Hardest D&D Games, Ranked

Apr 01, 2024

These D&D games are sure to challenge even the most seasoned adventurers.

Dungeons and Dragons has made forays into other mediums since its inception, including movies, cartoons, and of course, video games. There have been many adaptations, including the beloved lore, worlds, and characters for fans to interact with, bringing the joy and fun of tabletop D&D into the world of gaming.

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However, those who boot up these games expecting a nice and friendly fantasy experience might be in for a shock with some of these titles, as they offer challenges to rival the like of Dark Souls. Players will need to gather their party before venturing forth to overcome the awaiting challenges.

D&D got the MMORPG treatment with Neverwinter. Here, adventurers across the globe could team up with their own custom character to battle the forces of evil that fans of the TTRPG will recognize from adventure modules such as Curse of Strahd, Tyranny of Dragons, and Storm Kings Thunder. This would give fans a taste of the TTRPG goodness without the headache of scheduling an actual campaign with their friends.

Players should beware of these campaigns, however, as they could be deceptively difficult. Missions would need hours of grinding to ensure they are of an appropriate level to take it on or recruit allies to help them escape these dreaded dungeons alive. The bosses themselves also hold great power, as expected of BBEGs, so players will need to cooperate and strategize in order to escape alive.

Most fans might not know that D&D video games date all the way back to the early 90s, with titles such as Eye of the Beholder. Originally created for the MS-DOS system, it was later ported to SNES and Sega consoles to bring the classic fantasy adventure to home game consoles. In this title, players will control a part of adventurers in one of the Forgotten Realms most famous cities, Waterdeep, to confront the legendary Xanathar in his lair in the city's underbelly.

As the years have worn on, Eye of the Beholder wears its age in its every facet, and gamers who are used to newer, more polished games might struggle with the controls. But even those who are used to retro titles still might find challenges in the labyrinthian sewer, especially when they reach the final boss.

The third game in the Baldur's Gate series, this game sees one or more players escaping the clutches of Mindflayers from the Nine Hells with a parasite behind their eye that will soon mutate them unless they find a way to have it removed. This will charge them with traveling across the world and teaming up with other people that were aboard the ship as they search for a cure.

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As with most D&D RPGs, a lot of these encounters, be they combat or social, will rely on dice rolls, with character modifiers tipping the odds in the character's favor. But, even with the best luck, players will find themselves in tough encounters against enemies in the game who have strength and skill that can outmatch the player. It's not uncommon for players to fail outright or drag themself through the fight with only one party member remaining, bloodied and out of resources as they barely survived.

Set in the snow and ice-locked titular region in the Forgotten Realms, Icewind Dale is one of the earlier Dungeons and Dragons games, taking place decades before RA Salvatore's Drizzt novels. Players could customize up to six characters in order to make a well-rounded party to take into the tundra and fight the legendary monsters that lurk there. With several expansions introduced in the enhanced edition, players will find hours of D&D fun to be had here.

As part of their fun and exploration, players will be challenged when it comes to the combat on offer here. In true TTRPG fashion, players will find little success in wars of attrition and must play smart and strategize in order to fight. With up to six party members at their disposal, players must take their abilities and strengths into account when formulating their plan of attack, or they risk falling to the monsters' machinations.

The spiritual successor to similar titles such as Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate, Pillars of Eternity is another isometric RPG with plenty of TTRPG goodness in the form of character creation, including their race and class. Though it is a single-player experience, players aren't forced to face the challenges alone, as they can create a band of adventurers to charge into the lush and fantastical world of PoE.

Despite this, players will still find themselves challenged by the combat of this game, as it is not designed for thoughtless button pressing or for players to breeze through encounters. Instead, players might find themselves hurled into a bloody meat grinder if they are ill-equipped or leveled for the area of a boss fight. Players should definitely take care to never underestimate anything they come across in the world of PoE, or their ego will be their undoing.

This story-rich and epic isometric RPG was the one that started the Baldur's Gate craze, bringing two addition titles in the series for fans of the TTRPG to experience D&D goodness in the form of a video game. Though it was not the first Dungeons and Dragons video game, it went on to be the most popular and beloved, earning an enhanced edition for gamers to experience a new take on the classic game.

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Along with providing exploration, lore, a rich plot, and intricate characters, Baldur's Gate also provides challenging combat to players, making it one of the hardest Dungeons and Dragons games. Throughout the game, players encounter challenging monsters that have the strength and abilities to crush the player's character, so players have to be smart and leveled up enough to face the challenges that come their way.

With the legacy of a tabletop module of the same name, Temple of Elemental Evil was set up for success and was often lauded as the D&D game that remains the most faithful to the TTRPG. It follows the same module as the one it shares the name with, in which players visit a town that lives in fear of the nearby destroyed temple dedicated to an evil deity that is now showing signs of activity once more.

Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on the player's tastes - Temple of Elemental Evil can be punishingly difficult. Even the lower-level combat encounters will offer a mighty challenge to players, with many monsters having the strength to insta-kill characters, and the game will only get more difficult as players progress. But this is also true of actual D&D games, so players can't deny that it is faithful to recreating the TTRPG experience, as the earlier character levels are always the deadliest.

The second game in the Baldur's Gate trilogy, this game brought more of the isometric D&D-themed RPG fans can't get enough of. It takes place in Faerun, the most popular setting for D&D, set not long after the Times of Trouble when the Tablets of Fate were stolen, and many Gods became mortals to try and seek out these powerful artifacts. Players will adventure far and wide over the continent, even traversing into the Underdark and Astral Plane in a campaign of epic proportions.

But no fantasy game would be complete without combat, which Baldur's Gate 2 provides plenty of. Even seasoned gamers will find the combat here tricky, as the game is not shy about thrusting powerful monsters in front of the players' parties and unleashing merry hell upon them. Ill-prepared or unseasoned players will quickly fall, and even those who have experience will find it a challenge to survive the tougher-designed encounters here. It is definitely not an experience for the faint of heart.

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Amy is a list article writer for Game Rant with experience writing professionally as a content creator and a degree in Creative Writing. In her free time, she likes to write, bake, watch horror films and play games and TTRPGs with her friends.