I get it, you want every cheevo, you want the bragging rights. Achievement hunters grind, they replay levels, and they chase cheevos until sleep won’t come. Games like Super Meat Boy, Crypt of the Necrodancer, and The Evil Within, on akumu mode, can make that chase feel like climbing a brick wall.
That kills replay value, and it zaps the fun.
Fact, Hollow Knight’s Embrace the Void has only about 750 unlocks, it proves how brutal some cheevos get. This post lists ten absurd, nearly impossible achievements, from Shadows Rushed Me to You Asked For It, and it shows why they break players, and what to watch for.
We point to the hardest video game achievements across genres, from survival-horror games to pinball fx2, and we drop the odd tip for stubborn players. Read on.
Key Takeaways
- Hollow Knight’s Embrace the Void demands clearing all Pantheons, including a final 45‑boss run, and only about 750 players have unlocked it.
- Rock Band 2’s Bladder of Steel forces a nonstop clear of all 84 Endless Playlist songs with no pauses or fails.
- Wolfenstein II’s Mein Leben requires finishing on the 9th Circle without dying, and any death resets progress to the game’s start.
- Fall Guys’ Infallible requires five consecutive wins, where random events and physics make the streak reliant on both skill and luck.
- Max Payne 3’s Shadows Rushed Me enforces strict time limits in hardcore mode, and online server closures on September 21, 2021 removed some multiplayer tactics.
Mein Leben – Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Mein Leben forces players to finish Wolfenstein II on the highest setting, the 9th Circle, without a single death. Any death, even near the final boss, forces a restart from the very beginning, wiping hours of play.
The game’s save system and checkpoint rules offer no mercy.
Achievement hunters rank it among the hardest video game achievements, and critics call it one of the most punishing in modern gaming. It lowers replay value for many players, because a single mistake erases entire runs.
Players compare it to akumu mode and the You Asked For It challenge from The Evil Within, and they report high levels of disappointment and frustration. This article omits it from the main ten, yet the badge lives on as a notorious challenge.
Bladder of Steel Award – Rock Band 2
The Bladder of Steel Award in Rock Band 2 forces players to clear the Endless Playlist, all 84 songs, with no pauses and no fails. This task takes several hours, and it tests both skill and endurance, like a marathon for fingers.
Players must keep their focus, hit notes with precision, and avoid any mistakes for the whole run. Many achievement hunters call it one of the hardest video game achievements, a clear example of stamina-based challenges.
The pressure creates real stress, anxiety spikes, and even small hiccups can end the attempt instantly. You need a steady setup, stringed controller, drum kit, voice mic, plus a reliable game console and a stable playlist flow.
Some players chase brutal feats across titles, from “You Asked For It” in The Evil Within, to Akumu mode, to L4D runs, Castlestorm speed clears, Radirgy score pushes, and Arizona Sunshine marathons.
Achievement hunters swap tips, they map out snack breaks, and they practice pacing like a pro. A buddy laughed, “I sweated through three shirts, but I hit that last note.
Master of the Universe – VVVVVV
You must finish VVVVVV without dying to earn Master of the Universe. Terry Cavanagh built brutal platforming sections that punish one small slip. This test demands precision and mastery of platforming mechanics, like gravity flips and tight jumps.
Players use a controller or keyboard, and speedrun tricks often help.
Achievement hunters call it one of the hardest video game achievements out there. No numeric completion statistics exist for this achievement, so few can claim it. The challenge boosts replay value, because you repeat levels until you nail every move.
It sits alongside brutal feats like You Asked For It on The Evil Within, Akumu mode runs, and Left 4 Dead endurance runs.
Infallible – Fall Guys
Fall Guys’ Infallible achievement requires winning five consecutive games. It needs both skill and luck, because the game’s randomized elements change every match. Random falls, last-second grabs, and chaotic physics can end a perfect streak, and that makes the task famously frustrating.
Achievement hunters rank it among the hardest video game achievements, and they compare the pain to feats like you asked for it in The Evil Within on Akumu mode. Match finder, scoreboards, and the random number generator give structure, yet a single bad break still ruins runs.
Players chase this streak for the replay value, and the chatter about perceived randomness fuels community debate.
Embrace the Void – Hollow Knight
Embrace the Void forces players through Hollow Knight’s toughest boss gauntlets, a true boss rush. You must beat every Pantheon, and clear all other bosses before you try. Four Pantheons must be completed, each with 10 bosses, and each adds a new boss.
A final Pantheon contains 45 bosses, stacked into one brutal run. Players can heal between fights, but bosses arrive back to back. The requirement to finish every boss in the game first raises the bar high.
That difficulty ranks Embrace the Void among the hardest video game achievements in the Metroidvania genre. The reward is massive replay value and bragging rights.
A known glitch grants invincibility, and some players use it to unlock the badge. About 750 players have actually unlocked Embrace the Void, a tiny fraction of the fanbase. That small tally sits alongside other brutal trophies, like The Evil Within’s You Asked For It, which needs akumu mode cleared.
Many veterans rely on Charms, Nail upgrades, bench saves, and tight routes. Fans compare the stress to other Metroidvania tests, and they call it savage. You will feel the weight of each run, and you will either rage or laugh at the end.
The Shadows Rushed Me – Max Payne 3
Rockstar Games created the “Shadows Rushed Me” achievement for Max Payne 3. You must clear levels under strict time limits, in hardcore mode. Shooting enemies adds seconds to the clock, and dying resets all progress in a single run.
Ammo runs out fast, so tight ammo management matters, running dry ends the attempt.
Hardcore fans call it one of the hardest video game achievements, speedrunners study each corridor. Many lists rank it among the top ten nearly impossible unlocks. The achievement ratchets up stress, it demands near perfect play and can kill replay value for casual players.
Online servers closed on September 21, 2021, and that shutdown made many future attempts less viable, since some multiplayer tactics vanished. Fans of the evil within and akumu mode will nod, this one delivers the same heart-in-throat panic.
Messiah – Outlast 2
Messiah in Outlast 2 demands brutal skill, steady nerves, and near religious patience. The developer layers tense corridors, camcorder use, and night vision into sequences that punish mistakes.
Players must string together flawless stealth, quick choices, and calm under pressure to claim the trophy. This ranks among the hardest video game achievements, it even sits beside feats from the evil within on lists of nightmare tasks.
Completion needs long runs and repeated attempts, practice that grinds you down, then builds you up. No specific numbers exist for the challenge. It demands a high level of skill and perseverance from anyone brave enough to try.
The achievement boosts replay value, but only for players who love punishing tests. Community posts call Messiah an extreme grind, and critics place it as a hallmark of the survival horror genre.
You Asked For It – The Evil Within
Fans call it one of the hardest video game achievements in survival horror. Tango Gameworks and director Shinji Mikami built a gauntlet that chews up nerves. The challenge has extreme difficulty; it plays like a dare from the game itself.
Few streamers brag about it, most treat it as a party trick.
Chasing it raises replay value, but it can burn out even vets. Streamers on Steam and console show the worst parts, chat eats popcorn. Controller users curse, computer players reload saves, nobody smiles much.
The achievement stands as a warning, a small badge that few can claim.
Seriously 3. 0 – Gears of War 3
Seriously 3.0 in Gears of War 3 eats time and patience.
The gaming community calls it one of the hardest video game achievements, and many players avoid it.
You grind multiplayer modes, Horde mode fights, and co-op matches across matchmaking lobbies, chasing repeatable tasks.
The achievement represents extremely grindy, time-consuming requirements, and it taxes the achievement system.
Players face tall lists of tasks, long play hours, and strict performance goals, so you need steady teams.
The console’s online service still hosts lobbies, despite the game’s age, and that shapes match flow.
Community guides, playlists, and shared tactics ease some chores, but they do not erase the grind.
Shenanigans! – Cloudberry Kingdom
Expect tiny platforms, sudden spikes, and a physics engine that seems to mock you. Shenanigans! in Cloudberry Kingdom ranks as one of those highly difficult platforming challenges, the sort speedrunners whisper about.
Guides did not detail it in the provided key points, so most players piece the trick from runs and clips.
You need razor timing and tiny adjustments, not luck, to clear the gaps. The procedural level generator and tight collision from the platformer code punish sloppy moves, so practice with a controller or try a keyboard for finer input.
Think of it like threading a sweater needle while the cat bats the yarn, and you see why precision jumping rules here.
My Kung Fu Is Stronger – Mortal Kombat
The My Kung Fu Is Stronger achievement in Mortal Kombat has a fearsome reputation. Players call it one of the most grind-heavy achievements in fighting games, and that talk sticks.
It demands extensive playtime, and requires wins with multiple characters across modes like Kombat League and towers. You will use training mode, study frame data, and drill controller inputs.
It will chew up your free time like a hungry fighter.
No completion statistics exist for this achievement, so the exact drop rate remains unknown. Developers did not publish clear thresholds, which fuels legend and speculation among players.
Plan for long sessions, rotate your roster, and treat practice like a day job, not a weekend hobby. Use online matchmaking and towers to reach varied targets, and watch Kombat League events for spikes in competition.
LASSO Master – Halo: The Master Chief Collection
LASSO Master sits inside Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Players call it one of the hardest achievements in the first-person shooter genre. It asks you to finish campaign runs with multiple challenging modifiers active.
Those modifiers change enemy behavior, limit ammo, and raise enemy damage. You may need campaign playlists, co-op help, and an achievement tracker to keep progress straight.
Some players run campaigns on a console or on a digital platform to sync saves. They bring an input device they know well, and they practice modifier combos on easier modes first. Co-op play helps, but each run still demands near-perfect play and long patience.
This lack of official details only adds to the mystique around the achievement.
Takeaways
These achievements read like tall tales, they mock common sense and patience. You saw Hollow Knight Pantheons, Max Payne 3 hardcore runs, and time attack sprints. Some trophies, like Assetto Corsa UAR and Death Smiles True Tyrant, sit on Xbox 360 leaderboards with names few can match.
Only a handful of players have claimed these crowns, and some feats show up beside empty rows on leaderboards. I watched a friend rage, slam a controller, then grin after a near miss, that sums the odd glory here.
Use LiveSplit, TrueAchievements and console replay tools, train in small runs, then try again.
FAQs on Absurd Game Achievements
1. What makes the 10 Absurd Game Achievements nearly impossible to unlock?
Tiny chances, weird timing, and crazy RNG make them hard. Some need perfect luck, some need other players not to mess up. A few rely on bugs, or on old events that no longer run. They feel like finding a needle in a haystack, and that is the point.
2. Should I try to unlock these game achievements, or just ignore them?
Try if you want a wild hunt, and can afford the time. Most players skip them, and that is fine. I knew someone who chased one for months, and laughed the whole way. It can be fun, or it can eat your play time.
3. Do developers ever patch or remove impossible achievements?
Yes, developers patch them sometimes. They fix bugs, or they retire old tasks after big updates. Other times, they leave them as rare rewards, a badge for the stubborn. If a goal breaks the game, expect a hotfix soon.
4. Any short tips to improve your odds at unlocking absurd achievements?
Read forums, and learn the exact steps. Watch clips from speedrun and help guides, copy smart moves. Play with a steady team, and save backups when you can. Stack the deck, use patience, and do not rely on hope alone.
