of challenges that are unlocked as you level up a weapon. If your head isn’t spinning after reading this, maybe it will be once you delve into the fast-paced action of the game.

Challenge #3: The Evil Ending

Undertale isn’t hard, mostly. You can play the game how you want to, either as a traditional RPG where you vanquish those in your way or perhaps spare several monsters (or all of them) if you choose to. Much of it is light-hearted, with memorable characters and a catchy OST that’ll have you humming along even after you’ve beaten the game. However, if you’re feeling evil, perhaps slaying all the game’s characters will put you on a vile, unsettling route where you’ll eventually meet Undyne the Undying and the funny-boned yet overpowered Sans in the notorious “Genocide” route, which is difficult emotionally if you’ve grown to love the characters, but also gameplay-wise with Sans’ fast-paced moves in his respective battle.

Challenge #4: Rinsing and Repeating

Here’s a game I’d quit in no time. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a Souls-like game that demands impeccable timing. Hate parrying? Then this will be a struggle. The environment is stunning and immersive, although the violent nature of the setting, which takes place in the 1500s Sengoku period, will have players on their toes. A colleague of mine says it’s a rewarding experience after being patient and taking the time to learn the ins and outs of the game. So, let’s keep this challenge simple: Just beat the game! Truthfully, I know I couldn’t.

Challenge #5: A Deceiving Style

Cute but deadly — this game’s cartoonish style will have many players nostalgic for good ol’ classic television shows from decades past, although don’t be deceived by its charming looks and gorgeous rubber hose animations, because Cuphead is a relentless experience. Like the former entry, let’s not even talk about getting 100% completion but rather just consider getting through the initial game. If you’re like me and have trouble recognizing patterns, then you’ll be hitting the reset button as many times as you would in difficult platformers like Super Meat Boy, two different games that incur a similar amount of rage, from my experience. I’m getting stressed thinking about it, so I’ll stick to the Cuphead books instead.

Challenge #6: Too Many Collectibles!

Ahhh, revel in the breathtaking world-building of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The cozy colours and massive mountains are an excellent combination — because once you manage to scale a tall mountain, which can be quite tedious, you can admire Hyrule and the environment around you. It’s worth the climb! As a little tip, try to find armour that gives you resistance to certain climates so that you can freely explore without anxiously keeping an eye on when your elixirs’ effects will wear off. But for those of you who have beaten this masterpiece, have you succeeded in finding all the Korok Seeds? All 900 of them without the Korok Mask or a guide? I think that would seriously take years, even if you dedicate hours to the game on a regular schedule.

Challenge #7: Triple Threat — 300% Completion

While Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition isn’t nearly as difficult as the original three games for the PlayStation 2, its integration into a modernized gaming experience has made it more accessible both for original players who want to relive that nostalgia but also for newcomers to the trilogy who want to get a taste of the original open-world sandbox experience. However, trying to complete each game 100% will be a grueling task. Take Vice City as an example, where you must clear 36 unique stunt jumps; after completing each one, you won’t know which ones are left unless you track them yourself. There’s a lot to do, so steer clear of the ocean and drive around the map to tackle each task one at a time until you finish it all — at least, until you begin a new save file in one of the other two classic GTAs.

Generally, I feel that modern video games aren’t as punishing as older ones; however, that doesn’t mean that newer games are a walk in the park. If the challenges above are still too easy though — which probably means you’re a very experienced, patient, and perhaps pro gamer — then dig through our catalogue and find a game from a genre you don’t typically play. Fond of shooters? Try a puzzle game! Love RPGs? Then try your hand at a racing game! Also let us know what you think of these games by leaving a review on Bibliocommons!