The almighty Platinum Trophy is the pinnacle of having too much time in gaming, in the best way possible. Not only does it show your dedication to the game, but your drive for completion and perfection, even in the virtual world.
Horror games are no exception to this, with the added benefit of trying to avoid soiling your pants with new surprises and scares. However, for some games, there’s way more challenge than there is fear.
For these horror games, a Platinum Trophy is not only a sign of time, but a sign of skill, since you’d be required to do all manner of things in order to obtain it. Whether it’s collecting all documents or trinkets, beating the game several times on all difficulties, earning specific rankings, and various other challenges, these are some of the hardest horror games to Platinum.
In the end, the only thing to fear isn’t the game itself, but the monumental tasks ahead of you.
Yes, there are sites like PSN Profiles to track which horror games actually have the lowest Platinum percentages, but this list is ranked more on personal experience, since those numbers can also be skewed just based on the sheer size of the player base and other various factors.
10
Silent Hill f
Not Me, Y’all Stay Safe
For many players tackling the new Silent Hill game, several found themselves struggling to get through the difficulty-based trophies in order to obtain the Platinum. Not me, though. I just Platinumed Silent Hill f for a third time on my sister’s account, after Platinuming on my household account and then my personal account on my PlayStation 5. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I absolutely love this game. It genuinely means so much to me, connecting with me and resonating on deep, personal levels.
However, that does not mean that this game is easy. There are several trophies connected to difficulty (for both combat and puzzles), as well as conditions you have to meet with certain bosses and encounters. Lost in the Fog, the hardest difficulty, is what borders on the Soulslike rumours that floated around about the game, because it’s genuinely that challenging (almost enraging) to get through.
Not to mention, there are additional trophies that come with bosses, such as defeating Sakuko without being hit by her Suzu Bell attack — however, the boss trophies can easily be done on Story mode. Combine this with all the Omamori, Ema Plates, and documents that you have to find, and you’ve got at least five playthroughs before you come close to a Platinum. As someone who Platinumed the Silent Hill 2 Remake (also thrice), this is easily the hardest Silent Hill game to Platinum.
Regardless, that’s not stopping me from making a fourth account to Platinum this game for a fourth time (too late, it’s already done, I’m already in progress).
9
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Where Did S Rank Go? Bingo?
If you were to ask anyone in the Resident Evil fandom which game is the hardest to latinum, the most common answer you’d hear is the Resident Evil 4 Remake, or the Resident Evil 3 Remake. With Nemesis and Inferno mode, that’s definitely a close call. However, it’s much harder to get the Platinum trophy for Resident Evil 4 in my opinion.
The Resident Evil 4 Remake does a lot more than allow you to relive the experience of the classic for the first time all over again, it also grades you on how good (or badly) you played the game. The highest rank, S+, is among one of the most challenging to obtain, and you get a trophy for your efforts.
However, if you want to Platinum the game, you’ll have to earn an S+ rank on the hardest difficulties, not to mention finding all the treasures, doing all the shooting range challenges, and several other tasks. Suddenly, Platinuming this game becomes far easier said than done, especially since the combat is honestly more difficult in the remake than in the original, especially on Professional.
Thankfully, in this game, Ashley Graham is actually an excellent escort mission in comparison to how she was in the original, and you won’t have to worry about her interfering with your progress too much.
8
The Last of Us Part II
Grounded Difficulty is No Joke
The Last of Us Part II is infamously divisive among players, but those who love the game tend to be pretty hardcore about it, with their Ellie becoming an absolute monster by the time they reach a Platinum. They’d have to have a special kind of determination to get it done, though.
Of course, this is because of trophies being tied to difficulty — with Grounded mode being the hardest.
The Last of Us has always pushed the envelope when it comes to how survival horror can be experienced, and Grounded mode in the first game actually wasn’t too difficult, all things considered. However, Grounded mode in the sequel makes you genuinely feel like you’re in a losing fight for survival. Not only will enemies be absolutely ruthless with some of the smartest A.I. you’ve ever seen, but you essentially have no resources.
If you ever want to take a guess at how long you’d last in an apocalypse, play the game on Grounded, and you’ll learn quickly just how quickly you’ll be taken out.
7
Alien: Isolation
Nightmare Mode is a Literal Nightmare
By now, it’s clear that a lot of the most difficult Platinum trophies in horror games come from trophies being tied to difficulty, and Alien: Isolation is no exception to that pattern with Nightmare mode. True to its name, it’s nightmarish to get through, with the Xenomorph more relentless than ever at finding you.
Plus, you have to beat the game with Permadeath on for another trophy, but thankfully, it doesn’t specify which difficulty you need to complete this one on, so you could just do it on the easiest difficulty. I’d encourage it, too, as well as trying to lump together as many trophies in a single playthrough as possible. Otherwise, you’d be on this ship for a while.
There are countless trophies that require you to do (or don’t do) specific things by the time you beat the game, to where, by the time you cross the finish line, you feel like you had a fever-induced nightmare.
And of course, just to slap you in the face, there’s a trophy for if you die at least 100 times. This one wouldn’t be too hard to get in the long run, especially once you officially dive into Nightmare mode.
6
Outlast 2
Going Insane
The Outlast games are a test of your gut, because you’re going to need an iron stomach and nerves of steel to properly make it through the whole game on your first try, much less on subsequent playthroughs, in order to get the Platinum trophy. Of course, Outlast II decides to make it as hard for you as possible with our old friend, difficulty-based trophies.
On Outlast II’s hardest difficulty, Insane, you genuinely feel like you’re going insane trying to get to the next level. It’s going to be some of the scariest games of hide and seek that you’ve ever played, when you’re not pulling your hair out in frustration.
Thankfully, if you grind at these trophies, you could reasonably get them all in under 20 hours, but you’d have to know what you’re doing. Realistically, however, most of your time would be spent in Insane difficulty. It doesn’t stop there, as you also cannot reload your camera battery once.
If the difficulty hasn’t sunk in yet, all I’ve got to say is “Good luck.”
5
Catherine
So Much to Complete
Horror has always had commentary as its subtext, exploiting society’s fears about something in particular depending on the time period, area, folklore, and other factors. For Catherine, it’s a commentary about love and relationships, with our main love interest being a literal succubus.
However, we’re not here to talk about the (really well written) commentary, but rather the difficulty of the Platinum trophy for this one. Not only do you have to get trophies for all 12 endings (yes, 12), you also have to earn the This is El Dorado trophy, which requires you to get gold in every single level — including for every single ending. This is at least 12 playthroughs.
Then, of course, there are the Babel stages, which challenge you in ways the normal areas don’t, such as by giving you a single life and not being allowed to undo any of your moves. There are a ton of assignments (and trust me, they feel like assignments at times) to complete in order to even come close to the Platinum … nearly 100 hours later.
It’s honestly staggering how much there is to do, so it’s no wonder that the Platinum is so difficult to achieve.
4
The Quarry
Any Supermassive Game, Really
Supermassive, the team behind Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, is known for having games that are immensely difficult to Platinum. The Quarry, however, takes the cake as the hardest of their titles.
For many players, trying to force their way through a Platinum for The Quarry almost ruins the game for them outright, especially since they’d be replaying the game in the double digits before even coming close. It’s almost not even worth the headache, since the game is actually well done and shouldn’t be tainted with unnecessary frustration.
However, in true Supermassive fashion, there are trophies for all options, outcomes, pathways, and everything in-between. You have to go through the game with a fine-toothed comb, and even then, you’ll look away for two seconds and miss a crucial QTE, forcing you to do the game all over again.
3
Dead Space 2
Make Your 3 Saves Count
Limited saves have been a staple in survival horror games since the very first Resident Evil game used ink ribbon and typewriters in 1996, but Dead Space 2 amps it up on its hardest difficulty, giving you only three saves for your file. If you use them all within the first hour, you better hope you don’t die by the end, leaving players to be smart about when they go to a save station.
Not to mention, the A.I. have massive improvements from the first Dead Space, with ammo being a dream that you had woken up from a long time ago. Your only worthwhile weapons are the kinetic ones, and even then they aren’t at 100 percent all the time.
So, when you combine this with the three total saves, you’re in for a bad time.
My fiancé has gotten really good at speedrunning the game. I’ve seen them play it so many times — but even after all these years, they still haven’t Platinumed the game, if that tells you how hard it actually is.
2
Bloodborne
Well, It’s a Souls Game
Before anyone jumps on my case, I know that Bloodborne isn’t technically a horror game — but it definitely is in terms of Souls games, filled to the brim with European folklore and Lovecraftian horror. However, since it’s a Souls game, the difficulty speaks for itself, especially when you’re trying to Platinum the game.
On top of the difficulty, there’s a recurring area in each layer that will make you want to pull your hair out: Chalice Dungeons.
These bad boys are optional, but they are necessary for the almighty Platinum. You need certain items from bosses in order to get into them — and these items that bosses drop are random chance. The easiest way to go about these dungeons would be on New Game+ since that’s when the Chalice Dungeon bosses have the items you need.
However, that doesn’t stop the game from teetering on outright unfair. You’re more often than not outnumbered, with so few resources that it feels impossible — and if you happen to get frustrated enough to break your controller, it might as well be impossible.
Yes, you can farm that one user-generated Chalice Dungeon to get unlimited Blood Echoes, but you wouldn’t do that… Right??
1
The Evil Within
Akumu Mode Just Hurts
Not only is The Evil Within the hardest horror game to Platinum, it’s one of the hardest games to Platinum period, and that’s all because of Akumu mode.
Akumu mode is the hardest difficulty for The Evil Within, and it’s notoriously enraging due to one simple reason: a single hit from an enemy kills you instantly. No matter how good you think you are at the game, just get ready to see the death screen a lot, especially once you get into bosses or are dealing with more than one enemy. Sometimes, you don’t even know where the hit is coming from — but Sebastian knows, and he’s dead now.
It’s easy to unlock this mode – just beat the game once – but it’s nearly impossible to get all the way through. If you want to genuinely try this and get one of the rarest Platinum trophies in the horror sphere, your best bet would be to take breaks, and to take them often. You may not even want to touch the game again for a while after you complete it.
But once you do, all other trophies are a breeze, and that perfect Platinum is all yours.