Every gamer has their own feelings about trophies and achievements. Some just can’t resist them and will ravenously hunt down even the most difficult ones in every game they play. Others have particular favorite games or franchises and will only take an interest where those are concerned. One might even buy games simply because they offer an easy-to-acquire platinum trophy, whether it’s actually something the gamer wants to play or not.
Ghost of Tsushima: 10 Hardest Trophies In The Game (& How To Get Them)
Ghost of Tsushima can be tough at times, and getting these achievements is no easy task. But this should help you move things along.Still, from casual trophy dabblers to those not interested at all, to dedicated trophy hunters, players have noticed that some games are much less willing to give up their trophies than others. Buckle up for some of the most difficult platinum trophies on PS4. Some games are exclusive to the system, some aren’t, but they’re all going to be super challenging, and they've all inspired gamers to replace their controller (and even TV sets) after coming so close but ending up so far.
Updated on October 30, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Platinum trophies serve as a great way for players to brag about their expertise in a particular game, finishing the many challenges set by the developers to earn this glorious mark of recognition. There are some games with platinums that are pretty easy to achieve, but then there are some titles that are so challenging that trying to attain these difficult Platinum trophies on PS4 becomes a serious test of patience.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
- Released
- September 4, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Vicarious Visions
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Metascore
- 90
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
- Number of Players
- 1-2
The revival of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was a treat for many fans, allowing them to experience the first two games with a fresh coat of paint. The score-based gameplay coupled with the wealth of iconic skateparks in the title made for a great time indeed.
However, the fun factor of this game can definitely be diminished if players try to earn as many trophies as possible. It becomes a huge pain to get the platinum trophy, with players having to complete stages at the hardest setting and grind over and over again to reach level 100.
Cuphead
Cuphead is easily one of the hardest games ever made. The shoot-em-up action is so unforgiving that players will have to memorize the patterns of every boss and pick the best weapons at their disposal to even stand a chance of winning an encounter or getting past a stage without tearing their hair out.
If the early bosses are giving players a hard time as is, then later encounters will awaken something demonic in them. It takes a Herculean level of patience and skill to finish this game. Getting a platinum in this game is even more challenging, with players having to accomplish numerous feats and beat every boss in Expert mode!
Skyforge
MMORPGs are notorious for having immensely difficult trophies, and Skyforge is no exception to this golden rule. Players are dropped in a riveting sci-fi world with fantasy elements where they must fulfill their destiny as an immortal god who is tasked with ridding the world of an ancient force. Players who want to attain the platinum trophy for this game should keep in mind that this task is going to take them a ton of time.
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Whereas some PS5 trophies are difficult to attain, securing these platinum rewards is a breeze.The time sink required for the platinum is downright insane, with players having to max out every class in the game while also winning a total of 100 multiplayer matches. Forget a hundred hours — some people will have to invest a total of a thousand hours if they want to get this platinum, which is a crazy amount of time to spend in any game!
Tethered
A PSVR game that is pretty immersive and challenging at the same time. This real-time strategy game lets players control a group of Peeps as they harvest the resources of the islands in the game, preparing themselves to face off against the denizens of the night who have it out for them. The game can be surprisingly challenging at times, and players who want to secure the platinum trophy will be tearing their hair out at times.
This is because Tethered's platinum trophy mandates that players get an A rank in all categories across the game's thirteen levels. This is a truly insane ask because of how meticulous and perfect players need to be to achieve the same. It requires a ton of practice, and it doesn't help that players have to use a VR controller to achieve the same, which can be rather hard to get used to in the first place!
Valhalla Hills
Another strategy game with a ridiculous platinum trophy requirement, Valhalla Hills is a decent if somewhat unremarkable title that can be a lot of fun early on once players get the hang of things. Keeping the Vikings happy while building up a great settlement is a fun time, even if the gameplay itself can feel rather lacking and unpolished at times.
However, players who want to get the platinum trophy will be in tears as they grind through the game's many irritating achievements. It doesn't help that these trophies are quite uninteresting, being more of a numbers game as players are rewarded for constructing a lot of buildings and sending a ton of Vikings to Valhalla. The gameplay loop is nowhere near deep enough to justify this time sink, making the platinum trophy of Valhalla Hills one of the most torturous things to attain on the PS4.
Badland
Obtaining a platinum trophy in Badland is an arduous task that definitely isn't for the faint of heart. Just half a percent of players have managed it, likely because, as well as being incredibly difficult to unlock, some of the game's trophies require an awful lot of grinding.
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Tetris Effect
Tetris Effect
- Platform(s)
- PS4
- Released
- November 9, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Monstars Inc , Resonair
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle
On paper, Tetris is one of the simplest games ever created, thanks in large to its very basic mechanics and straightforward objectives. With that in mind, it stands to reason that unlocking the platinum trophy in Tetris Effect should be a relatively straightforward task. Anybody who thought so would be dead wrong, however, as fully completing the title is anything but.
Trophies like Spin Artist, which require players to rotate Tetriminos a grand total of 1 million times, are incredibly grindy, as too is the trophy that's handed out for reaching Player Level 100. Even if players have the time and patience to unlock them, though, they'll likely come unstuck when it comes to the Seriously? Seriously trophy, which requires players to earn SS rank in every single zone and game type.
NBA 2K18
In true 2K Sports fashion, unlocking the platinum trophy in NBA 2K18 is probably going to involve players purchasing in-game currency to participate in MyTEAM game mode. Strictly speaking, it is possible to get the associated trophies without spending a dime, but by the time most players have done this, NBA 2K32 will have been released for the PS6.
Just for good measure, in addition to the plethora of MyTEAM-related trophies, there are also a bunch of incredibly grindy ones for players to sink their teeth into. Maxing out every badge in MyCAREER is going to take some serious doing while achieving a 10-game winning streak on King of the Court for the King of Kings trophy will likely be beyond most players.
Shenmue 3
Shenmue 3
- Franchise
- Shenmue
- Released
- November 19, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Ys Net
- Publisher(s)
- Deep Silver
- Genre(s)
- Action , Adventure
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 25 Hours
Though the narrative content in Shenmue 3 may leave a little to be desired at times, there are still plenty of things to see and do throughout the game's beautifully rendered world. As in the series' two previous installments, Ryo can once again kill time playing arcade and mini-games or snooping through drawers and closets. Two of the newer activities - herb collecting and fishing - can be a lot less enjoyable, though.
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These iconic video game trilogies helped to revolutionize the way people play video games and offered up some unforgettable storylines in the process.While both can be relaxing in short bursts, obtaining the four trophies that are connected with these activities is both monotonous and infuriating. Catching 1,000 fish for the Angler Extraordinaire trophy will take well over five hours of constant fishing, and the in-game herb maps for Bailu and Niaowu are missing many of the required herbs. Some of them only seem to appear after a certain amount of time too, meaning players will need to scour every inch of the game multiple times to find them all.
The Elder Scrolls Online
The Elder Scrolls Online
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC , macOS
- Released
- April 4, 2014
- Developer(s)
- ZeniMax Online Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
Much like Shenmue 3, the fishing-related trophy in The Elder Scrolls Online can be a bit of a nightmare, particularly for those who take no enjoyment from fishing. It requires players to complete all of the game's angling-related achievements; something that less than a third of a percent of the game's PS4 player base has achieved at the time of writing.
If that weren't bad enough, players are also given a long list of collectibles to slowly cross off, with each type given its own trophy. Perhaps the most difficult trophy to unlock, however, is Emperor!, which requires players to beat out the rest of their peers in a grueling five-day campaign to become the Emperor of Tamriel. With enough people on board, it is technically possible to boost the trophy, but even then, it requires a fair amount of effort.
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
Some first-person shooters struggle with being way too short. But when playing on a mode that means one death and it's all over on the hardest difficulty setting, the game rightfully feels like it takes forever to successfully conclude.
But that's exactly what Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus wanted gamers to do in order to get the "Mein Leben" trophy. Want some real salt in that wound? The trophy itself was, somehow, only a bronze trophy. Collecting it, as well as all of the others, makes for a near-impossible platinum trophy.
Crypt Of The NecroDancer
It's quite possible to be on a first-name basis with everyone who has ever gotten a platinum trophy in this game. There are only eleven of them. And it's not like the game is unpopular; it's just that only 0.06% of people have ever beaten the game nine times with all nine characters back-to-back without messing up once.
With Nintendo coming out with beautiful soundtrack after beautiful soundtrack, it's no surprise that Crypt of the NecroDancer borrowed from some of those beautiful Legend of Zelda tracks. Sadly, whoever designed the trophies probably should have been aware of Nintendo's target audience when scaling the difficulty.
Next Up Hero
This platinum trophy was always technically possible but never technically achieved. It's already risky to depend on other players to attain achievements, but developer Digital Continue assumed that loads of people would be playing the game, so adding a trophy that required the community to complete 500 stages without anyone in the world failing seemed realistic.
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Are you a certified trophy hunter when it comes to the PS3 & PS4? Try all you want, but here are 10 platinum trophies that are impossible to achieve!While players in Skyrim are still noting how underrated the dungeons are, Next Up Hero was judged much the opposite. The gameplay was remarkably overrated, and the sales never took off to justify this achievement. Some players managed to glitch it via featured mode, but it was never legitimately accomplished.
Earthfall
This game combines so many elements of a completionist's worst nightmare. It requires teams of players to kill various targets, and only some of them will actually spawn. It's realistic that a given map will only spawn two of the one hundred required targets. And that's not the worst part.
The PS4 has some amazing co-op games, but this won't be one of them for players who hunt trophies. Earthfall not only requires killing these randomly spawned targets but also requires that the user is the one who fired the killing shot. If somebody else on the team got the killing blow, sorry, no credit, and hope it spawns again in the next fifty rounds.
Devil May Cry 5
Devil May Cry 5
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , Xbox One , PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- March 8, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action
In a franchise all about super-powerful characters unleashing absurdly powerful, unnecessarily flashy moves at waves of hideous enemies, it’s no surprise that things get a little tense at times. The roster of trophies in Devil May Cry 5 is a mixed bag, featuring a good amount that is simply tied to progression.
The kicker, however, is that various difficulty modes have to be conquered too. In Hell And Hell mode, for instance, the player can’t survive a single hit, and the enemies are extraordinarily tough. Players will need to master Nero before even looking at such an achievement.
Bloodborne
The exclusive face that launched a thousand PS4 purchases, the dark, grim, and gothic Bloodborne was one of the most convincing arguments to buy the system at the time of the game’s release. FromSoftware’s latest promised to be every bit as difficult as the Dark Souls series, and it certainly delivered on that front. Even having the best hunter tools in the game will scarcely help.
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These PS3 trophies are no joke. Get ready to put some effort in.As difficult as simply reaching the end credits can be, fans who want the platinum trophy will really have to go the extra mile. A good deal of Chalice Dungeon delving is needed to collect all the weapons (Hunter’s Essence), all three different endings will need to be seen (Yharnam Sunrise, Childhood’s Beginning, Honoring Wishes); some monstrous bosses will need to be slain, and much more. Not to mention the fact that the platinum means nothing without also acquiring the trophies from the DLC, The Old Hunters (where some truly devastating bosses dwell).
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
With a main story that will take almost 50 hours to complete, Star Ocean: The Last Hope is already a pretty long game, even for a JRPG. Given that multiple playthroughs are required in order to unlock every single trophy in the game, however, it should be easy to see why Star Ocean: The Last Hope boasts one of the hardest platinum trophies on the PS4.
In total, players will need to complete the game five times, which alone will take them well over two hundred hours. Then there are the trophies tied to collectible sets and a myriad of missable trophies to worry about, some of which are very easy to miss. Players can expect to spend around 500 hours getting the platinum trophy, and that's only if they save regularly to avoid any more additional playthroughs.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
Crash Bandicoot 4
- Platform(s)
- PS5 , PS4 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Switch , PC
- Released
- October 2, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Toys for Bob
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
The Crash Bandicoot series has always been known for its difficulty, particularly when it comes to unlocking every gem and relic in the game. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time takes this to a whole new level, though, with players needing both cat-like reflexes and a whole lot of luck to get their hands on all of the game's unlockables. As a result, many consider it to be one of the hardest platinum trophies of all time.
Like many of the earlier Crash games, players will need to achieve 106% completion in order to fully complete the game. This means finding every clear and N.Verted Gem as well as getting Platinum-worthy times for every flashback and time trial relic. Then there are the N. Sanely Perfect Relics, which require players to destroy every crate in a level and then reach the end without a single death.
Monster Hunter World/Iceborne
As franchise fans will know, Monster Hunter World is a game that never really ends. Yes, the story can be wrapped up, and the credits will roll, but this is a franchise about taking hundreds of hours, finally getting rare drops, completing armor sets, and learning new weapons. It stands to reason that the game’s platinum trophy will be a beast to get.
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Super Meat Boy
Speaking of games that are notoriously, viciously difficult, Super Meat Boy channels the energy of old-school platformers. It's one of the most brutal titles to hit the genre in recent gaming memory, and its roster of trophies certainly attests to this.
Beat all Warpzones? Beat every separate hunk of the Dark World without dying (individually)? Attain 100% completion? Any gamer with the perseverance and skill to nab this platinum really is a platformer master.
The Evil Within
Honestly, this is a bit of a pick one's poison situation. For some players, The Evil Within 2 represents more of an overall challenge than the original, but The Evil Within’s Akumu mode is just a bit more traumatizing of an experience. Between the regular game and its three DLC packs (The Assignment, The Consequence, and The Executioner), there are 72 trophies available in this mind-bending survival horror title.
The trophies range from just plain time-consuming (upgrading all weapons, for instance) to incredibly difficult. Completing the game on Akumu mode (the hardest difficulty with additional restrictions such as any damage at all one-shotting the player) has pushed more than one player to uninstall the game.
Gran Turismo Sport
As sad as it is, some platinum trophies become literally impossible to obtain over time. This was the case with the PS3’s Gran Turismo 5, which lost access to two online-based trophies (Course Designer and Proud Owner) when the servers were shut down. While PS4’s Gran Turismo Sport still has a possible platinum, it may as well be inaccessible too.
There are some very difficult racing challenges here, a lot of time-consuming ones (Record Number of Races), a demand for a gold rating in every Driving School challenge (and in every other type of challenge individually), a grind for 1,000,000 drift points, a grind for levels, in terms of the time sink, this is definitely a rough one.
Alien: Isolation
From one survival horror experience to another, Alien: Isolation is one of many horror games with a phenomenal female protagonist. Gamers who play through this have surely noticed two things: firstly, it’s a super tense and finely crafted experience that actually does the franchise justice. Secondly, it’s darn tough in place, and players are probably becoming a finely sliced entree for the xenomorph several times before reaching the end of the game (for the few who ever get that far).
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Grand Theft Auto 5
Grand Theft Auto 5
- Platform(s)
- PS5 , PS4 , PS3 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , PC
- Released
- September 17, 2013
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Genre(s)
- Open-World , Action
Rockstar continues to pump out the updates for Grand Theft Auto Online, partly because it’s still one of the biggest open-world titles on the market. Originally released on Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2013, the current-gen ports continue to sell like wildfire, and it’s really no surprise; there’s an outrageous amount to do here.
Whenever a game offers an absurd range of content, dedicated players are compelled to do it all, even if it's saving money to buy the most absurdly expensive properties in the game. Grand Theft Auto 5’s trophies demand a bit of everything, from excellent mission performances to grinding the online level all the way up to 100.
Furi
Furi doesn’t offer a huge, urban playground to cause mayhem. Here, it’s just the player, a futuristic arena, and a ravenous, gigantic, ill-tempered boss that wants to slice the protagonist into salami with all the malice it can muster.
Furi is a relentless arcade boss rush that mixes hack-and-slash and old-school shooter elements. It’s tough as steely, steely nails, and its trophy roster reflects that. S ranks on the hardest difficulties will test anyone.
The Last Of Us Remastered
The Last of Us
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Genre(s)
- Action , Adventure
- Franchise
- The Last of Us
- Released
- June 14, 2013
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- How Long To Beat
- 15 Hours
With so many great narrative games on the PS4, Naughty Dog’s dystopian masterpiece is still one of the PlayStation’s finest exclusives. Kudos to those who have secured the platinum in Joel and Ellie’s harrowing adventure because it doesn’t come easy.
Between survivor and grounded difficulties, a whole lot of collectibles, the heavy grind of the Firefly/Hunter trophies, and certain missable ones (That’s All I Got, Let’s Gear Up, I Want To Talk About It, and Master Of Unlocking), this can be a heck of a long road.