Achievements and trophies make for excellent bragging rights, but they vary in difficulty. Some are easy to get and merely require a bit of patience and exploration. Others are so notoriously punishing that you'd rather bathe in honey before swan-diving into a fire ant hill.

Despite their difficulty, and actually, maybe because of their difficulty, these notoriously rare and challenging achievements have an allure to them. They're rare and, oftentimes, the talking points of a gaming community keen to share their shared struggles. This is especially true for obscure, difficult achievements, and all of them are huge accomplishments.

Updated on November 29, 2023, By Dominic Allen: Whether it's PlayStation Trophies, Xbox Achievements, or Steam Achievements, cheevos are big business for the gaming world now. Some titles even partially rely on achievement/trophy hunters for sales, like many visual novel games with ridiculously easy achievement lists.

However, it's still rather niche, and as such, there are many brutal achievements that a lot of gamers simply don't know about.

22 Complete Item Collection: Dead Or Alive Xtreme 2

A Seemingly Endless Vacation

One of the hardest Xbox games to fully complete early in the 360's life was Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. The sheer amount of hours required was out of this world for its time, though several modern games have surpassed it. For the Complete Item Collection achievement, you must have every swimsuit, accessory, and standard item in all nine girls' collections.

The problem is the swimsuits because every suit that isn't part of your character's set must be gifted. This means swapping to that character and either sending swimsuits in bulk or doing the full gifting process where the girl will spin around into that new suit. Both ways are incredibly inconsistent and will take hundreds of hours.

There is an easier method using version 1.0 of the game, but it'll still take well over 100 hours.

21 Mein Leben - Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

Not The Most Appropriate Game For A Permadeath Mode

One of the toughest achievements, if not the toughest, in any Bethesda title, has to be Mein Leben from Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. You must finish the game on Mein Leben difficulty, which is the same as the second hardest mode, I Am Death Incarnate, except you can't die. If you do, you must restart the whole game again.

Considering you can die so fast in Wolfenstein 2, this is beyond absurd. Wolfenstein 2 isn't a horror game where you can make it consistent most of the time. It's an action-packed FPS title where shootouts will always play a little differently. Even for highly skilled achievement hunters, Mein Leben will just be too much for the majority of them.

20 Ramen World Legend - Wanted: Dead

A Total Nightmare Even For Rhythm Game Experts

Wanted: Dead might be the hardest platinum/game completion of 2023 due to the sheer amount of skill required in various areas. There's a brutal 2D space shooter you must beat twice, but another ridiculous achievement is Ramen World Legend.

For this, you must finish an entire song (all of which are at least near the seven-minute mark) without missing a single note. Not only does your execution need to be on point, but your nerves are your worst enemy here. You must suppress that to get through the song, and that ain't easy with a seven-minute length.

19 You Asked For It: The Evil Within

The First No-Hit Run Many Achievement/Trophy Hunters Went Through

Another savage achievement from a Bethesda title is You Asked For It from The Evil Within. This entails beating Akumu mode, where you die in one hit from virtually everything in the game. This was a rude awakening at the time, as you just hadn't seen this no-hit run style of play before in triple-A gaming.

Achievement hunters now had to do a no-hit run, and it was a massive difficulty jump. On the bright side, you don't need to worry about your healing items, but that's about it. It's so frustrating because of the pure perfection you have to pull off. You can get hit in so many ways that a lot of people did give up. Thankfully, The Evil Within 2 wasn't as difficult.

18 The Shadows Rushed Me: Max Payne 3

For The Truly Hardened Max Payne Experts

Max Payne 3 is hardly the easiest third-person shooter, even on Normal difficulty. But if you attempt to earn The Shadows Rushed Me achievement, you're going to think it's the hardest shooter ever. This is because the achievement requires that you beat the New York Minute game mode on Hardcore difficulty.

This means not only do you have to complete the entire game in one sitting without dying, but you also have to do it before you run out of time. It's punishingly difficult, especially because if you fail, you have to start the challenge all over again. It is not for the faint of heart.

17 Impossible, Right?: Crypt Of The NecroDancer

A Rhythm Game Version Of Getting The Worst Ending In Luigi's Mansion

Crypt of the NecroDancer is a unique title as it's a roguelike and rhythm game. Therefore, you explore dungeons and move with the beat. Going for the Impossible, Right? achievement turns this chill game into a nightmare.

To earn the achievement, you must complete the All Zones Mode with Coda. If you haven't played the game, that challenge doesn't sound too scary. However, Coda is the worst character to use. For one, their beat is really fast, and you die if you miss one. Secondly, they only have little health and a weak dagger as their weapon. And finally, they immediately die if they pick up coins, which is particularly difficult as everyone they kill drops gold.

16 Shenanigans!: Cloudberry Kingdom

An Achievement Best Suited For A Bot

You earn the Shenanigans! achievement in Cloudberry Kingdom for simply completing chapter seven. Yet, that chapter happens to be punishingly difficult and makes Cloudberry Kingdom one of the hardest platformers ever. While there are a few tricky levels in this chapter, it's the final two that cause the issue.

You just have to look at them to figure out why they're so tough. The entire screen is jam-packed with obstacles. So much so that you can barely see anything. And if you hit one of them, then you fail. They're almost impossible to beat.

15 Infallible: Fall Guys

For the purposes of maximum difficulty, this is the original version of the Infallible achievement in Fall Guys, which required you to win five matches in a row. For reference, only 35 percent of Steam Fall Guys players have even earned the achievement of winning one game, let alone five, and five in a row at that. Nowadays, Infallible is an easier task to handle if you decide to party up with friends instead of going solo.

Even still, Infallible stands out as the pinnacle of achievement rarity, with just a tiny percent of Steam players having managed to pull it off. To win even one game of Fall Guys, you will need the perfect mix of skill, luck, and a lobby of inexperienced players.

14 Messiah: Outlast 2

A Blind Permadeath Mode

What's better than roaming around in pitch darkness without a flashlight while gruesome foes sniff out your fear? Doing so on Insane difficulty, for starters. This mean-spirited achievement involves completing Outlast 2 on the highest difficulty setting whilst bumping around haphazardly in the dark, something that only a tiny percent of the game's Steam players have managed.

Why? It turns out that in order to gain the achievement, you cannot reload your camera batteries. Gee, that's great! If you somehow manage to limp your way over the finish line, you might need a permanent pacemaker. You also can't die either, which is brutal as Outlast 2 is far longer than the original.

13 Emperor!: The Elder Scrolls Online

ESO tickled players with the promise of a high-level achievement that involved nothing more than dominating the Alliance War battlefield to become Emperor of Tamriel. This achievement (much like Communism) sounds great on paper until you actually get to the meat of it.

It turns out that unless you're an uber-gaming God with control over the fabric of reality, space and time, you're going to have it rough trying to dominate said battlefield. Alliance War involves playing PvP, you see. Yes, you can guess the rest from there. Good luck beating the top ESO players, much less that kid around the block from you.

12 The Bladder Of Steel Award: Rock Band 2

An Achievement Fit For A Hardened Rockstar

The truly cruel thing about Rock Band 2's most sought-after achievement is that it isn't only a test of skill at the game but a test of endurance and dedication to the craft of achievement hunting. To earn this one, you will need to complete the 84-song gauntlet of Endless Setlist 2, all without failing a single song and without pausing a single time.

That's a six-hour commitment that you have to pass without a single failed song and without one break. If you have an equally skilled partner, it might be worthwhile to swap on certain occasions. For your efforts, you will be rewarded with a shiny PlayStation trophy that only a small percentage of Rock Band 2 players have.

11 My Kung Fu Is Stronger: Mortal Kombat 9

A Total Grindfest

This one isn't quite as hard to achieve from a technical perspective, but we would love to know the motivation of any gamer who is willing to shave off a significant portion of their lifespan to gain this achievement.

It's no biggie, really. All you have to do is play as every character for a full 24 hours, win 100 fights, score 100 fatalities, and perform 150 X-Ray hits. Plus, you must spill 10,000 liters of blood for each fighter. Better quit your day job and prepare for life as your own best friend. Luckily, DLC characters don't count, which is the only positive here.

10 Super Go Outside: The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe

Hope You Don't Want To Play The Game Ever Again For Ten Years

Unlike the other achievements that could be considered "difficult," The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe's Super Go Outside achievement doesn't test your skill at the game so much as it does your patience and, really, your general memory skill.

All that needs to be done to earn this achievement is start-up Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, turn it off, wait ten whole years, and then turn it back on. Maybe in that time, you could take up a hobby. Or, as the name suggests, take a ten-year walk outside. Even though the game was released in 2022, it would take legit completionists until 2032 at the earliest to earn this allusive achievement. Unless, of course, you cheated to get this one by changing the time on your console or PC.

Changing the date on your console or PC to get achievements is not in violation of any Terms of Service. You can do it, but it's still cheating.

9 Mr. Perfect: Mega Man 10

The No-Hit Run Strikes Again

There's a special corner of Hell reserved for people who come up with achievements like this. What you have to do is make it through the entire Mega Man 10 campaign without taking a single hit. No, not a single death, but a single hit in a Mega Man game. It's like saying, "Run face-first through that plate glass window without bleeding." Possible? Sure. Probable? Unlikely.

The only positives here are that you can play on Easy mode and you can save. This means if you get it, you can simply exit and reload. Still, you must beat an entire stage, boss and all, without taking damage, and that's only fit for the elite players. Even most achievement hunters are going to pass on this.

8 LASO Master: Halo: The Master Chief Collection

An Endurance For Not Only Yourself But Your Friends Too

The Halo games definitely have a challenge factor. Now, imagine cranking it up 10,000 times, and you'll have an idea of what LASO Master is like. LASO stands for "Legendary All Skulls On." If you felt a chill run up your spine just now, don't be surprised. Not only do you have to complete all four Halo games on Legendary, but you'll have to do it with every Skull activated.

If nothing else, it would simulate an actual war with the Covenant's best forces, what with no radar, beefed-up baddies, and half a shield. You have to play with three other people here, as playing by yourself will lead to a mission restart upon death. Co-op, at least, restarts the checkpoint upon death, but that also means you need three equally skilled Halo players with you.

7 Massive Mythology: TowerFall Ascension

The most notorious achievement in TowerFall Ascension actually used to be a lot more difficult. As it stands today, Massive Mythology will require you to play in 5,000 rounds of the game's versus mode. Doing so will proudly place you among the tiny percent of Steam TowerFall players who have earned the achievement.

Before, it was 5,000, however, you were tasked with playing in 10,000 versus rounds. And before that, it was 20,000. Even with the continued acts of charity from the developers, Massive Mythology remains one of the rarest achievements out there for the sheer time commitment required.

6 Quiz: World Of Guns

And You Thought GeoGuessr Was Hard

If you've ever wanted to earn the top spot on Beto O'Rourke's hate list, try getting this World of Guns achievement. All you have to do is memorize the silhouettes and makeups of 200 different guns so that you can take part in a Quiz where you must identify ten of them in a row.

You can only take this quiz once per hour, which is probably why only a small percentage of World of Guns players have gotten it to date. You might think it's easy to memorize a handful of guns, but 200 is something else entirely. To make it through this achievement, you must dedicate to study time something close to how you would prepare for major exams. Come into this quiz with a good night's sleep the day before and countless hours of preparation.

5 Better Than The Best: Sniper Elite 4

This is another achievement that sounds easy enough on paper until you actually put your boots on the ground. All you have to do is beat the great sniper game on Authentic Plus difficulty without manually saving.

Oh, and your radar and HUD are gone, and if you get spotted, enemies will never stop searching for you until you put one in their heads. With the high number of enemies at any given time, that's a serious problem. The lack of any assisting elements is what makes this achievement so hard to get, especially if you are relying on your rifle.

4 The Legendary Hero: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots

Having The Skill To Be Both Terrible And An Expert

Think you've got what it takes to be a Legendary Hero? You might regret your overabundance of confidence when you see the laundry list of requirements! First, you'll have to beat Metal Gear Solid 4 eight times, at the very least. That's because you can't get your hands on all the other trophies without doing so, which is a hard requirement.

Then there's that tiny issue of beating the game on the hardest difficulty without dying, using health packs, killing a single person, or getting spotted. And just so you don't think Konami made it easy on you, you'll have to perform this feat in under five hours, or it's all for naught. To boot, you need to get the emblems for playing badly, which is frustrating in its own right, particularly with the over 35 hours time requirement.

3 No Point In Dying: Limbo

Not Exactly A Permadeath, But That Doesn't Make It Easier

On the surface, this achievement doesn't sound too daunting. But that's just how they reel you in. "All" that is required of you for this achievement is the simple task of completing the game in a single play session, one with an average four-hour playthrough, according to HowLongToBeat, dying only five times or less. Again, it sounds simple enough. Nothing a little practice and a can-do attitude can't overcome.

But take it from the large percentage of Limbo players that don't have this achievement - it's not quite as simple as it sounds. Even with experience, Limbo remains a deceptively challenging game despite its simplistic appearance. Be careful when chasing after this one.