Open-World RPG that forces you to be good

“Git god,” the iconic phrase born in the darkest depths of the fiercest gaming warlords and their lair: the Dark Souls community. Since then, it's been thrown around as a meme and phrase in other games, from competitive PVP titles to other grueling single-player experiences, to express the idea that the game isn't too hard; it is the player who is not good enough.

There are definitely games that uphold this idea by delivering unhealthily tough experiences. Either you learn, adapt, and eventually overcome the obstacles they present, or you uninstall the game and move away to play something faster. For gamers who aren't afraid to be challenged and pushed to the limits, here are the open-ended RPGs that force you to become tougher and better players instead of taking care of you.

Project Zomboid

It's game over as soon as you get careless

Project Zomboids RPG features are probably the lightest you'll see on this list, but given the skill progression system and the specialized profession you can choose at the start, I'd argue it still fits the bill. As the last survivor in Knox Country, a huge open world environment overrun with zombies, your job is to just survive as long as possible and secure yourself a base, a source of food, water, fuel and medicine. Playing on the Apocalypse difficulty is considered the default experience Project Zomboidand that means that resources are generally very scarce, and you have to fight your way through hordes of cunning zombies that abound in the world.

Every decision you make must be carefully calculated, and without an escape plan, you can easily be run over or outrun. If you get bit, it's basically over, and you'll be sent to the death screen as the virus makes its way through your system. It's a game where you're likely to fail over and over, even after playing it for a while, because there's simply so much to think about and you're never completely relaxed. But just like your character learning skills to stay alive, you as the player will learn how the post-apocalyptic world works – eventually.

Pathological 2

Get used to cortisol spikes

What is the most stressful feature you can think of in a game? I know a simple one: a time limit. Nobody likes deadlines, and Pathological 2 exploits it to its maximum potential by making you survive a raging plague for twelve in-game days. Because every day, time is ticking away. Your decisions directly affect the people of the world: who survives and who doesn't.

But you also need to survive, and you may need to hurt or betray people around you to ensure that. The game hammers this one truth into your head: there are no good choices, there is no hope. It's this brooding atmosphere and desperate race against time with nail-biting survival elements that will force you to adapt and overcome, or fail.

Gothic 1 & 2

This fantasy world has no chill

Another game that does not scale to the player's level is Gothic 2and its predecessors, Gothic. Not only is the combat an ordeal, as you start out playing as an absolute nobody with terrible gear and damage, but it's also clunky due to the game's age. Some of the enemies have the ability to kill you in an instant if you are not prepared.

It will be interesting to see how much it changes Gothic remake should be out soon. Action aside, that Gothic game also subscribes to an old-school game design idea where there are no quest markers, and you trust that you can figure things out on your own from scratch and go back from memory. Overall, it's a stressful experience that you just have to get used to, but so worth it if you're an RPG fanatic.

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arises

Come back when you are stronger

Dragon's Dogma 2 aside, the first game delivered a bit of a learning curve. The world throws a few curveballs your way in the form of enemies of varying difficulty, and it's not hard for newcomers to explore the game's open-world environment and run into an area they're completely unprepared for. But even outside of late-game areas, some of the earlier encounters are notoriously difficult (ahem, those pesky bandits), and you'll need to manage your stamina carefully when facing larger monsters.

It's a grumpy game, so there will be times when you just have to accept that you need more practice and have to come back later. There is no one to force you through. Aside from mastering combat and using your pawns to their highest potential, building and upgrading your weapons is a lore-based learning curve of its own, though it's still second in difficulty to several Souls games – if that's any consolation!

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 & 2

The realistic combat is terrifying to many

If you are not actively playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance games, then the only thing you know about them is likely that combat is a steep learning curve. While both games have a tutorial sequence that introduces you to some of the core moves, like the perfect block, feint, dodge and more, it takes getting used to a very detailed sword fighting system.

It takes time, and it's something that will understandably be stressful for some players who might be more used to a simpler system. There are no cheats for mastering combat as Henry, although leveling up your skills and gear will make some things just a little bit easier. If you're looking for a challenge and like the real sense of progression, these games will deliver exactly that and more for you, while also testing your patience.

Outwards

Plan your adventure, or fail to survive

With Outward 2 on the horizon, it's a good time to highlight the uniquely challenging game that Outwards have. It's a classic example of an RPG that doesn't let you just walk into things without consequence. What sets it apart from some other games here is that it includes survival game elements, like managing your thirst and fatigue. There is also no fast travel in the game, so much of your time will be spent exploring on foot, which is already quite dangerous.

The enemies in Outwards penalties, and you should always be well prepared for your trip before you set out. Dying is pretty exciting in the game too, as it doesn't just make you reload from a save. Rather, you may be placed in a completely different area or even end up being caught while your belongings are left behind or taken. It's a cool concept because it allows you to role-play even your death scenarios, but it's also an added challenge when you're trying to get to your backpack after being dropped to a new location.

Fire Ring

Soulslike in Open-World format

Even if Fire Ring has earned the reputation of being the easiest Soulslike to date due to being an open world game, it's still a grueling experience in many ways for those who aren't veterans or particularly seasoned players of the genre. The world is huge, and you can always go somewhere else to level up your character slowly but surely. However, many of the minor bosses and “insignificant” enemies still have abilities that can feel completely unfair. From status effects that can catch you off guard to combos that will stun your character if you're not careful, danger is always lurking around the next corner wherever you go and explore in the Land Between.

And it's not just enemies, but also various environmental hazards, like giant balls rolling down stairwells, huge seas of pure Scarlet Rot, and more. My personal source of anxiety? The cursed basilisks that spray death on you. Finally you have all the big bosses in the game, the cinematic ones. Fire Ring welcomes you to his first major dungeon with Margit, who was a tough one for anyone who had never played a Soulslike before due to his movement and pace. Later, Malenia gave players such a hard time that she reached meme status on social media. So, needless to say, Fire Rings the world doesn't give you an inch, but forces you to toughen up and come back when you're ready for a real challenge.

Kenshi

Great freedom, through great suffering

Among the kings of penalty games that require you to suck it up and “give god”, we have Kenshi. If you jump into this unique RPG with no prior knowledge of what to expect, you'll be greeted with a splash of cold water in the face, especially if you're used to big triple-A titles like The Witcher 3 or Skyrim who welcome you as some sort of mythical hero or chosen one. Kenshi treats you like the little speck of garbage you are in its world, and if you want to be anything more than that, you'd better train to improve your skills, and fast.

The game doesn't give you direct help or guide you with it either. It is through trial and error, by being battered in its desert over and over again, by bleeding out dry, that you will eventually learn and understand what you need to do to come out on top in its hostile world. When you play with nothing, it is very likely that you can be captured for slavery in the first thirty minutes and spend your time as a prisoner. It's certainly far from a hero's journey seen in a Bethesda RPG, but you could argue that the payoff is greater once you get the hang of the game's systems and manage to break free from your chains.