Games Where You Can’t Change The Difficulty

From retro games to modern titles, the inclusion of difficulty sliders can make any game harder or easier to beat. In some cases, this can be a way of allowing all gamers to enjoy some of the best titles of all time, while other times, it can be a way to increase the challenge for those brave enough to face it.

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Whether it’s brutal AI, complex mechanics, unforgiving environments, or just plain old competitiveness with other players, these titles demand dedication and skill before you’re ready to start enjoying the gameplay loop.

Not every game gives you this kind of choice, with many titles keeping their feet planted in one difficulty throughout the entire experience. From games that force the player to master their controls to games that focus entirely on the narrative, these games just don’t need a difficulty slider.

10

Pokemon Scarlet And Violet

Exploring The Pokemon Franchise

Systems

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

November 18, 2022

Publisher(s)

Nintendo
, The Pokemon Company

ESRB

E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence

One franchise that rarely gives you a chance to change the difficulty is Pokemon. Aside from the Black and White era where a secret hard mode could be accessed after beating the game once, every other Pokemon title leaves players on their own.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet give you more freedom as to how you tackle challenges and in what order. However, nothing makes the battles any easier or harder other than the player’s own self-imposed rules. Do you want to challenge other NPC to a battle? How about tackling all the gyms first? It’s up to you how you do it.

9

Elden Ring

Improve Your Reflexes To Survive

Like most Souls games, Elden Ring has no sliding difficulties. Every enemy has its own unique attack patterns for players to learn. Some enemies can be easily done away with, while others require parrying and a proper dodge before you can hit them effectively.

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This means that Elden Ring’s difficulty is determined by how easily you can learn these patterns and how well you know your own weapon strengths and weaknesses. However, Elden Ring is anything but easy, so if you get stuck on a difficult boss, take the time to tackle some of the easier ones to boost your confidence.

8

Dead Rising (2006)

No Difficulties, Just The Clock

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster may have added a more casual mode for new players or those who want to mess around a zombie-infested mall. However, the original Dead Rising has no way to make the game easier through settings.

You get 72 hours to uncover the truth behind the outbreak with the only thing making it easier being your stat increases as you level up. However, everything revolves around keeping up with the clock and finding new methods of getting around the mall faster.

7

Hollow Knight

One Difficulty For All Players

If you want to replay Hollow Knight, you might be surprised to find that it has no difficulty sliders. While you can potentially mod your stats through mods to give yourself a fighting chance, the game itself gives you no way of making the challenge easier for you.

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A metroidvania with souls-like qualities, Hollow Knight has you exploring the underground, mapping out the area, and encountering giant bosses. It’s tough to be a bug, so unless you learn your enemy’s attack patterns, they can put you in a world of hurt.

6

Celeste

Bonus Levels Instead Of Difficulty Sliders

Celeste has fast-paced platforming gameplay that has you jumping from one side of the screen to the other. With obstacles like moving platforms, spiked surfaces, and floors that will cave in unless you make a move, learning how to navigate the world is quite difficult.

While Celeste offers multiple levels with different difficulties, it doesn’t present it as something you can toggle on and off. Instead, these harder levels are considered bonus stages that get unlocked as you progress through the game, rather than a choice the player has about how hard their experience will be.

5

Grand Theft Auto 5

Exploring Los Santos With

Grand Theft Auto 5 has been out for years, but it continues to be a massive success as both a single-player and multiplayer game. While there are plenty of adventures to be had in the main game, everything you see is fixed to a singular difficulty.

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From stealing cards to evading the police, there is no way to modify the difficulty. However, you can still activate cheat mode and call in a helicopter whenever you need it. The only downside is that doing so stops you from getting achievements.

4

Undertale

Beating Sans Can’t Be Made Easier

Undertale may have a hard mode as a gag that extends toward the first Toriel fight, but the experiences in the main game cannot be altered. The genocide route in Undertale is generally harder than a pacifist run, but neither side can be made easier or harder.

So the next time you’re fighting Sans just know that there is no way of making the fight easier other than improving your own timing. As for the pacifist run, just enjoy the characters and the story for Undertale has some of the best.

3

Super Mario World

No Easy Mode For This Plumber

Systems

Released

August 23, 1991

Developer(s)

Nintendo EAD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

ESRB

E For Everyone

Super Mario World can be considered one of the most difficult Mario games or one of the easiest. Doing anything without the cape can be frustrating on later levels, but with it, you can breeze through most obstacles by gliding over them.

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Super Mario World, like many other Mario games, doesn’t have a difficulty slider. However, it does allow you to change the difficulty through other means, such as making enough progress to activate different blocks around each stage. This can make some levels easier by giving the player more options for platforms or power-ups.

2

Telltale’s The Expanse

Choice Based Gaming

Telltale has a history of making games with no difficulty levels. All that really matters is what choices you make as you progress through the story. However, it’s not always easy as some choices will result in death, while others will alter your relationship with the characters around you.

Telltale’s The Expanse is based on the novel and television series of the same name. Take the role of Camina Drummer, an officer aboard the Artemis, as you take the fate of the ship into your hands. Spark a romance, and choose who lives and who dies in this outer space narrative.

1

Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy

Still Have To Roll With The Punches

Crash Bandicoot has plenty of challenges that will keep both retro and modern gamers on their toes. The difficulty of these games comes from the camera angles and the many platforms you will have to get past if you want to make progress.

Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy doesn’t need difficulty sliders, with some games being more difficult than others. One game in particular that will challenge you to the core is the first entry in the series. This is a game many wish you could tone down the difficulty just a bit, but unfortunately, you just can’t.

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