Best Difficult Games on Steam

Unlike generic lists, our strategy game recommendations use a rigorous analysis of Steam user reviews to identify and feature only the best, community-validated difficult games. For those who prefer not to search, check out lists of the most played, top deals and best free to play Difficult games on Steam.

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Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Infiltrate terrorists' positions, acquire critical intelligence by any means necessary, execute with extreme prejudice, and exit without a trace! You are Sam Fisher, a highly trained secret operative of the NSA's secret arm: Third Echelon.

Price 4.99€
Rating 8.5
Release 01 Apr 2008
Far Cry® A tropical paradise seethes with hidden evil in Far Cry®, a cunningly detailed action shooter that pushes the boundaries of combat to shocking new levels. Freelance mariner Jack Carver is cursing the day he ever came to this island.

Price -70% 2.99€
Rating 8.0
Release 01 Apr 2008
Manhunt You awake to the sound of your own panicked breath. In Manhunt, you must run, hide and fight to survive. If you can stay alive long enough, you may find out who did this to you. This is a brutal blood sport.

Price -72% 2.86€
Rating 6.9
Release 04 Jan 2008
Quake III Arena The greatest warriors of all time and space have been summoned to battle for the amusement of an ancient alien race. Wield a variety of guns and power-ups as you fight for glory against ruthless combatants in this fast-paced single-player and multiplayer FPS.

Price -60% 5.99€
Rating 9.2
Release 03 Aug 2007
DOOM + DOOM II Developed by id Software, and originally released in 1993 and 1994, the definitive, newly enhanced versions of DOOM + DOOM II are available as a combined product.

Price -62% 3.89€
Rating 9.4
Release 03 Aug 2007
Wolfenstein 3D World War II rages. The Nazis are planning to build an unstoppable, mutant army. On a mission to steal the secret plans, you were captured and imprisoned. Now, a lucky break gives you the chance to escape, but a maze of passages and trigger-happy Nazis stand in your way.

Price -88% 0.62€
Rating 9.0
Release 03 Aug 2007
HeXen II The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse lurk in the shadows before you. They are Death, Pestilence, Famine, and War. They are the root of all that is evil, but the least of your worries. The last of the three Serpent Riders yet lives.

Price 4.99€
Rating 7.5
Release 03 Aug 2007
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved is a old school style shooter, but remixed for the 21st century with next generation graphics and deep, modern gameplay. Playing is simple: you are a geometric "ship" trapped in a grid world, facing off against waves of deadly wanderers, snakes, and repulsars.

Price 3.99€
Rating 8.6
Release 18 Jun 2007
X-COM: Terror From the Deep The war continues... X-COM: UFO Defense brought you to a galactic battlefield. X-COM: Terror from the Deep brings the alien terror into a totally new dimension.Seeking to take advantage of a weakened Earth, X-COM's deep space foes unexpectedly change strategy and launch a powerful second front against planet Earth.

Price -96% 0.22€
Rating 8.6
Release 04 May 2007
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl tells a story about survival in the Zone – a very dangerous place, where you fear not only the radiation, anomalies and deadly creatures, but other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who have their own goals and wishes.

Price -74% 5.24€
Rating 9.3
Release 20 Mar 2007
Hitman: Codename 47 As the enigmatic Hitman, you must use stealth and tactical problem solving to enter, execute and exit your assignment with minimum attention and maximum effectiveness. For a price, you have access to the most devious devices, but how you use them will determine if you retire as a millionaire or get permanently retired.

Price -93% 0.58€
Rating 7.0
Release 15 Mar 2007
Hitman: Blood Money Money Talks. Silence Pays. Prepare to Make a Killing. When assassins from Agent 47's contract agency, The ICA, are eliminated in a series of hits, it seems a larger, more powerful agency has entered the fray. Sensing he may be a target, 47 travels to America, and prepares to make a killing.

Price -93% 0.76€
Rating 9.2
Release 15 Mar 2007
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Enter the realm of a retired assassin, forced back into action by treason. You may be a hired killer but you still have a sense of loyalty and justice. Visit the dark recesses of a world corrupted by crime, greed, degradation and dishonor. And a past that catches up with you.

Price -94% 0.60€
Rating 8.0
Release 15 Mar 2007
Commandos 2: Men of Courage Commandos 2: Men of Courage is a tactical action/strategy game set against the backdrop of World War II. Take control of an elite group of commandos who must venture deep into enemy territory and utilize their combined expertise to complete a series of mission-based objectives.

Price -93% 0.39€
Rating 8.3
Release 15 Mar 2007
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty You have been selected for active service in the Commandos Corps, and must now mobilize in a series of 8 new dangerous missions.

Price -94% 0.33€
Rating 8.4
Release 15 Mar 2007
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines is a real-time tactics game set in World War II that puts you in command of a small squad of elite troopers. Send them behind enemy lines on a series of hazardous missions, and bring them back alive.

Price -93% 0.35€
Rating 8.7
Release 15 Mar 2007
Peggle Deluxe Take your best shot with energizing arcade fun! Aim, shoot, clear the orange pegs, then sit back and cheer as 10 whimsical teachers guide you to Peggle greatness.

Price 4.99€
Rating 9.5
Release 06 Mar 2007
FlatOut Ram through pile-ups and smash through your windshield as you push racing to the edge! FlatOut™ delivers more heart-stopping thrills than any sane driver can handle!

Price -94% 0.48€
Rating 8.9
Release 02 Feb 2007
Call of Duty® (2003) Call of Duty® delivers the gritty realism and cinematic intensity of World War II's epic battlefield moments like never before.

Price 19.99€
Rating 9.2
Release 13 Oct 2006
DEFCON Inspired by the 1983 cult classic film, Wargames, DEFCON superbly evokes the tension, paranoia and suspicion of the Cold War era, playing on the fascinating aspects of psychological gameplay that occur during strategic nuclear warfare.

Price -91% 1.16€
Rating 8.4
Release 29 Sep 2006
Insaniquarium Deluxe The craziest aquarium game ever! Tend to your fish, keep them happy and they'll reward you with coins and jewels. Buy tank upgrades or egg parts which hatch different in-tank pets. These pets can help you feed your fish, collect coins, or even protect against the aliens that will invade your tank.

Price 4.99€
Rating 9.3
Release 30 Aug 2006
Zuma Deluxe Deep in the jungle lie hidden temples bursting with traps and trickery, and it's up to you to uncover their treasures. Fire magical balls from your stone frog idol to make matches of three or more and clear the deadly chain before it reaches the golden skull.

Price 4.99€
Rating 9.2
Release 30 Aug 2006
The Ship: Murder Party The Ship is a murder mystery multiplayer.

Price -83% 1.75€
Rating 8.3
Release 11 Jul 2006
Dangerous Waters S.C.S. - Dangerous Waters allows you total control over multiple air, surface, and submarine platforms in a modern-day naval environment. Take direct control of individual crew stations and also plan and execute combined arms naval strategies from a top-down 'Commanders Eye' perspective.

Price -90% 2.63€
Rating 7.4
Release 07 Feb 2006