The most difficult RPGs according to GameFAQs users

[Roguey]

Over at gamefaqs, users can rank a game's difficulty with a 1-5 scale and they've also set it up that you can list 'em by rank as so https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/rankings?platform=19&genre=48&list_type=diff&dlc=1&min_votes=2. I've cherry picked a bunch of notable titles so youse don't have to sift through all the shovelware. The first number is the quality ranking (out of 5), the second is the difficulty score, 5 being the highest quality/difficulty.

Wizardry: The Return of Werdna - The Fourth Scenario 3.64 4.55
Might and Magic: Book One 3.38 4.39
Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday 3.97 4.33
Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom 4.00 4.17
Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge 4.10 4.13
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord 4.13 4.13
Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed 4.25 4.13
Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant 3.95 4.10
An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire 3.04 4.06

Serpent in the Staglands 3.89 3.93
Gateway to the Savage Frontier 3.68 3.92
Ultima III: Exodus 3.26 3.90
Darklands 4.17 3.89
Geneforge 5: Overthrow 3.82 3.89
Dungeon Master 3.92 3.88
Wasteland 4.09 3.88
The Bard's Tale: Tales of the Unknown, Volume I 4.09 3.86
Realms of Arkania: Star Trail 3.82 3.86
Might and Magic II 3.56 3.83
The Age of Decadence 3.62 3.83
Underrail 4.12 3.82
Wizardry 8 4.26 3.82
The Dark Queen of Krynn 3.35 3.80
Death Knights of Krynn 3.90 3.80
Gothic II: Night of the Raven 4.34 3.79
Elex 3.29 3.77
Dungeon Master II: The Legend of Skullkeep 3.74 3.75
Champions of Krynn 3.63 3.73
The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight 3.80 3.73
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny 4.05 3.72
Pathfinder: Kingmaker 4.23 3.71
Pools of Darkness 3.72 3.70
Avernum 5 3.40 3.70
Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition 4.23 3.69
Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny 3.60 3.69
Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress 2.68 3.68
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar 3.89 3.67
Realms of Arkania III: Shadows Over Riva 3.98 3.67
Divinity: Original Sin II 4.31 3.64
Avernum: Escape From the Pit 3.75 3.64
Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon 3.85 3.63
Icewind Dale II 3.95 3.60
Baldur's Gate 4.24 3.58
Avernum 6 3.52 3.58
Pool of Radiance 3.95 3.56
Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor 3.19 3.56
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings 4.12 3.52
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal 4.38 3.51
Curse of the Azure Bonds 3.84 3.50
The Bard's Tale 3: The Thief of Fate 3.42 3.50
Geneforge 4: Rebellion 4.14 3.50
Eye of the Beholder 3.74 3.48
Avernum 4 3.45 3.46
Geneforge 3 3.65 3.44
Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra 4.09 3.44
Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money 3.59 3.44
Secret of the Silver Blades 3.90 3.43
Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part 1 3.83 3.43
Gothic II 4.20 3.42
Fallout 2 4.34 3.42
Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast 4.11 3.41
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn 4.46 3.40
Fallout 4.14 3.40
Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition 4.00 3.40
Ultima VII: The Black Gate 4.36 3.38
The Temple of Elemental Evil 3.55 3.37
Divinity: Original Sin 4.14 3.37
Might and Magic V: Darkside of Xeen 4.16 3.34
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut 3.73 3.34
Avernum 2: Crystal Souls 3.76 3.33
Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part 2 3.62 3.33
Ultima VI: The False Prophet 4.02 3.33
Mount & Blade: Warband 4.20 3.32
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition 4.34 3.31
The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon 4.08 3.31
Icewind Dale 3.93 3.30
Mount & Blade 3.87 3.30
Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter 3.89 3.30
Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle - The Silver Seed 4.12 3.29
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of The Betrayer 4.14 3.29
Arx Fatalis 3.73 3.29
Pillars of Eternity 4.05 3.29
Risen 3.69 3.29
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven 4.25 3.28
Dragon Age: Origins 4.30 3.26
Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle 4.30 3.26
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind 4.29 3.25
The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal 4.01 3.24
Shadowrun: Dragonfall 4.08 3.23
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura 4.23 3.21
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss 4.08 3.20
Torment: Tides of Numenera 3.65 3.18
Planescape: Torment 4.47 3.18
Fallout: New Vegas - Lonesome Road 3.89 3.17
Neverwinter Nights: Kingmaker 3.68 3.17
Treasures of the Savage Frontier 3.73 3.17
Wasteland 2 3.94 3.17
Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor 4.31 3.15
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut 4.13 3.14
The Witcher 3.91 3.14
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone 4.38 3.13
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine 4.41 3.12
Avadon: The Black Fortress 3.49 3.12
Fallout: New Vegas - Old World Blues 4.07 3.12
Avadon 2: The Corruption 3.78 3.12
Ultima I 3.06 3.12
Neverwinter Nights 2 3.86 3.11
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark 4.13 3.10
Neverwinter Nights 4.00 3.10
Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir 3.58 3.10
Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth Of Worlds 4.25 3.10
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 4.54 3.09
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 4.24 3.09
Risen 3: Titan Lords 3.34 3.07
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate 3.61 3.06
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening 3.94 3.05
Risen 2: Dark Waters 3.50 3.05
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands 4.03 3.04
Fallout: New Vegas 4.24 3.04
Gothic 3 3.49 3.03
Fallout: New Vegas - Ultimate Edition 4.38 3.03
Tyranny 3.89 3.03
Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide 3.84 3.02
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 4.37 3.02

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles 4.22 2.99
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition 4.29 2.99
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords 4.16 2.97
Dungeon Siege II 3.75 2.97
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 4.20 2.96
Dungeon Siege 3.63 2.96
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition 4.17 2.95
Mass Effect 4.14 2.95
Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear 3.21 2.93
Alpha Protocol 3.62 2.93
Fallout 3 4.07 2.92
Shadowrun Returns 3.66 2.91
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn 4.11 2.91
Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition 3.90 2.90
Dragon Age: Inquisition 3.88 2.89
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 4.32 2.88
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard 4.13 2.88
Dragon Age II: Legacy 3.55 2.88
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine 3.86 2.84
Dragon Age II: Mark of the Assassin 3.64 2.81
Shadowrun: Hong Kong 3.97 2.80
Fallout 4 3.71 2.78
Fallout: New Vegas - Honest Hearts 3.72 2.76
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire 3.91 2.74
Dragon Age II 3.37 2.71
Arcania: Gothic 4 2.74 2.36
Fallout 76 1.88 1.96

While I don't agree with all the individual placements, I do believe they got them all in the right ballpark. Congratulations to Sawyer for delivering a Dungeon Siege-tier screen saver with Deadfire, truly a pathetic job.

 

[A horse of course]

Oblivion should be much higher considering the level scaling breaks melee damage.

 

[Strange Fellow]

You forgot the hardest CRPG of all time. Yes, harder than Wizardry IV.
Darkest Dungeon 3.97 4.59

 

[Latro]

i never considered wizardry hard, just time-consuming. i bet most people don't even realize they need to map out the dungeons (or are expected to).

 

[Feargus Jewhart]

Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant 3.95 4.10
The Age of Decadence 3.62 3.83

Are people really this bad at playing video games?

 

[IncendiaryDevice]

Why is Hordes of the Underdark not bold?

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

GameFAQs thinks Link is the best character ever.

 

[TemplarGR]

Seriously, GAMEFAQs is a cult of retards. Nothing they say has any value.

 

[EverlastingLove]

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday is not hard at all. It is also quite short, there are maybe 2 or 3 tough fights in the entire game and if i remember correctly they are all optional. The plot is easy to follow, the combat system is not very complex. I really don't see what's so hard maybe except that one very memorable mission when you have to hurry

 

[Somberlain]

So Wizardry is the Dark Souls of video games?

 

[BEvers]

You forgot Bard's Tale 4 at 3.94, making it the hardest cRPG of the 21st century.

 

[Freddie]

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday is not hard at all. It is also quite short, there are maybe 2 or 3 tough fights in the entire game and if i remember correctly they are all optional. The plot is easy to follow, the combat system is not very complex. I really don't see what's so hard maybe except that one very memorable mission when you have to hurry

Not as short as Death Knights of Krynn (3.90 3.80) IIRC and BR:CtD can be ridiculous at places. That said, I have this nasty habit to play these games through like they were PnP (no endless re-rolls to get everything to max), which of course can complicate things, but I know from experience that game can be played through with party created like that, which I hope contributed towards that quality rating (balancing). BR games were also very innovative utilising the setting and what came to what was possible to do with the engine.


Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor 4.31 / 3.15
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut 4.13 / 3.14

For Blood and Honor was the last M&M RPG I ever played in the series and I'm surprised to see how close to Shadowrun: Dragonfall is in difficulty and how it's behind it in quality. SR: Dragonfall IIRC wasn't that difficult game. What comes to M&M: BaH I think it was rather tedious at least whom had played VI: Mandate of Heaven. I think SR: Dragonfall was better game in every aspect, but then it's also a bit likelike apples and oranges comparison. Both are an RPG's yes, but very different kind of beasts. Yet I can't but think there's some sort of niche favouritism here.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

i never considered wizardry hard

Have you ever played 4?

 

[AwesomeButton]

GameFAQs users don't know they can configure the games' difficulty. Shocking.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

Kenshi has to be up there now, it can be brutal running from everything that moves at early hours in the game.

 

[Viata]

Looking at the rank on gamefaqs site, I think they either have shit taste or suck at playing video games.
Look at this?

22 Stranger of Sword City 4.00 4.55 71.67
23 Wizardry: The Return of Werdna - The Fourth Scenario 3.64 4.55 ---

Stranger is easier as fuck compared to Wizardry 4, yet for them it's the same thing. Also, all games above Wizardry 4 in the rank makes no sense to be there.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

I still have to get to Serpent in the Staglands soon. Too many games.

 

[Tweed]

Are we supposed to hate Dungeon Siege around here? I liked the first one.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

Where's Safav Hamon . Look how much easier Pillars 2 is than Kingmaker and now make your arguments about why more people finish PoE2.

 

[oldmanpaco]

Are those Buck Rogers games really that hard? Never played them but none of the gold-box games were ever really difficult.

 

[McPlusle]

GameFAQs users think JRPGs are good.

 

[Safav Hamon]

Where's Safav Hamon . Look how much easier Pillars 2 is than Kingmaker and now make your arguments about why more people finish PoE2.

It was easy at release, but in its current state it's harder than Kingmaker. They retuned every mob, added challenge modes, and late-game content like mega-bosses.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

I actually like this list. It's not that bad.

 

[octavius]

i never considered wizardry hard, just time-consuming. i bet most people don't even realize they need to map out the dungeons (or are expected to).

Wizardry 1 is short, sweet and can be played Iron Man on first try (and I was surprised to see it so high on the list). Wizardry 2 even more so.
But from Wizardry 3 on they become more difficult and more time consuming, 4 being the hardest (puzzle and navigation wise) one and 7 the most time consuming one.

 

[Dorateen]

Couldn't find Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar on the list. Is it because the quality and difficulty rankings only go up to five, and they would need bigger numbers?