Over the four decades in which Star Wars has existed, there have been dozens of games set in the galaxy far, far away. Some have been great, some not so much, but there have been surprisingly difficult Star Wars games over the years.
What makes the selection of challenging Star Wars games so interesting is that they come from so many genres. From first-person shooters to RPGs to flight simulators to even racing titles, Star Wars has showcased its versatility across all forms of games. The question remains, however, what can be called the hardest Star Wars game?
Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (2002)
Kyle Katarn's adventure as a Jedi continued with Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. It did what a sequel is supposed to do: take what the first one did so well and make it bigger and better. However, it's not exactly a walk in the park and will force the player to master every ability and weapon.
For every mostly normal area, there is immediately another that will feel like a gauntlet. Each of the boss fights is strenuous and will make the player restart several times. Even regular encounters can be frustrating, but it's made up for with still satisfying gameplay for both the lightsaber and blasters.
Star Wars: Episode I - Racer (1999)
Of all games, nobody would expect a Star Wars racing game to be such a challenge. Star Wars: Episode I - Racer takes one of the best sequences from The Phantom Menace and makes an entire game about it; and just like in the film, pod-racing is a fast and deadly sport that requires quick reflexes.
All it takes is the wrong turn and the player will likely lose the race. Even the most durable racers to choose from can easily be killed, and the AI players are relentless.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008)
At first, The Force Unleashed is mostly a fun hack and slash game, since it is essentially a Star Wars clone of the classic God Of War games. As a result of that, it borrows the same difficulty progression where it starts simply enough, but later levels can get to the point of hair-pulling.
The boss fights stand out as difficult, even the earliest bosses in the game can be a bit of a nuisance. This is all on the normal difficulty, so imagine the struggle of replaying the game on harder tiers.
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (2003)
Still held as one of the greatest Star Wars games, Knights Of The Old Republic is an RPG that will have the player lost for hours and hours. The game is so long with so many different aspects, from the combat to the dialogue choices to even some puzzle-solving elements.
While there are no drastic difficulty spikes like with other Star Wars games, it does evolve at a natural progression to the point that it does get harder and harder. Some sections might have the player rethinking strategy, and by the end, the player will have used every tactic possible to complete the game.
Star Wars: Empire At War (2006)
Such is the case with any great real-time strategy game, Empire At War forces the player to think 10-20 steps ahead. The enemy factions are relentless from the very beginning, and if the player does not manage resources, troops, and building properly, they will lose.
Empire At War may not be the most complex RTS game, but it never ceases to push the difficulty to new heights, especially with the Forces Of Corruption expansion that continued to keep the challenge high but never to the point of wanting to rage quit.
Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011)
The spiritual successor to Knights Of The Republic happens to be an MMORPG. every cliche that makes MMOs both fun and frustrating, from the overly long tutorial sections to being able to feel immersed in the world of Star Wars.
Every MMO has a wide variety of missions, with some being simple collect-athons while others are massive dungeons and events with boss fights that could take hours to beat. If the player has access to all of the expansions, then simply completing the game can feel like it will take a lifetime.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader (2001)
This sequel to Star Wars: Rogue Squadron goes for a third-person flight simulator in the same vein as the long-running game series Star Fox or War Thunder. The controls are really tight and require a lot of practice and finesse to master. The littlest errors can cause an entire mission to fail.
Some levels might not be too much of a challenge, but then Rogue Leader will throw a curveball with some levels that will test anyone's patience. From cheap enemy types to objectives that require perfect timing and precision, Rogue Leader takes everything from the first game and enhances it for a harder sequel.
Star Wars Squadrons (2020)
is a tactical flight simulator that returns to the style of the classic TIE Fighter and X-Wing games. Already back in the day, those games were never easy, but Squadrons takes it even further thanks to its true-to-the-movies visuals and how the ships on both factions operate.
The controls for the ships can be labeled as complex and even a bit convoluted. However, the reward for learning them is some of the most fun but challenging dogfighting gameplay. It will push the player's limits, especially in the online multiplayer, so it's recommended that new players put many hours of practice in.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)
With the rising popularity of the genre, Bloodborne. Granted, Fallen Order is probably the easiest Soulsborne title out there, but that's not saying much.
It still features many enemies that can kill the young Jedi Cal Kestis with one hit, boss fights that will take many tries to beat, and expansive Metroidvania-esque worlds to explore. For as difficult as it can get, especially in the last half, it makes up for it with a now-iconic canon story in the Star Wars universe.
Super Star Wars Trilogy (1992-1994)
All three games for the SNES have become notorious for their difficulty because of how relentless they are from the very first level. The enemies constantly respawn, the platforming always requires perfection, and the boss fights actually last longer than most Dark Souls bosses.
There is almost zero chance for the player to catch their breath and each game gets progressively harder and harder. As a result, the Super Star Wars trilogy is still considered some of the hardest games for the SNES, and that's saying a lot considering the likes of Super Metroid.
