5 Video Game Challenges You’ll Probably Never Beat

There's a fine line between something being unfair, and something being unbeatable, and it's only ever in the most inconvenient times that developers favor the latter over the former. Say, you've just mopped up every other side quest and challenge outside of the main campaign. It's somewhere there, often on the brink of the 99.8% completion marker, that a final series of challenges will fall on your shoulders. And honestly, there isn't anything more infuriating than trying to claim that final 0.2%, knowing full well you'll never seize it.

Challenges come and go, though only few are ever really remembered. Some, though, remain complacent, and sit idly by knowing all too well they'll never be beaten. And if that sounds like an excuse to go breaking records, then by all means, feel free to knock yourself out with one of these five painstakingly barbaric tasks.

5. FromSoftware's “God Run 3”

FromSoftware has a rich history of developing some of the most inexcusably difficult, albeit frustratingly beautiful action role-playing games of all time. With such a bulky portfolio of brutally challenging games, of course, comes a heavy-handed community, all of whom would gladly throw their lives into conquering any task the studio throw at them. Take God Run, for example.

God Run, for those who don't know, is a community-built challenge that sees players beating every FromSoftware game back-to-back, without taking so much as a scratch in damage. This has, believe it or not, been completed on multiple accounts. That said, since the release of Elden Ring, God Run 3 has been established, and nobody has dared to embrace it. At least not yet, anyway. To confirm, that involves completing the whole of the Dark Souls trilogy, Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring—without taking damage. How's that for difficult?

4. World of Warcraft Celebrity Status

In order to make yourself known in Azeroth and its vast array of otherworldly realms, you'll have to establish certain relationships with either Alliance and Horde factions, depending on the side you chose at the beginning. As you progress deeper into the main story, you'll meet said factions which, as you complete quests, offer you point towards your reputation. Earn enough points, and you'll find yourself Exalted, which is another way of saying you've reached celebrity status among their respective community.

While this all sounds pretty straightforward and easily attainable, earning said statuses does, in fact, require repeating certain quests. And honestly, given the fact that 80% of the game's communities are basically redundant, it does make the Exalted branding a rather pointless title. Nevertheless, it's a title many still wish to obtain, if only for the bragging rights.

3. Guitar Hero's “Through the Fire and Flames”

There was a time when Guitar Hero found a place in every living room, garage, and basement north of the Antarctic. Amidst all the hype, players forged an almost unbeatable task, one that would later engulf the entire streaming community in a sea of button-mashing solos and blister-popping breakdowns. This was, of course, the ludicrously tough power metal hit “Through the Fire and Flames,” a song that would later become a calling card for budding thrill seekers all over the world.

To make it clear, “Through the Fire and Flames” is not a difficult song to mash your way through. That is, if you're slaying it on the easiest mode, and with the use of two other players' hands thrashing at the neck of the guitar with you. Expert mode, on the other hand, is another story, and one that only a select few have been able to see though to the bitter end in its fifteen years on the market.

2. Max Payne 3's “New York Minute Hardcore”

“New York Minute” is a mode in Max Payne 3. Like the main campaign, the aim is to shovel your way through waves of enemies without, you know, dying. The only problem is, each level begins with a countdown timer, and the only way to add seconds to the clock is by pulling off clean headshots. As you pass through each stage, enemies become increasingly tougher, making the last few bouts some of the most frustratingly unfair in the series.

That's “New York Minute,” in a nutshell, which is significantly easier than the second tier, “New York Minute Hardcore.” Activating the Hardcore phase means having to play the whole of Max Payne 3 in one continuous run without dying. Meeting your maker does, annoyingly, set you back to the beginning of the campaign, meaning you'll have to survive the ten-hour slog without onboarding any damage whatsoever in order to bag the achievement. Easier said than done, given how tough Max Payne's bullet hells can be.

1. Fallout 4's Level Cap

It's a known fact that, as tedious as it is, grinding out levels is an unavoidable thing when it comes to role-playing games. Fallout 4, though, takes the absolute cake, as it forces you to level at a rapid speed in order to progress deeper into the story. But, rather than rounding the level cap off at a simple 100 and scooting you along your way, Bethesda instead made it, well, 65,535.

Let it be said that, to get anywhere within reach of of such a lusciously high figure, you would need to invest thousands of hours into the game. And honestly, it's an incredibly pointless challenge, as you can experience all there is to see and do in less than a hundred. Still, it's a personal goal many have set for themselves, to which they're still very much trying to accomplish to this day. Has anyone cracked it? Well, not without cheating, no.

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our top five? Are there any laughably hard challenges we should know about? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.