Ever since 2008, gamers have been chasing Platinum trophies on their PlayStation consoles. The reward for collecting all other trophies in a game, Plats can range from being a short two-hour experience to grueling affairs that take weeks to complete. No matter how you get them, every Plat is a badge of honor on one's PSN account.
While players can absolutely enjoy a game without ever thinking of getting the Plat, some are actually quite fun to work towards! Others, on the other hand... not so much. Here are five Plats we think are a blast to get, and five that are just straight-up punishing.
10 FUN: Marvel's Spider-Man
Marvel's Spider-Man is an excellent game in its own right, and getting the Plat just helps to enhance that experience. For starters, there are no missable trophies, so only one playthrough is required. It also only takes about 25 hours to get, which, unless you've been mainlining story the whole time, is only a couple of extra hours to clean up some odds and ends.
Traversing Manhattan in Marvel's Spider-Man is a great experience, so traveling back and forth to all the different objectives and markers you need to clear never feels like a slog. Only a few of the trophies err on the side of challenging, but with a little practice, you'll have the Plat in no time.
9 BRUTAL: Bloodborne
Its nature as a Soulsborne game already means you'll be in for a rough time to even finish the game outright, and going for a Plat on top of that is only going to make things more difficult. Lots of the trophies are missable if you're not careful, and getting around Yharnam without a guide is tricky.
Collecting all the items and weapons will probably be a bit of a grind, as well. Not only do you have to carefully plan your Plat run, but you also have to be good at Bloodborne. Not an easy task, hunter.
8 FUN: NieR: Automata
NieR: Automata is a wild open-world RPG with lots to explore and many weird stories to tell along the way. Sounds perfect for a Plat! Most of the trophies are fairly standard fare (complete the story, find all the weapons, do all the side-quests, etc.), and so it doesn't take too much away from your experience to seek those out.
What sets NieR: Automata apart from other games in terms of the Plat is its very special end-game trophy shop. A couple of these trophies are missable and/or a slog to get, but NieR allows you to just buy them with in-game currency as soon as you see the game's true ending.
7 BRUTAL: Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 already isn't the fastest game in the West, and going for a Plat will only lengthen that experience to around 200+ hours. One of the trophies requires in-game completion of 100%, and several missable ones might require a healthy amount of save-scumming.
On top of all that, a good portion of RDR2's trophies is tied to Red Dead Online, which is its own bag of snakes. Not only do you have to have the ability to go online, but you also have to be ready and willing to grind out to Rank 50. If you're going to attempt to get this Plat, you better have a good posse with you.
6 FUN: Persona 5
Not all long Plats are necessarily brutal to get, and Persona 5 is the poster child for that. It requires two playthroughs to get, which clocks in combined at around 150 hours, but the second will take you significantly less time than the first, due to not needing to watch cutscenes or read conversations.
Going for the Plat will make sure you see all the game has to offer, and even though it might take some grinding and/or careful exploitation, all that means is you get to see more of the Phantom Thieves and P5's incredible mix of gameplay and story.
5 BRUTAL: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain's trophy list is fairly reasonable for most of the game... until it isn't. The biggest obstacle to getting the Plat for Big Boss's send-off is the trophy that requires you to S-Rank all 50 missions, which pretty much means relentlessly checking guides and YouTube videos to walk you through it.
While some of the other trophies in the game are grind-y, that's the point where going for the Plat just stops being fun. It'll net you some cool in-game gear, sure, but at that point, you'll probably be sick of MGSV: TPP's excellent gameplay to care.
4 FUN: Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank hits that same sweet spot as Marvel's Spider-Man. Going for the Plat pretty much just requires you to play through the game and see all it has to offer, without getting too tedious. It requires two playthroughs, but the New Game+ is a blast regardless, due to having more upgraded and wacky weapons that the series is known for.
There's a couple of missables in the mix, but if you keep those in mind as you play, they shouldn't be that hard to snag. At around 25 hours, this Plat is a blast to get.
3 BRUTAL: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
While "difficult" doesn't necessarily equal "a bad time," Wolfenstein II makes the case that it, in fact, does with the punishing, brutal, and (perhaps?) unfair trophy, "Mein Leben." That trophy requires you to beat the game on the hardest difficulty (already a tough task) with the added handicaps of permadeath and no saves.
It's already about a 10-hour game, and having to restart every time you die (around 2-3 hits, in this case) is simply brutal. On top of all that, "Mein Leben" is only a bronze trophy. Talk about insult to injury!
2 FUN: inFamous Second Son
inFamous Second Son is a great open-world superhero sandbox game, and going for the Plat only accentuates that. With minimal prep required (just be sure to know if you're doing an Evil or Good run), the trophy list for Second Son mostly just wants you to figure out how best to use your powers.
It can get a little tedious in terms of just clearing points off a map, but that's also just a good opportunity for you to put on a podcast or something while you zip around snagging trophies.
1 BRUTAL: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
The second FromSoftware game on this list, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has many of the same caveats as Bloodborne. Not only is the game very punishing to begin with, but it also has a trophy list that can be grind-y and complicated. It requires you to go through 4 different playthroughs (2, if you save-scum), and getting every item can be challenging, let alone inconvenient.
If you're bold enough to attempt this Plat, just make sure you have a guide by your side so you don't waste time. A few spare controllers might not be a bad idea, either.