The Difficult Zone
Games designed to challenge mastery, patience, execution, planning, or persistence.
Latest Standouts
Recent releases that landed well, newest first, filtered to games with enough reviews to trust the score.
Horse Magnifier: The Full Horse - this is a game about magnifying horses.
Aug 10, 2026
Pih 2 - The only game in the world that's more anticipated than GTA VI. Pih 2 is a one-hit-kill comedy FPS. Fight various types of enemy pihs and bosses in increasingly ridiculous situations, dodge instant death and try not to rage when everything goes wrong.
Aug 4, 2026
Ostranauts - Navigate your scrappy ship through the boneyard in search of valuable parts in abandoned vessels. Use salvage to upgrade your ship, or sell it for cash to pay down your mounting debt, or restock fuel, air, or food. Fly and role-play aboard your dream spaceship in this hardcore noir space-sim.
Aug 3, 2026
Kinny and the Cosmic Cauldron - Cook or be cooked! In this cosmic deck-building roguelike, ingredients crash, merge, and react in chaotic ways. As the witch chef of Stewpendous Spoons, craft the perfect stew, master strategic combos, and satisfy bizarre patrons, before you end up in the cauldron yourself!
Jul 27, 2026
Infinitevania - A metroidvania that combines the visual style of classic retro games with the fluid gameplay of modern titles. Explore different worlds, face challenging enemies and bosses, and absorb their powers to destroy the Core of Infinitevania.
Jul 24, 2026
Rubinite - In this dark fantasy boss rush, use Ruby's crimson eyes to expose the weak points of the Bloodstained monsters, then strike and shatter them. Carve a road home through the ruined Scarlet Kingdom and face the Witch who took it all.
Jul 22, 2026
Gurei - An unforgiving game with precise combat. Fight challenging bosses in any order, acquire their unique powers, and succeed on your own terms.
Jul 22, 2026
Fogpiercer - Fight through the fog in this sci-fi roguelike deckbuilder where clever positioning, explosive chain-reactions, and the environment itself can make the difference between life and death.
Jul 17, 2026
Pathogenic - You are a disease. Infect the human body as a lone pathogen in this cellular roguelike shooter. Collect organelles to evolve your parasite in a microscopic arms race against your host's immune system. Conquer a beautiful, procedurally generated world of tiny proportions.
Jul 16, 2026
On Sale Now
Discounted 25% or more right now, limited to well-reviewed games, steepest cuts first.
Electrician Simulator - Take on the electrician role and learn the profession's basics! Install sockets, repair worn-out equipment, assemble broken appliances, replace light bulbs, and lay wires at your customers' homes. Be sure to check everything twice, with electricity there are no jokes!
Sep 21, 2022
The Way - Journey to another planet and discover its secrets in order to bring your loved one back to life. Experience an adventure, inspired by old school classics like Another World, Heart of Darkness and Flashback.
May 20, 2016
Chorus - Take control of Nara on a quest to destroy the dark cult that created her. Unlock devastating weapons & mind-bending abilities in an evolution of the space-combat shooter. Along with Forsaken, her sentient starfighter, explore ancient temples, engage in zero-g combat & venture beyond waking reality.
Dec 3, 2021
TTV2 - TTV2 is an arcade retro hardcore maze wanderer minigame, sequel to Trip to Vinelands.
Sep 11, 2017
Polygoneer - Test your reflexes in POLYGONEER, defend yourself from prolygonal shapes taht comes from everywhere, just hitting is not enough you need to match the right color shot to the polygon too! Are you ready for the challenge?
Aug 24, 2017
Planes, Bullets and Vodka - Fly through danger filled procedurally generated tunnels, avoiding thousands of enemies, on this throwback to the golden age of arcade games.
Dec 13, 2016
Trip to Vinelands - Trip to Vinelands is an arcade retro hardcore maze wanderer minigame.
Oct 21, 2016
Ninja Stealth - Evade the guards and the defences to escape the evil facility on this click and play stealth game, there will be difficult on your path, young padawan!
Sep 29, 2016
Rock 'N' Roll Defense - Rocked by an explosive soundtrack, choose your band, place your equipments and defend the Rock 'N' Roll from everyone and everything who try to pull it down, on a totally hardcore tower defense!
Aug 10, 2016
UBERMOSH - UBERMOSH is an arcade game about cutting bullets with a sword, in a gun-filled cyberpunk mosh pit.
Aug 13, 2015
Metro: Last Light Redux - It is the year 2034. Beneath the ruins of post-apocalyptic Moscow, in the tunnels of the Metro, the remnants of mankind are besieged by deadly threats from outside – and within. Mutants stalk the catacombs beneath the desolate surface, and hunt amidst the poisoned skies above.
Aug 25, 2014
Car Mechanic Simulator 2014 - Now you can own and operate your own auto repair service with PlayWay’s Car Mechanic Simulator 2014. Car Mechanic Simulator 2014 gives you the behind the scenes view of the daily dealings at local garages and dealership repair shops.
Jan 24, 2014
Top Rated
Defining examples of the genre, all rated 85%+ across 1,000+ reviews.
Steam Engine Simulator - The Steam Engine Simulator shown on AngeTheGreat's YouTube channel.
Jun 7, 2023
Patrick's Parabox - A mind-bending recursive puzzle game about boxes within boxes within boxes within boxes. Learn to use infinity to your advantage as you explore a deep and elegant system.
Mar 29, 2022
Just Shapes & Beats - "Just Shapes & Beats" is a chaotic co-op musical bullet-hell based on three simple things: avoid Shapes, move to the kick-ass Beats, and die, repeatedly.
May 31, 2018
Baba Is You - Baba Is You is a puzzle game where the rules you have to follow are present as blocks you can interact with. By manipulating them, you can change how the game works, repurpose things you find in the levels and cause surprising interactions!
Mar 13, 2019
One Finger Death Punch - Experience cinematic kung-fu battles in the fastest, most intense brawler the indie world has ever seen! With the unique 1:1 response system of One Finger Death Punch, players will feel the immediate feedback of every bone-crunching hit. Pay tribute to the masters using five classic kung-fu styles mixed with additional weapons.
Mar 3, 2014
Disfigure - Disfigure is a grim-dark action rogue-like where you battle relentless hordes of monsters lurking in the shadows. Unlock powerful weapons, craft god-like builds with hundreds of upgrades, slay colossal bosses, and push your limits in intense 20–30 minute survival runs!
Jul 26, 2023
The Chef's Shift - The Chef’s Shift is a fast-paced typing game in a restaurant setting, where you’ll both cook & serve food to hungry customers, all done by TYPING.
Mar 31, 2025
Ambidextro - A multiplayer game for a single player. Learn to control 2 characters at the same time, one with each hand. Achieve ambidexterity and rescue both the prince and the princess simultaneously.
Mar 28, 2025
ARMORED HEAD - ARMORED HEAD is a miniature shooter, where all the action takes place in one arena. The main character is a gladiator who fights against his opponents in pursuit of the grand prize.
Jul 31, 2020
Hollow Knight - Forge your own path in Hollow Knight! An epic action adventure through a vast ruined kingdom of insects and heroes. Explore twisting caverns, battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs, all in a classic, hand-drawn 2D style.
Feb 24, 2017
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth - The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a randomly generated action RPG shooter with heavy Rogue-like elements. Following Isaac on his journey players will find bizarre treasures that change Isaac’s form giving him super human abilities and enabling him to fight off droves of mysterious creatures, discover secrets and fight his way to safety.
Nov 4, 2014
ULTRAKILL - ULTRAKILL is a fast-paced ultra-violent retro FPS that combines the skill-based style scoring of character action games with the unadulterated carnage inspired by the best shooters of the '90s. Rip apart your foes with varied destructive weaponry and shower in their blood to regain your health.
Sep 3, 2020
