Every gamer has their own feelings about trophies and achievements. Some just can’t resist them and will ravenously hunt down even the most difficult ones in every game they play. Others have particular favorite games or franchises and will only take an interest where those are concerned. One might even buy games simply because they offer an easy-to-acquire platinum trophy, whether it’s actually something the gamer wants to play or not.
Still, from casual trophy dabblers to those not interested at all, to dedicated trophy hunters, players have noticed that some games are much less willing to give up their trophies than others. Buckle up for some of the mostdifficult platinum trophiesonPS4. Some games are exclusive to the system, some aren’t, but they’re all going to be super challenging, and they’ve all inspired gamers to replace their controller (and even TV sets) after coming so close but ending up so far.
Updated on June 01, 2025, by Ritwik Mitra:Platinum trophies serve as a great way for players to brag about their expertise in a particular game, finishing the many challenges set by the developers to earn this glorious mark of recognition. There are some games with platinums that are pretty easy to achieve, but then there are some titles that are so challenging that trying to attain thesedifficult Platinum trophies on PS4becomes a serious test of patience.
Therevival ofTony Hawk’s Pro Skaterwas a treat for many fans, allowing them to experience the first two games with a fresh coat of paint. The score-based gameplay coupled with the wealth of iconic skateparks in the title made for a great time indeed.
However, the fun factor of this game can definitely be diminished if players try to earn as many trophies as possible. It becomes a huge pain to get the platinum trophy, with players having to complete stages at the hardest setting and grind over and over again to reach level 100.
Cupheadis easilyone of the hardest games ever made. The shoot-em-up action is so unforgiving that players will have to memorize the patterns of every boss and pick the best weapons at their disposal to even stand a chance of winning an encounter or getting past a stage without tearing their hair out.
If the early bosses are giving players a hard time as is, then later encounters will awaken something demonic in them. It takes a Herculean level of patience and skill to finish this game. Getting a platinum in this game is even more challenging, with players having to accomplish numerous feats and beat every boss in Expert mode!
MMORPGs are notorious for having immensely difficult trophies, andSkyforgeis no exception to this golden rule. Players are dropped in a riveting sci-fi world with fantasy elements where they must fulfill their destiny as an immortal god who is tasked with ridding the world of an ancient force. Players who want to attain the platinum trophy for this game should keep in mind that this task is going to take them a ton of time.
The time sink required for the platinum is downright insane, with players having to max out every class in the game while also winning a total of 100 multiplayer matches. Forget a hundred hours — some people will have to invest a total of a thousand hours if they want to get this platinum, which is a crazy amount of time to spend in any game!
Tethered
A PSVR game that is pretty immersive and challenging at the same time. This real-time strategy game lets players control a group of Peeps as they harvest the resources of the islands in the game, preparing themselves to face off against the denizens of the night who have it out for them. The game can be surprisingly challenging at times, and players who want to secure the platinum trophy will be tearing their hair out at times.
This is becauseTethered’s platinum trophy mandates that players get an A rank in all categories across the game’s thirteen levels. This is a truly insane ask because of how meticulous and perfect players need to be to achieve the same. It requires a ton of practice, and it doesn’t help that players have to use a VR controller to achieve the same, which can be rather hard to get used to in the first place!
Valhalla Hills
Another strategy game with a ridiculous platinum trophy requirement,Valhalla Hillsis a decent if somewhat unremarkable title that can be a lot of fun early on once players get the hang of things. Keeping the Vikings happy while building up a great settlement is a fun time, even if the gameplay itself can feel rather lacking and unpolished at times.
However, players who want to get the platinum trophy will be in tears as they grind through the game’s many irritating achievements. It doesn’t help that these trophies are quite uninteresting, being more of a numbers game as players are rewarded for constructing a lot of buildings and sending a ton of Vikings to Valhalla. The gameplay loop is nowhere near deep enough to justify this time sink, making the platinum trophy ofValhalla Hillsone of the most torturous things to attain on the PS4.
Badland
Obtaining a platinum trophy inBadlandis an arduous task that definitely isn’t for the faint of heart. Just half a percent of players have managed it, likely because, as well as being incredibly difficult to unlock, some of the game’s trophies require an awful lot of grinding.
In addition to completing 300 single-player andco-op missions, players seeking the platinum will also need to rescue two clones in each of the game’s stages and survive for 15 minutes without dying in its most challenging one. Even if they manage to do all that, they’ll still need to rescue a total of 1,500 clones in single-player and a staggering 2,000 in co-op to finally get their hands on the platinum.
On paper,Tetrisis one of the simplest games ever created, thanks in large to its very basic mechanics and straightforward objectives. With that in mind, it stands to reason that unlocking the platinum trophy inTetris Effectshould be a relatively straightforward task. Anybody who thought so would be dead wrong, however, as fully completing the title is anything but.
Trophies like Spin Artist, which require players to rotate Tetriminos a grand total of 1 million times, are incredibly grindy, as too is the trophy that’s handed out for reaching Player Level 100. Even if players have the time and patience to unlock them, though, they’ll likely come unstuck when it comes to the Seriously? Seriously trophy, which requires players to earn SS rank inevery single zone and game type.
In true 2K Sports fashion, unlocking the platinum trophy inNBA 2K18is probably going to involve players purchasing in-game currency to participate inMyTEAM game mode. Strictly speaking, it is possible to get the associated trophies without spending a dime, but by the time most players have done this,NBA 2K32will have been released for the PS6.
Just for good measure, in addition to the plethora ofMyTEAM-related trophies, there are also a bunch of incredibly grindy ones for players to sink their teeth into. Maxing out every badge in MyCAREER is going to take some serious doing while achieving a 10-game winning streak on King of the Court for the King of Kings trophy will likely be beyond most players.
Though the narrative content inShenmue 3may leave a little to be desired at times, there are still plenty of things to see and do throughout the game’s beautifully rendered world. As in the series' two previous installments,Ryo can once again kill time playing arcade and mini-gamesor snooping through drawers and closets. Two of the newer activities - herb collecting and fishing - can be a lot less enjoyable, though.
While both can be relaxing in short bursts, obtaining the four trophies that are connected with these activities is both monotonous and infuriating. Catching 1,000 fish for the Angler Extraordinaire trophy will take well over five hours of constant fishing, and the in-game herb maps for Bailu and Niaowu are missing many of the required herbs. Some of them only seem to appear after a certain amount of time too, meaning players will need to scour every inch of the game multiple times to find them all.
Much likeShenmue 3, the fishing-related trophy inThe Elder Scrolls Onlinecan be a bit of a nightmare, particularly for those who take no enjoyment from fishing. It requires players to complete all of the game’s angling-related achievements; something that less than a third of a percent of the game’s PS4 player base has achieved at the time of writing.
If that weren’t bad enough, players are also given a long list of collectibles to slowly cross off, with each type given its own trophy. Perhaps the most difficult trophy to unlock, however, is Emperor!, which requires players to beat out the rest of their peers ina grueling five-day campaignto become the Emperor of Tamriel. With enough people on board, it is technically possible to boost the trophy, but even then, it requires a fair amount of effort.
