Top 10 Most Stressful Moments in Video Games

Top 10 Most Stressful Moments in Video Games Ugh, our nerves are still tense from these bits… Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today, we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Most Stressful Moments in Video Games! For this list, we’re taking a look at various, panic-inducing moments in video games that made our hearts skip a beat.

#10: Keeping Sonic from Drowning “Sonic the Hedgehog” series (1991-)

In a game where you play as a cartoon hedgehog saving cartoon animals in a cartoon land, you would think any kind of terror would be absent. Au contraire! Anyone who has played a “Sonic” game knows that Sonic can’t swim. However, some of us had to learn the hard way. Hang around underwater for too long, and that infamous, terrifying music starts playing. Of course, the first time this happened, we were unaware. We can guarantee that the abrupt change from catchy chiptunes to a suspenseful crescendo put us in immediate Panic Mode.

#9: Startling the Witch “Left 4 Dead” series (2008-09)

Amidst the grunts of zombies and the belches of Boomers, only one sound terrifies us more than any other enemy in “Left 4 Dead 2”. The second you and your friends hear crying, you know the Witch is nearby. Even with the best set of gaming headphones, it can be difficult to pinpoint her location, as her wails echo throughout the area. Your only defence is to turn off your flashlight and proceed with EXTREME CAUTION!! Getting careless will cause her to attack, which can instantly incapacitate or kill any teammate. Needless to say, the Witch is a force to be reckoned with.

#8: Perfect Runs “Guitar Hero” series (2005-15)

If you and your friends played a lot of “Guitar Hero”, we have a feeling there was a ton of smack-talk going around. Then, someone makes the bold claim that they could make a perfect run on a particular song. We know because we’ve been there, too. When you’re going for a perfect run on your own, it’s frustrating. When you’re doing it in front of friends, its easy to get stage fright. One tiny mistake could ruin that perfect score. It makes the songs feel like they’re five times longer than they really are. Seriously, who in the hell could play “Devil Went Down to Georgia” or “Through the Fire and the Flames” flawlessly?!

#7: Defusing a Bomb “Counter-Strike” series (2000-)

“Counter-Strike” is already a stressful game on its own. You never know when you’re going to turn a corner and run straight into the enemy! However, we sure as hell wouldn’t want to be the player that has to defuse the bomb. When the defusing process begins, you have no way of defending yourself unless you stop the process. You become such an easy target that you’re praying to God you don’t hear anyone heading your way! Hopefully, you’re not the last one alive on your team. Otherwise, good luck, bud! You’re going to need it…

#6: The Golden Strawberries “Celeste” (2018)

“Celeste” is one of the best games of the year (so far), but it can also be one of the most frustrating! As if the platforming wasn’t difficult enough, the game challenges you to collect strawberries that are placed in the trickiest spots throughout each level. If you’re thinking about going for a 100% completion, you might want to stop and think. “Celeste” rewards you with Golden Strawberries, BUT you must complete every level without dying! Given how precise “Celeste” requires you to be with your platforming, this one is going to make you tear your hair out.

#5: Anything Past the First Few Days “Papers, Please!” (2014)

Ahhhh, bureaucracy…what with the unnecessarily specific details, strict procedures, and detaining anyone who looks remotely suspicious. Welcome to your life in “Papers, Please”, where you must review passport after passport to protect the great country of Arstotzka. You might not have much trouble spotting discrepancies, at first, but the details start piling on. Eventually, you’ll have a hard time keeping track of every little thing. You’ll start taking more time to double-check everything, which means less pay and greater difficulty in taking care of your family. Look, we already have this stress in our daily lives. We could do without it leaking into our video games.

#4: Hiding from Xenomorphs “Alien: Isolation” (2014)

Once you’ve played this fantastic horror game, you’ll know what it’s like to be one of the Ripleys. As much as we love the Xenomorphs, we would never step foot in the same room with one. And yet, that’s just what “Alien: Isolation” forces you to do. Just like in the movies, there’s practically nothing you can do to kill them, and if you wind up in the clutches of a Xenomorph, you’re done for. So, when you start seeing a blip on your radar, you’re quickly scrambling to find a hiding place. At least you can take a breather once you see it crawl back up the vents.

#3: Dropping Souls in a Hard Spot “Dark Souls” series (2011-16)

Any “Dark Souls” fan knows EXACTLY what we’re talking about. You’re stuck in a tough fight, low on health, and an enemy finally deals the finishing blow. This is probably the third, fourth, or twelfth time this has happened. We get it, though. When we’ve stored up enough souls to beef ourselves later only to have have thenm swiftly taken away…it becomes the most agonizingly frustrating thing in gaming. Of course, if your souls manage to drop in a hard-to-reach or impossible-to-reach spot, feel free to let the rage out. The worst part is when you’ve retrieved your souls only to get killed moments later. Don’t you tell us we need to “git gud”!

#2: Being in the Top 10 “Fortnite” (2017) & “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” (2017)

We have aallll been there at one point or another. No matter which game you prefer, we go through the same cycle of feelings. When a match starts, you’re determined that you’re going to win this match…or lose, if you’re pessimistic. As the match progresses, you’re constantly eye-balling that player count, your nerves tightening up as the number decreases. Once you’ve noticed you’re one of the last ten remaining players (or somewhere around that mark), tensions skyrocket. Any move you make could be your last. You’re under extreme pressure to think carefully and plan strategically. Even if we lose, we’re more than happy to do it all again. That’s part of the thrill, right?

#1: The Whole Game “Outlast” (2013)

This game does NOT let you breathe! “Outlast” is a non-stop scare fest, with terror lurking around every corner. Armed with only a camcorder and no means to fight back, you’re constantly peaking around corners, hiding in lockers and behind desks, and playing as if your life was really in mortal danger. If that wasn’t bad enough, you can’t see a thing without the night vision on your camera, and the search for batteries can get stressful at times. There is no time to relax in “Outlast”, but honestly, we wouldn’t want it any other way.