Anything that ends in horror is likely a good candidate.
* Arkham Horror
* Arkham Horror The Card Game
* Eldritch Horror
Or stuff from the same universe
* Elder Sign
* Cthulhu: Death May Die
Other notably hard games:
* Original Ghost Stories (I forget the remake name and if it kept it's difficulty)
* Spirit Island has a lot of difficulty options you can juice the game with.
* Robinson Crusoe
* Kingdom Death Monster
I'm sure there are others.
I’ve heard a fair amount of praise for *Ghost Stories.* The reboot was called *The Last Bastion,* and the only review I’ve read of it expressed disappointment that the theme had been switched from Chinese folklore to Tolkien Clone #3687326995852285336. Obviously not the way to go if you want your game to be memorable.
Haven’t played either, so can’t say whether the gameplay is any different.
I have played Ghost Stories but never owned it. But weirdly enough, the few different times I played it, it was taught differently each time so I've never truly known if the game was actually just hard or rules were misplayed to make it hard.
I should probably try it again on TTS or something one of these days. But it did get it's reputation for a reason I suppose.
Eldritch horror isn't exactly easy either.
Here is [actual data on the game](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZdxFQZu-5jT9zyTRuE0JCFR4KmlRSMTx1G0bZntfdWA/edit?gid=3#gid=3).
Now keep in mind, this is data, submitted, by the least casual of players (those who would spend the time reporting their games specifically to a google doc, own the most expansions of the game, play it more than others, etc).
It's still less then a 60% win rate.
There is a reason a lot of normal, non-hardcore players think it's hard and if all their data was included, the win rate would likely drop even more. It has some forgiving elements to it (like the ability to respawn investigators, which makes it feel harder than it is because no one likes killing off their investigators) It also has starting states that are unwinnable (which has been reported and documented) and a lot of swingy luck to it, that gives it more of that reputation.
Solo players generally are often in the non-casual group as well than groups and have an edge in most cases if they play well.
Obviously, it's not going to be hard for everyone, but generally speaking, many find it difficult and you can easily search up that sentiment. There are many more threads about it being too hard, and most of the too easy threads end up with rules being played wrong.
There is no way to know for sure, but it does have a reputation for being challenging.
Another vote for Crusoe. In fact I narrate my losses for added enjoyment because it's usually so tragic/comedic irony with enough details to extrapolate a narrative. Of course any wins are just as flavored but I don't expect to win and will generally chalk it up to rules mistakes lol
Ah... a fellow glutton for punishment! I'd recommend the following.
**Legacy of Yu** - While not punishing *per se*, the legacy system in this game means the game gets harder each time you win (and then tempts you with the possibility of a 7-win, no loss campaign). The incremental difficulty ramp means you're almost guaranteed a down-to-the-wire, barely-survived-by-your-best-skill game.
**Frostpunk** - I had some problems with Frostpunk the Board Game, and sold my copy, but one area where it delivered excellently was as a punishing worker placement... the most punishing worker placement I've seen. Like other games listed here, it's definitely "a game of bad things happening to you", and one where your only goal is survival.
**The White Castle** - More than any game I've played, this game is about realizing halfway through your turn that you've made a mistake. You only get nine turns in the whole game, and with most turns being a chain of actions that are hard to plan out ahead of time. This isn't necessarily a punishing game when playing with others... but the solo mode bot is surprisingly brutal, and the game quickly starts feeling like you're squeezing point-juice out of rock with your bare hands. Love it.
And others have already mentioned...
**Arkham Horror LCG** - A game whose mechanics are designed to feel oppressive. You can't triumph... only survive.
**Spirit Island** - The reason this game belongs on this list is because the difficulty can be ramped up to almost-but-not-quite-unfair levels, and to win at these high difficulty levels you need a great deal of careful planning and practiced expertise with your chosen spirit. The worst thing I can say about high-difficulty Spirit Island is that if I had to guess, about half of my games were probably unwinnable. The thrill of the difficulty is that it's impossible to tell while playing whether you've just been unlucky, or whether you might just barely succeed, through your best efforts.
Under falling skies level 4 is easily one of the hardest solo games I own, which isn't saying much but still. Also, playing any game "perfect" is always a good way to make a normal game challenging. No infections pandemic, no damage one deck dungeon (would not recommend, very luck based, more than normal), things like that. Basically if there is some health system in a game you already own, try beating it without losing any. Should up the difficulty quite a but, even in traditionally easy games
I realllyyy like Bloodborne the boardgame! I think it really fits your description!
I played 2 handed, great fun, very tight, but rewards good plays tremendously
Not the person you're replying to, but having played both a bunch the Bloodborne board game is **significantly** better. (Don't confuse it with the card game though, no idea what that's like)
Someone else replied who played both games, so I would listen to them. If you google search you wont find many good review of the Dark Souls boardgame (too much randomness, too punishing), while you will find plenty of good reviews ;)
I would recommend Bloodborne, because I played that one and enjoyed it a lot!
Too Many Bones. Can be played solo or with a group, and depending on the character you choose (a tonne of optional characters to buy) can make the run easier or harder.
Nemesis and Nemesis lockdown are both really hard imo. They play okay solo, although some apects work better in a group, eg. the traitor mechanic, obviously
Ha! We joke about this game. It’s not IF you lose, but simply WHEN. Buying the death book (?) with stories about how you die depending on the scenario really adds to the experience.
It’s not a deep, strategic game but an enjoyable adventure (one where you inevitably die).
I think I won the very first time I played but have died ever since. As soon as the OP said “boss fights” I was like yup this one fits. It always comes down to that big bad boss at the end.
Great storytelling too!
i'm the same, but looks like most of my collection has already been suggested here
except for probably **cloudspire**
learning curve is steep thought but once you get settled into the complexity its a really awesome puzzle to solve, especially if you like MOBA's because its literally a MOBA on a table
One Deck Galaxy. It’s tough. I’ve lost almost all games I’ve played, which is why it is being loaned to a friend at the moment to see if he has better outcomes than me. I played it 9 times and won once, but that was also breaking a few rules.
If you like deckbuilding, Slay the Spire is as good as they get. It's challenging enough to start with, but has 13 "ascension levels" that each add a layer of difficulty. Winning at those top ascension levels is going to take some skill.
It's incredible so far - I've played 18 times since I got it a month ago. Infinitely replayable.
**Dead Men Tell No Tales**. The game's difficulty is adjustable on numerous fronts, namely with how many treasures you have to loot to win, whether you have to contend with the captain of the ship (he's a respawning enemy, and you *can't* have him aboard the ship if you want to win), and how many total deckhands there are (if you ever exhaust the bag and need to add more, you lose). Just making one such adjustment to your disadvantage . For even more difficulty, add the Kraken; it adds another condition you need to fulfill to win the game (kill the Kraken), more losing conditions, and its total life can be adjusted as well.
**Final Girl**. The hardest feature films to get are Slaughter in the Groves, Haunting of Creech Manor, and Carnage at the Carnival. Furthermore, you can make any game you play incredibly hairy by switching to Extreme Horror mode.
**Bloodborne: The Board Game**. It's a fairly simplistic deck builder (your main means of growing stronger is to exchange basic action cards for more powerful and flexible ones), and there are boss fights with a very tactical and punchy combat system. As for difficulty, the campaigns that come in the base game can be hard, especially while you're starting out, but if you want a real challenge, you can get the Chalice Dungeon expansion, which lets you explore a randomly-generated trap-filled dungeon where you can be afflicted with all manner of curses that you have to dispel. And with the Hunter's Dream expansion, you can add minibosses to every campaign chapter if you're feeling daring.
**Sword & Sorcery: Ancient Chronicles**: This is a lengthy campaign-based dungeon crawler that's infamous for being very difficult, especially in comparison to its predecessor, "Immortal Souls," which was criticized for being too easy. Might be worth checking out.
I don’t think I’ve seen any love yet for the beautifully punishing survival game **The Lost Expedition.** Bight colorful art hides the fact that every turn you’re trying to choose between wading through a river of piranhas and everyone taking damage, or throwing one person in the river to die, or using your last bullet to shoot the cougar behind you. That sort of thing. Just deciding between bad and worse, and hoping at least one party member makes it to the end of the voyage.
I don't know about the newer games but the first **Set A Watch** is really challenging, it may look like a sort of dungeon crawler, but in reality it's more of a fantasy survival with puzzle gameplay, in fact characters don't level up and don't become stronger, on the contrary, and in each level only one at time can heal by resting to regain their abilities that also act as life points.
Here are a few I haven't seen others post.
Dawn of the Zeds
The solo mode for Cosmoctopus ( I have never beaten it solo. It gets souls crushing)
Loop (Doctor Faux has dashed my hopes so many times)
Shadowrun: Crossfire! A brutal deck-building game. I'm fairly experienced with board games but I've played this one around 10 times and haven't come close to winning the opening scenario yet. Got tons of replayability too.
Shadowrun: Crossfire - Prime Runner Edition is a more complete package and has some slight tweaks and alternate opening scenario option that make it slightly more possible to win but still extremely brutal. Also, the game benefits from the High Caliber Ops expansion but can be tough to get a copy. I really enjoy SC but solo play is limited to playing a single one character mission or playing multi-handed and controlling 2-4 characters for most missions, and requires 4 characters for some endgame missions, so def not designers as solo experience. Also, a core mechanic of the game is an alternate assist functionality of some cards playable during other characters turn and require to utilize for success, and when playing multi-handed it can be a chore to juggle between hands to make optimal plays. Great game and coop experience with a party that doesn’t mind the punishment. Still fun solo but not a top solo recommendation.
I've only had one person beat Story Mode for Nano Battle fwiw
It's a tactical hex and card based combat game using minifigures with roguelike mechanics for arenas, encounters and items.
As someone who regularly homebrew rules for my own solo play games and sometimes even cheats at solo play games, this post was like a list of what NOT to buy. Thank you so much for your public service today, I learned a lot!
Near impossible to get these days (though there was that recent story of someone finding a copy and snapping it up for like $20, so you never know) but **Space Hulk: Death Angel** certainly fits the bill.
There's lots of good solo games that have high difficulty.
If you're looking for something with a campaign that pulls no punches but as you play you learn and get better (like the dark souls video games) Kingdom Death Monster is what you want.
If you just want a knife fight on a phone both Zulus on the Ramparts from VPG (if you can find it) it's quick to reset and go again too.
I find Pandemic Iberia very hard on standard two handed with both variants
The Lost expedition can be really tricky
Any game with scalable difficulty can get really hard on the harder levels. Spirit island and Under Falling skies are good example. Also Gaia project can be a tough nut to Crack.
Underwater cities silly build 7 cities and make 100 point objective is insanely hard
Elder sign can be rough
Arkham horror lcg and Robinson Crusoe are brutal
Darwins journey the Ai can be infuriating in a fun way
The white castle is notoriously broken in being way too hard.
The search for planet X AI is really tough to beat
One deck dungeon, the harder dungeons are almost impossible without playing campaign mode or having lucky rolls
Anything that ends in horror is likely a good candidate. * Arkham Horror * Arkham Horror The Card Game * Eldritch Horror Or stuff from the same universe * Elder Sign * Cthulhu: Death May Die Other notably hard games: * Original Ghost Stories (I forget the remake name and if it kept it's difficulty) * Spirit Island has a lot of difficulty options you can juice the game with. * Robinson Crusoe * Kingdom Death Monster I'm sure there are others.
I hear Ghost Stories drove people crazy for how hard it is
I’ve heard a fair amount of praise for *Ghost Stories.* The reboot was called *The Last Bastion,* and the only review I’ve read of it expressed disappointment that the theme had been switched from Chinese folklore to Tolkien Clone #3687326995852285336. Obviously not the way to go if you want your game to be memorable. Haven’t played either, so can’t say whether the gameplay is any different.
Last Bastion is great, I had both and didn’t keep Ghost Stories. Pick the theme that works for you.
I have played Ghost Stories but never owned it. But weirdly enough, the few different times I played it, it was taught differently each time so I've never truly known if the game was actually just hard or rules were misplayed to make it hard. I should probably try it again on TTS or something one of these days. But it did get it's reputation for a reason I suppose.
Elderitch horror isn't exactly hard
Eldritch horror isn't exactly easy either. Here is [actual data on the game](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZdxFQZu-5jT9zyTRuE0JCFR4KmlRSMTx1G0bZntfdWA/edit?gid=3#gid=3). Now keep in mind, this is data, submitted, by the least casual of players (those who would spend the time reporting their games specifically to a google doc, own the most expansions of the game, play it more than others, etc). It's still less then a 60% win rate. There is a reason a lot of normal, non-hardcore players think it's hard and if all their data was included, the win rate would likely drop even more. It has some forgiving elements to it (like the ability to respawn investigators, which makes it feel harder than it is because no one likes killing off their investigators) It also has starting states that are unwinnable (which has been reported and documented) and a lot of swingy luck to it, that gives it more of that reputation. Solo players generally are often in the non-casual group as well than groups and have an edge in most cases if they play well. Obviously, it's not going to be hard for everyone, but generally speaking, many find it difficult and you can easily search up that sentiment. There are many more threads about it being too hard, and most of the too easy threads end up with rules being played wrong. There is no way to know for sure, but it does have a reputation for being challenging.
Fair enough I've just found it personally not that difficult in my games
Imo Robinson Crusoe and Frostpunk are the kings of this genre.
Another vote for Crusoe. In fact I narrate my losses for added enjoyment because it's usually so tragic/comedic irony with enough details to extrapolate a narrative. Of course any wins are just as flavored but I don't expect to win and will generally chalk it up to rules mistakes lol
Nailed it.
Been eyeing crusoe for a while now actually! Will check out frostpunk as well isn’t it a bit like this war of mine?
Doom Machine. Pax Pamir 2nd Edition. Resist!
I’d argue any of the Pax games that have a solo mode are pretty mean. Pax emancipation is a co-op game that varies the standard mechanics a bit too.
Resist! Is so hard I usually cant see a path to victory when I lose.
Pax Pamir is a great rec OP. Very cutthroat and the solo AI is very well-designed.
Final Girl Arkham Horror LCG LOTR LCG
Definitely agree with Final Girl, many of them are incredibly hard.
Ah... a fellow glutton for punishment! I'd recommend the following. **Legacy of Yu** - While not punishing *per se*, the legacy system in this game means the game gets harder each time you win (and then tempts you with the possibility of a 7-win, no loss campaign). The incremental difficulty ramp means you're almost guaranteed a down-to-the-wire, barely-survived-by-your-best-skill game. **Frostpunk** - I had some problems with Frostpunk the Board Game, and sold my copy, but one area where it delivered excellently was as a punishing worker placement... the most punishing worker placement I've seen. Like other games listed here, it's definitely "a game of bad things happening to you", and one where your only goal is survival. **The White Castle** - More than any game I've played, this game is about realizing halfway through your turn that you've made a mistake. You only get nine turns in the whole game, and with most turns being a chain of actions that are hard to plan out ahead of time. This isn't necessarily a punishing game when playing with others... but the solo mode bot is surprisingly brutal, and the game quickly starts feeling like you're squeezing point-juice out of rock with your bare hands. Love it. And others have already mentioned... **Arkham Horror LCG** - A game whose mechanics are designed to feel oppressive. You can't triumph... only survive. **Spirit Island** - The reason this game belongs on this list is because the difficulty can be ramped up to almost-but-not-quite-unfair levels, and to win at these high difficulty levels you need a great deal of careful planning and practiced expertise with your chosen spirit. The worst thing I can say about high-difficulty Spirit Island is that if I had to guess, about half of my games were probably unwinnable. The thrill of the difficulty is that it's impossible to tell while playing whether you've just been unlucky, or whether you might just barely succeed, through your best efforts.
Under falling skies level 4 is easily one of the hardest solo games I own, which isn't saying much but still. Also, playing any game "perfect" is always a good way to make a normal game challenging. No infections pandemic, no damage one deck dungeon (would not recommend, very luck based, more than normal), things like that. Basically if there is some health system in a game you already own, try beating it without losing any. Should up the difficulty quite a but, even in traditionally easy games
I own one deck dungeon so I’ll most likely try this haha thank you!
>I enjoy survival types, deck builders, boss fights Aeon’s End
This catches my eye!
Halls of Hegra
Haven’t beat this one yet!
Regicide, tough as nails game and you only need a deck of cards
I don’t think it’s beatable with 2 people.
It absolutely is
**Dawn of the Zeds** has all these others beat. It's common for only about a 15% success rate until you really get a hang of the system
I loose so much and I don’t mind at all!
Final Girl is pretty... cut throat! Great game!
This. I’m only on my 3rd playthrough but it’s tough
I realllyyy like Bloodborne the boardgame! I think it really fits your description! I played 2 handed, great fun, very tight, but rewards good plays tremendously
I know that dark souls also has a board game.. which of the two do you recommend?
Not the person you're replying to, but having played both a bunch the Bloodborne board game is **significantly** better. (Don't confuse it with the card game though, no idea what that's like)
Someone else replied who played both games, so I would listen to them. If you google search you wont find many good review of the Dark Souls boardgame (too much randomness, too punishing), while you will find plenty of good reviews ;) I would recommend Bloodborne, because I played that one and enjoyed it a lot!
The official solo mode on The White Castle game doesn't forgive a single mistake.
This war of mine Nemos war
Frostpunk
Second Frost Punk. Very thematic, choices matter. Difficult, with purpose
I thought I solo beat Eldritch Horror then I realised I hadn't been resolving the boss effects properly. Should have lost it rounds beforehand!
Too Many Bones. Can be played solo or with a group, and depending on the character you choose (a tonne of optional characters to buy) can make the run easier or harder.
Frostpunk, Voidfall and Spirit Island (once you add adversaries)
Sprawlopolis for a short match. Tiny Epic Dungeons is brutal, if you have 60-90min. Arkham Horror LCG if you have a few hours.
Nemesis and Nemesis lockdown are both really hard imo. They play okay solo, although some apects work better in a group, eg. the traitor mechanic, obviously
kingdom death monster
Escape the Dark Sector
Ha! We joke about this game. It’s not IF you lose, but simply WHEN. Buying the death book (?) with stories about how you die depending on the scenario really adds to the experience. It’s not a deep, strategic game but an enjoyable adventure (one where you inevitably die).
I think I won the very first time I played but have died ever since. As soon as the OP said “boss fights” I was like yup this one fits. It always comes down to that big bad boss at the end. Great storytelling too!
i'm the same, but looks like most of my collection has already been suggested here except for probably **cloudspire** learning curve is steep thought but once you get settled into the complexity its a really awesome puzzle to solve, especially if you like MOBA's because its literally a MOBA on a table
Robinson Crusoe Lotr LCG Sentinels of the multiverse when using 2 heroes Xia
One Deck Galaxy. It’s tough. I’ve lost almost all games I’ve played, which is why it is being loaned to a friend at the moment to see if he has better outcomes than me. I played it 9 times and won once, but that was also breaking a few rules.
If you like deckbuilding, Slay the Spire is as good as they get. It's challenging enough to start with, but has 13 "ascension levels" that each add a layer of difficulty. Winning at those top ascension levels is going to take some skill. It's incredible so far - I've played 18 times since I got it a month ago. Infinitely replayable.
**Dead Men Tell No Tales**. The game's difficulty is adjustable on numerous fronts, namely with how many treasures you have to loot to win, whether you have to contend with the captain of the ship (he's a respawning enemy, and you *can't* have him aboard the ship if you want to win), and how many total deckhands there are (if you ever exhaust the bag and need to add more, you lose). Just making one such adjustment to your disadvantage . For even more difficulty, add the Kraken; it adds another condition you need to fulfill to win the game (kill the Kraken), more losing conditions, and its total life can be adjusted as well. **Final Girl**. The hardest feature films to get are Slaughter in the Groves, Haunting of Creech Manor, and Carnage at the Carnival. Furthermore, you can make any game you play incredibly hairy by switching to Extreme Horror mode. **Bloodborne: The Board Game**. It's a fairly simplistic deck builder (your main means of growing stronger is to exchange basic action cards for more powerful and flexible ones), and there are boss fights with a very tactical and punchy combat system. As for difficulty, the campaigns that come in the base game can be hard, especially while you're starting out, but if you want a real challenge, you can get the Chalice Dungeon expansion, which lets you explore a randomly-generated trap-filled dungeon where you can be afflicted with all manner of curses that you have to dispel. And with the Hunter's Dream expansion, you can add minibosses to every campaign chapter if you're feeling daring. **Sword & Sorcery: Ancient Chronicles**: This is a lengthy campaign-based dungeon crawler that's infamous for being very difficult, especially in comparison to its predecessor, "Immortal Souls," which was criticized for being too easy. Might be worth checking out.
I don’t think I’ve seen any love yet for the beautifully punishing survival game **The Lost Expedition.** Bight colorful art hides the fact that every turn you’re trying to choose between wading through a river of piranhas and everyone taking damage, or throwing one person in the river to die, or using your last bullet to shoot the cougar behind you. That sort of thing. Just deciding between bad and worse, and hoping at least one party member makes it to the end of the voyage.
I don't know about the newer games but the first **Set A Watch** is really challenging, it may look like a sort of dungeon crawler, but in reality it's more of a fantasy survival with puzzle gameplay, in fact characters don't level up and don't become stronger, on the contrary, and in each level only one at time can heal by resting to regain their abilities that also act as life points.
Here are a few I haven't seen others post. Dawn of the Zeds The solo mode for Cosmoctopus ( I have never beaten it solo. It gets souls crushing) Loop (Doctor Faux has dashed my hopes so many times)
You'd probably really enjoy Iron Helm, Its a solo hardcore dungeon crawler card game
Final Girl
So it’s not very deep but it probably took me 50 tries to beat Friday…in easy mode.
Colonial twilight is difficult playing solo
Spirit Island
Friday
Shadowrun: Crossfire! A brutal deck-building game. I'm fairly experienced with board games but I've played this one around 10 times and haven't come close to winning the opening scenario yet. Got tons of replayability too.
Shadowrun: Crossfire - Prime Runner Edition is a more complete package and has some slight tweaks and alternate opening scenario option that make it slightly more possible to win but still extremely brutal. Also, the game benefits from the High Caliber Ops expansion but can be tough to get a copy. I really enjoy SC but solo play is limited to playing a single one character mission or playing multi-handed and controlling 2-4 characters for most missions, and requires 4 characters for some endgame missions, so def not designers as solo experience. Also, a core mechanic of the game is an alternate assist functionality of some cards playable during other characters turn and require to utilize for success, and when playing multi-handed it can be a chore to juggle between hands to make optimal plays. Great game and coop experience with a party that doesn’t mind the punishment. Still fun solo but not a top solo recommendation.
I've only had one person beat Story Mode for Nano Battle fwiw It's a tactical hex and card based combat game using minifigures with roguelike mechanics for arenas, encounters and items.
As someone who regularly homebrew rules for my own solo play games and sometimes even cheats at solo play games, this post was like a list of what NOT to buy. Thank you so much for your public service today, I learned a lot!
LMAOO
Near impossible to get these days (though there was that recent story of someone finding a copy and snapping it up for like $20, so you never know) but **Space Hulk: Death Angel** certainly fits the bill.
Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion, play two handed, on hard difficulty
Cloudspire might be worth some research. It would fit into your survival type interest, and I've found the solo campaign mode to be fairly tricky.
There's lots of good solo games that have high difficulty. If you're looking for something with a campaign that pulls no punches but as you play you learn and get better (like the dark souls video games) Kingdom Death Monster is what you want. If you just want a knife fight on a phone both Zulus on the Ramparts from VPG (if you can find it) it's quick to reset and go again too.
I find Pandemic Iberia very hard on standard two handed with both variants The Lost expedition can be really tricky Any game with scalable difficulty can get really hard on the harder levels. Spirit island and Under Falling skies are good example. Also Gaia project can be a tough nut to Crack. Underwater cities silly build 7 cities and make 100 point objective is insanely hard Elder sign can be rough Arkham horror lcg and Robinson Crusoe are brutal Darwins journey the Ai can be infuriating in a fun way The white castle is notoriously broken in being way too hard. The search for planet X AI is really tough to beat One deck dungeon, the harder dungeons are almost impossible without playing campaign mode or having lucky rolls
Frostpunk is the most cutthroat solo game I’ve ever played. It’s brutal, but fair.
Nemesis series is my current solo game. On Lockdown right now and seems VERY tricky with managing power.
The king is only one - Mage Knight. Deck builder- check. Boss fighter - threat conquer a city as a Boss fight
Gloomhaven
Tarawa 1943 is a really good but insanely hard mitigation puzzle
Pffffttttt. Final girl
Burncycle and Hoplomachus Victorum 20 Strong G.I. Joe the deck building game Heat:Pedal to the Metal Marvel United