The 20 HARDEST Levels in PS2 Games

Dockside
“Men in Black II: Alien Escape” (2002)

Few will remember this underplayed PS2 title, and there’s good reason for it. It's quite bad. There may actually be WAY harder levels in “Men In Black II: Alien Escape”, but few will get the opportunity to experience them, as the opening mission (much like the N64’s Superman ring level) is a very steep learning curve. It's badly designed, and aggressively difficult for what is essentially the tutorial. The enemy AI is tough, and can do far more damage than you can deal. MIB2 proved to be one of the most frustrating games in the entire PlayStation 2 library, thanks to a few design flaws that could've been easily avoided.

 

Nacho Tanker
"Scarface: The World is Yours” (2006)

Nacho Tanker in “Scarface: The World is Yours" is challenging, really challenging. It opens with you as the player shooting at a tanker from a helicopter, and this begins our challenge. Simply surviving this moment is a test in skill and endurance with the health of the heli dropping so fast that most players couldn’t even pass this moment, let alone the rest. Should you beat this section, the player must navigate a large, open tanker while fending off waves of armed enemies, all while trying to plant explosives and avoid getting overwhelmed. The narrow spaces and tight corners make it hard to evade attacks, and the pressure of completing the mission in time adds to the difficulty. I’ll say the same thing I said in 2006 at age 12: it is just not worth your time.

Olympus Coliseum
“Kingdom Hearts” (2002)

Kingdom Hearts is one of the greatest games of all time, and many forget as the beginning of the series, it actually had a LOAD of challenging worlds. In fact, barely ANY of them are easy to just breeze through. But we are choosing to focus on the Olympus Colosseum, as beating the entirety of it 100% requires some serious time invested, and more deaths than probably any other world. It's basically the most bosses you'll ever face, with one of them being Sephiroth. Therefore by definition, it's just gonna be the hardest no matter what. Hades Cup requires you to take on 50 rounds. Whose idea was that?

Level 7-B
“Shinobi” (2002)

I’ve said it many times, in many videos, but there is NOTHING more difficult in video games than punishing platforming and relentless enemies combined. Shinobi’s Level 7-B takes on these two elements. Throw in bottomless pits requiring pixel-perfect jumps while dealing with enemies that can easily knock Hotsuma into oblivion and you’ve got the worst version of this combo. The constantly draining sword meter forces players to stay aggressive, yet the narrow platforms leave little room for error. To make things worse, the level's length means a single mistake can set players back significantly. Yuck. Boo. Go home. Take a nap.

Mission 19
“Devil May Cry 3” (2005)

Mission 19 in Devil May Cry is notoriously difficult due to its grueling boss fight against ArkhamMundus in his second form. Arkham himself is a damage sponge and fights in a confined area with unpredictable attacks. The second phase, where Vergil helps, is easier, but getting there with enough health is the real challenge.Unlike the first phase, which is a cinematic aerial battle, this fight takes place in a confined arena where Dante must engage in close-quarters combat. Mundus unleashes devastating attacks that deal massive damage, and his attacks are difficult to dodge due to their speed and area of effect. Players must balance aggressive offense with precise dodging while managing limited healing resources. And guess what? Barely any checkpoints... Yay.

Sokrovenno
“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)

Now, I understand, for those who’ve mastered this game, this section is fairly easy, TRUST ME! I can do it with my eyes shut. But I ask the traditionally vocal and dedicated Kojima fanbase to think back to their first time. Sokrovenno is the battlefield for one of gaming’s greatest boss fights: The End. This entry could have been The Fury, but The End takes the crown due to the sheer intensity of facing him (as I said) for the first time. A legendary sniper with decades of experience, The End is a master of stealth, taking precise shots while blending seamlessly into his surroundings. This is a fight where the hunter becomes the hunted, demanding patience and endurance, and patience, and patience. Take. Your. Time. Find him, and hunt him.

Wrong Side of The Track
“Manhunt” (2003)

Wrong Side of the Tracks in “Manhunt” is one of the game’s hardest levels you can face due to its unforgiving stealth mechanics and overwhelming enemy presence. The level forces players to navigate a dangerous train yard while avoiding or silently eliminating members of the Skinz gang. Don’t think for a second that just going loud will be easier, because the enemies are heavily armed, highly aggressive, and patrol tight spaces, making sneaking past them not only necessary, but extremely difficult. The AI is borderline impossible, and this section is unmatched for pure, unadulterated rage.

The Impossible Challenge
“Ratchet & Clank 2: Locked and Loaded” (2003)

Also known as “Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando” to all you Americans, the second edition of Ratchet & Clank offers a challenge that was borderline impossible: The Impossible Challenge. It was brutally difficult due mainly to its sheer length, which can take over an hour. Spanning 60 grueling rounds, the challenge pits players against increasingly tougher enemies, including powerful minibosses and swarms of foes that can overwhelm even the best-equipped players. Ammo conservation becomes a serious issue, forcing players to carefully manage their weapons while dodging nonstop attacks. The difficulty spikes in later rounds, where enemies deal massive damage and leave little room for error. No checkpoints, only restarts, the stakes could NOT be higher.

SanctuaryThe Final Fortress
“Contra: Shattered Soldier” (2002)

Calling a Contra game hard is like saying doughnuts are delicious. We all know, now get me a doughnut. The real debate has always been: What is the hardest Contra game ever? While “Contra: Hard Corps” still holds that title for many, “Shattered Soldier” is undeniably up for debate. When it comes to the toughest level, opinions may vary, but most players agree that The Sanctuary Final Fortress stands out as the most rage-inducing stages level of the lot. Packed with relentless enemy waves and grueling boss fights, this level takes Contra and turns it up to 11.

Building World
“Silent Hill 4: The Room” (2004)

What’s worse than having to take on a wildly hard level? Having to take it on twice. For many players, the hardest moment in the hardest Silent Hill game is the Building world, both with and without Eileen. Admittedly, there is a glitch that allows you to skip, BUT that doesn’t matter for most players, we just had to take it on the chin. Like a lot of other entries, a confusing layout is mostly to blame. The level is a maze of interconnected apartments and stairwells, making navigation disorienting, especially with frequent backtracking. Hostile enemies, hostile environment, hostile maze, hostile me.

Nürburgring 24hr Endurance Race
“Gran Turismo 4” (2004)

This one is super easy to explain, and it kinda does what it says on the box. The Nürburgring 24hr Endurance Race, is a race that tests players' endurance by making them drive non stop for 24 hours. Staying in first place requires constant focus, and keeping that lead for 24 hours is a focus level that most can’t reach.

MGS1 Snake VR Variety Level 1
“Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance” (2002)

The “Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance” re-release introduced hundreds of VR Missions, Alternate Missions, and non-canon Snake Tales, extending gameplay far beyond the original story. It also took the challenge of the original to a whole new level. These VR missions featured four versions of Snake and Raiden, each escalating in difficulty. The standard MGS2 Snake is the easiest, though his missions remain tough. In VR Variety Level 4, he must protect an injured Meryl from 26 enemies using only sniper fire. Meanwhile, the hardest version, MGS1 Snake, faces an even tougher Variety Level 1, where he must defend a simple cardboard box from an even larger enemy onslaught.

Coral Canyon (Platinum)
“Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex” (2001)

Coral Canyon isn’t just the hardest level to platinum in “The Wrath of Cortex”, it’s one of the toughest in the entire Crash Bandicoot series. The stage starts with Crash piloting a cumbersome submarine. Its oversized design makes dodging fast-swimming fish incredibly frustrating. The real challenge, however, comes from the relentless enemies, hidden bombs, and sudden enemy attacks, either tentacles or just regular annoying fish. To make matters worse, the platinum relic time is brutally unforgiving at just 48 seconds, which may as well be 4 seconds. It sucks.

Demolition Man
“Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” (2002)

Flying in the early days of GTA was never anything to write home about, and this mission takes that theory on flying to the next level. Tommy must pilot an RC helicopter to plant bombs throughout a construction site. It’s probably the first time most players have even touched a helicopter in the game. Let’s just say it’s a brutal learning experience, and not the last time RC Air transportation would ruin our days in this series. To make things worse, the mission is, you guessed it, on a TIMER! As if that wasn’t enough, angry construction workers will actively try to swat your fragile little chopper out of the sky with hammers. LEAVE ME ALONE! I’M TRYING MY BEST!!

Penance
“Final Fantasy X” (2001)

“Final Fantasy X” had no end of incredibly difficult bosses, but the toughest boss in the entire game is a secret side boss, unlocked only after defeating all the other Dark Aeons. It can be found above Calm Lands on an airship, where it is accompanied by Left Arm and Right Arm in battle, just like me. With a staggering 12 million health points, immunity to elemental damage, and a variety of powerful abilities, this fight is a long, looooooong ordeal. It’s wildly against the spirit of FFX, but most players follow a guide to beat it.

“Through the Fire and the Flames” (Expert)
“Guitar Hero III” (2007)

Need I say more? “Guitar Hero 1” and “2” were phenomenal in their own right, but “Guitar Hero 3” took the game to a whole new stratosphere. The song selection was really really dope, and had more iconic tunes than any other entry, but none more so than the infamously difficult “Through the Fire and the Flames” by DragonForce. In expert difficulty, this may as well have been impossible, with casual fans having no chance of touching it, and adept players no chance of getting past the first 10 seconds.

Challenge of The Gods
“God of War” (2005)

Defeating strong enemies under strict conditions in a no-checkpoint marathon environment is always gonna be bloody hard, but none more so than the Challenge of The Gods from the original “God of War”. Players are tasked with completing a series of increasingly tough trials, each with unique challenges such as limited health, waves of powerful enemies, and no ability to save progress between stages. The lack of healing items and the relentless nature of the challenges demands a DAMN near perfect strategy. It is as tough as God of War gets, even by today’s standard.

Alien “Auto”topsy Part III
“The Simpsons: Hit and Run” (2003)

One of the greatest video games of all time, the final level in “The Simpsons Hit & Run” is the toughest in the game, and while players expect the last stage to be challenging, this one might go too far in a game that already had some surprisingly difficult moments. Many argue it’s so difficult that it detracts from the fun, which is not ideal... But I say git gud. In this level, Homer finds his father at the playground with his WWII Jeep, and together they race through Springfield to collect nuclear waste while being chased by Kang and Kodos' spaceship. The difficulty stems from the OH MY GOD THAT’S RIGHT, THE TIGHT TIME LIMIT.

Destroy Ship At Drill Platform
“Jak II” (2003)

Jak II is often forgotten for its insane difficulty. At times this game ranged from really hard, to return-the-game-and-sell-your-console-hard. IAnd in the main ponce you get to the part of thise mission, where you have to mount a turret and kill 40 enemies, and that’s where the the real pain begins. This part of the mission is considered the hardest due to the risk of being surrounded, relentless attacks that quickly deplete your health, the possibility of overheating your cannons, and the inability to heal. It’s the perfect balance of bad design, and genuinely hard gameplay.

Supply Lines
“Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” (2004)

What’s the deal with RC vehicles in GTA? Sure to invoke nostalgic dread for any San Andreas fan, this mission is the cause of many abandoned save files, though it technically wasn’t needed to finish the game, thank god. In it, CJ must pilot an RC plane and shoot down Zero's rival's courier vans. It's incredibly frustrating, as the plane has limited fuel, making the flight across town nearly impossible. The trick is to glide rather than constantly holding the throttle, but that makes the mission painfully slow. And hitting the targets? Much easier said than done. This mission is pure frustration in its most infuriating form, AND I’ve never beaten it... So salt in the wound from this last entry.