Square Enix has been on a roll with their recent Final Fantasy games, providing impeccable story-driven experiences on the PS5 hardware. While fans around the world look forward to facing the challenges in the next part of the hotly anticipated Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, there are some heavily skill-based experiences currently available on PS5 that may just scratch that itch.

The following challenging games were all published by Square Enix and are available on the PlayStation 5. Whether it’s about quick reflexes, strategic combat decisions, resource management, or just pure grinding, these are some of the most popular and difficult games on the market right now by the publishing giant.

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5 Octopath Traveler 2

Big Difficulty Spikes

The sequel to the beloved JRPG, which started out on the Nintendo Switch, Octopath Traveler 2 is one of the easier games on the list, even though it will give players a tough time in some encounters and levels towards the end of the game. There is a very noticeable difficulty spike after Chapter 2, which calls for players to use the right synergies, divine skills, and jobs in order to be comfortable in difficult fights.

Then there are hidden dungeons and secret bosses, which will take a lot more grinding for the players in order to acquire the best gear before they take these challenges. In particular, a super boss, Galdera, is extremely punishing for players who have not fine-tuned their builds for this fight. Generally speaking, boss fights in Octopath Traveler 2 are harder than the original because enemies hit harder and have more tools at their disposal. The difficulty spikes across the chapters, and levels only add to the overall challenge.

4 Final Fantasy 16

Challenging Ultimaniac Mode

Final Fantasy 16 was Square Enix’s breakthrough title of last year which saw Devil May Cry 5’s esteemed combat designer take the reins and deliver a fantastic action RPG in a medieval-fantasy setting. When players first boot up the game, they can opt for an action-focused difficulty setting for a greater challenge in terms of enemies’ health pool and damage output. However, a sufficient understanding of Clive's cabinet of tricks and a little practice with Precision Dodge will let players breeze through most of the encounters without making their palms sweaty.

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With that said, the real challenging difficulty levels are unlocked after finishing the campaign. Both Final Fantasy Mode and Ultimaniac Mode difficulty settings will test the mettle of the player, even if they have been pretty successful in their first run of the main story. For the former difficulty level, enemies in Arcade Mode of Final Fantasy 16 will start at a pretty high level when first facing them, while for the Ultimaniac mode, some of the hardest Arcade challenges are kicked up a notch to enter excruciatingly hard territory.

Finally, there are multiple four-round-long timed arena fights, The Final Chronolith Trials, that pit Clive against tough enemies and bosses with no healing items, which is very reminiscent of Devil May Cry 5’s bloody palace and equally challenging.

3 Final Fantasy 7 Remake Integrade

Punishingly Difficult Boss Fights

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Integrade for PS5 is a fantastic technical achievement that shows how technically sound remakes of beloved classics can breathe new life into long-running franchises. Everything from the intricate combat system to the fleshed-out characters and settings, the remake will be a blast for any RPG fan. In terms of difficulty, there are a fair number of challenges, both in the main story and in the optional side-content of the game.

Some of the boss fights towards the end of the game will compel players to try multiple times but alter their strategy and playstyle in each iteration. In such tough encounters, effective party management, foes' weakness, exploitation, and appropriate utilization of skills and items are keys to survival. The challenge is enhanced further in hard mode, where any items, including those for regenerating health and mana, cannot be used at all.

Then there’s the fact that some of the most challenging fights in the game, including the superboss, Pride and Joy, are only accessible if players activate the Shinra Combat Simulator on hard difficulty. All of these challenges existing in boss battles add a layer of difficulty to Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade that skill-based RPG fans will enjoy.

2 Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

The Dreaded Post-Game Difficulty

In this alternate-reality prequel to the very first Final Fantasy game, players will assume the role of the angry protagonist, Jack. The character’s anger translates to the player’s frustration when they begin their journey to bring down the final threat, Chaos.

Stranger of Paradise is most akin to a Souls-like experience compared to other games from Square Enix due to its tough challenges, especially on the harder difficulty and high emphasis on resource management. Many fans have also noted that the fluctuation in difficulty between the boss, enemies, and levels makes the whole experience even more challenging by giving players false hope.

After a straightforward fight, it’s easy for players to become overconfident and more greedy in their approaches thereafter. However, these hopes and dreams are squashed by an immediately harder boss fight that will give them a reality check to go back and grind for more resources and XP before they can continue their journey.

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Then there’s the whole ordeal of post-game content, which really ramps up the difficulty all the way to 11. After completing the main story, the Chaos difficulty mode is unlocked, which is significantly harder. On top of that, completing the entire game in Chaos mode will give players access to the 3 DLC chapters, each with their own increasing difficulty settings: Bahamut, Gilgamesh, and Lufenian.

Even though players can use the God mode titled “Extra” to cheat their way through these excruciatingly hard difficulty levels via infinite magic and invincibility, the challenge of the actual encounters remains. Without toggling Extra mode, these four difficulty settings, Chaos mode and above, are some of the hardest in any role-playing game.

1 NieR: Automata

Meticulous Optimization of Build is Essential

NieR: Automata is a beloved action RPG that first launched on PS4 back in 2017 and has been made available on PS5 after the console’s launch. This game has all the struggles and challenges that skillful players would enjoy, from quick-reflex bullet hell sequences to punishing boss battles to grueling platforming sections. There are also a handful of unique minigames that will put players in puzzling situations and always keep them on their toes. The entire journey is a test of the player's perseverance, strong observation, quick decision-making, and adaptability.

On harder difficulties, there is an increased emphasis on plug-in chips, which serve as the character leveling system in the game. What makes it an interesting challenge is the effective allocation of the points to the different attributes or chips in NieR: Automata, as the right builds will ensure players are constantly not getting one-shot by boss enemies. This needs some careful planning and a good deal of understanding about the boss’ attack patterns if the player is to endure these fights. Ultimately, the wealth of varied and diverse challenges make NieR: Automata a really daunting experience on the PS5.

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