As a franchise recognized for its excruciatingly hard-to-beat games, Dark Souls is considered to be the benchmark of difficulty in video games. Consequently, new releases are often compared to Dark Souls because to measure their toughness. Its boss fights and enemy encounters set a new standard for arduous games.
While FromSoftware's series certainly delivers a challenging experience, there are a number of Xbox Series X and Xbox One games with the best graphics and performance. Here are some Xbox Series X and Xbox One games harder than Dark Souls.
Updated January 20, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: The Xbox One was a great console that had a great lineup of games, even if Microsoft bungled up the launch quite a bit. Regardless, the console slowly built its reputation back up, even if it remained in the shadow of the PlayStation 4 during this particular console generation. There were several challenging games released for this platform, leading to the inevitable comparison between these games and the new standard of difficulty set by Dark Souls. Here are some Xbox Series X and Xbox One games that players find to be way more challenging than the title that put FromSoftware on the map.
13 Devil May Cry 5
Devil May Cry is one of the most popular hack-and-slash series of all time, with almost all the games in the series boasting a high level of mastery and difficulty. So, it's easy to see why the fifth entry is no exception to the golden rule.
Trying to pull off a wealth of combos with Dante can prove to be easier said than done, with enemies and bosses having powerful attacks that can throw people off their rhythm and cause the health bar to go down dramatically. Players need to learn everything about the combat system and utilize all the tricks in their arsenal to ensure that certain bosses don't end in a game over repeatedly.
12 XCOM 2
The XCOM series is one of the most popular strategy titles of all time. The new games are extremely challenging and will give any player a run for their money as they try to deal with the threat of aliens that can completely wipe out their squad at a moment's notice.
XCOM is not an easy game by any means, and players need to ensure that their strategy is top-notch before executing the same. Getting caught in the line of fire is not an alluring prospect in the slightest, especially if one of the team's most powerful and valuable members ends up losing their life for good because of poor strategic thinking.
11 Remnant: From The Ashes
Ever since the advent of Dark Souls, several Soulslikes have popped up that share similar gameplay mechanics to this title but with some unique twists of their own. Cue Remnant: From the Ashes, which combines the tight and punishing gameplay mechanics in the Souls series with the third-person shooter genre to make for a truly engaging experience.
Shooting mobs of enemies while dodging attacks is a blast in this game, especially if players experience this title with friends. A single mistake can prove to be a costly affair, and players need to ensure that their reflexes and aim are on point to deal with the many challenging bosses in the game that can unleash a world of hurt upon them.
10 Elden Ring
If Dark Souls is what put FromSoftware on the map, Elden Ring is the game that catapulted their popularity all the way to the stratosphere. This open-world action RPG is one of the greatest video games ever made, with the sheer detail present in the open world coupled with its wealth of secrets being a blast to uncover.
Elden Ring doesn't really hold the player's hand and forces them to forge their own path, even if this path means beating their head against a brick wall for hours on end. Combat is grueling and punishing, and some bosses can seem downright unbeatable if players just want to power through the game and don't take their time to meticulously explore the world and everything it has to offer.
9 Alien: Isolation
The survival horror game Alien: Isolation gives players few tools to progress through the game. It's a sophisticated version of hide and seek with an extraterrestrial threat lurking about. Players get weapons and devices such as a radar to aid their survival efforts, but, for the most part, they are isolated from people on Sevastopol Station.
It's the eerie outer space setting of Alien: Isolation that makes the game so utterly terrifying. Players will tremble as they struggle to clutch their controller in this ominous outer space setting.
8 Volgarr The Viking
A retro-style action platformer, Volgarr the Viking will conjure up flashbacks of "Nintendo Hard" NES games that left scars on the psyches of veteran players. Crazy Viking Studios' title does not waste any time on unnecessary story beats or convoluted mechanics, opting to get down to business as quickly as possible.
Odin sends Volgarr, the player, on a quest to kill a dragon. So, move from left to right, face countless enemies, and just try to survive. For all his muscles, Volgarr goes down pretty quickly, with each blow stripping away one of the hero's items before leaving him exposed and vulnerable to a single-hit kill. Following the opening few encounters, enemies also do not go down without a fight, and death means returning to the start of the level.
7 Hollow Knight
Unless someone is a seasoned Metroidvania or classic '80s gamer, they will find Hollow Knight way harder than Dark Souls. This 2D adventure game has a gripping story to tie in with unforgiving gameplay.
Hollow Knight is often compared to Dark Souls, with people claiming it is a 2D version of FromSoftware's franchise. The game's boss fights are along the same lines as Souls-likes, but many of which are even more difficult.
6 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Before dismissing this one as being easier than Dark Souls, remember that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has multiple difficulty levels. Dark Souls uses one non-negotiable difficulty setting, with player knowledge and experience largely dictating the difficulty of the experience.
With a recent update, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was given New Journey+. Dark Souls also contains a New Game+ mode. Both games can be closely compared, but Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is harder on the Grand Master difficulty.
5 G Prime Into The Rain
In and of itself, a game being hard is not worth praising. It is when a game manages to be hard and fun that something special is created. G Prime Into The Rain, a 2016 strategy puzzle game, struggles to get this balance right. Players are tasked with slingshotting rockets through sections of space filled with objects that can pull it off course.
G Prime does not do a serviceable job of explaining its mechanics or easing players into the experience, so the early hours are simply frustrating. Once something resembling a rhythm is found, the game does become a bit more enjoyable, but most people might find that it isn't worth the effort.
4 Cuphead
A run-and-gun game heavily inspired by 1930s cartoons, Cuphead may not look difficult on the surface, but that impression instantly fades the second someone starts a level. The style of animation doesn't do the player any favors either, as it can be overwhelming at times.
Cartoons are usually fast-paced, which is why Cuphead is exceedingly hard to beat. The hand-drawn cel animation and 1930s-inspired soundtrack make this a must-play for Xbox One owners. Just prepare to fail a lot.
3 Doom Eternal
For the sequel to 2016's Doom, id Software threw in a dodge mechanic, reduced the availability of ammo, and introduced a frustrating enemy in the Marauder. Overall, Doom Eternal is harder than its predecessor while, on the Hurt Me Plenty difficult level, offering a somewhat similar level of challenge to Dark Souls. Just to be clear, Doom Eternal has three more difficult levels above Hurt Me Plenty.
Doom Eternal's hordes are aggressive, abundant, and punishing. The Doom Slayer is by no means weak, but even a second hesitation can result in significant damage. Like the Souls games, Doom Eternal doesn't provide a rest bite in the heat of battle.
2 Dead Cells
Dead Cells is often compared to Hollow Knight for being Metroidvanias released around the same era. They are both 2D games, but Dead Cells is considered more difficult because of its unforgiving nature.
In Dead Cells, once a player dies, they lose their cells and return back to the start. It is very much like Dark Souls in that area. Dead Cells is also a roguelike, so failure tends to be harshly punished. Similar to the Souls games, Dead Cells has a steep learning curve.
1 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
From the creators of Dark Souls comes Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, one of the most grueling games of the modern era. Following the path of a shinobi, players embark on a journey to rescue the Divine Heir.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will only be harder than Dark Souls for those who do not particularly enjoy deflecting attacks, as that mechanic is crucial to achieving victory. While the Souls games provide players with access to multiple play styles, Sekiro expects people to fight a certain way.
Dark Souls is available now for PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.