Actually Hard Games?

Backgammon is the best game ever invented. It is more perfect than chess and go because it is infinitely skill but also random. So much is involved that you can be a skillful player but also lose in a strategic match because of your performance rating if it's being calculated (and it is only calculated by a windows 95 application that cannot be updated without it breaking things), tho that is only at a grandmaster and higher level usually.

Also doubling and redoubling or passing plays a huge difference in deciding moves and also if you're doing a money or ranked game or not.

I hesitate talking about backgammon here bc I am a semi pro player and have been for 30 years and even gone to Monte Carlo twice to be in the world championship (killed in round of 32 twice) and even writing this may be self doxx I'll have to see how I feel about it in an hour. I have also paid over $XX,XXX for one board

play a multiplayer game that requires mechanics and game sense

Ninja Gaiden Black

Barbies's Dreamhouse Adventures

elden ring

DMC3

Driv3r

Shinobi PS2

Super Meat Boy

God Hand

Urban Reign

MGS2/3 European Extreme

Ninja Gaiden Black shouts to @Red_Shill

Nier Automata

I can list more if you want. This is a quick list. Urban reign is fricking hard and a lesser-known game on PS2.

Starcraft, Mortal Kombat online.

I started playing some WC3 after not playing it since being a kid and it seems ridiculously hard in terms of playing optimizing. Everything from mechanical skill/APM in terms of managing all your units efficiently as well as strategic skills like knowing the different race matchups and what order to build heroes, units, buildings etc

Rlcraft

end of story

Super Ghouls & Ghosts

Trombone Champ. Getting a FC is impossible for all but the easiest songs.

Micky mouse castle of illusion on Sega Genesis. Or Altered Beast.

Not "die a thousand times until you learn the meta" hard, but actually mechanically hard to play beyond preparation. Something that involves actual skill and knowledge to beat.

This is an oxymoron, skill is something you earn, sounds like you just want to coast by on talent

Rhythm games might be good for you, they literally just say "push these buttons" and you either do it or you can't

Caves of Qud, CDDA, and minesweeper are p good

I Wanna Be The Boshy

Sekiro

If you want a hard game because of the mechanics try Spelunky, literally everything kills you and you progress by getting better at movement, skills and planning on the fly. Of course knowing enemy behaviour helps, and you get cowtools (some better than others) to help you, but it's the most "you won because you got better at it" game there is.

Ultrakill, Bloodborne, Can of Wormholes, Baba is You, The Talos Principle Road to Gehenna, https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/terrafirmacraft , https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails?id=1137372539 , Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Radical Red (Pokemon romhack), F-Zero GX, Zelda II, Sifu, and Doom Eternal are all games you might like.

HOMM3 campaigns

Underail is really hard and a decent fallout 2 clone. Would recommend.

Space Station 13

Battletoads

Try Age of Decadence. Set in a post-apocalypse with Greco-Roman aesthetics. Good for build autism. You would have to play multiple playthroughs since each faction you join locks off other factions while progressing the story in different ways. ie. Being part of the Assassin's Guild gives you the quest item via murdering a dude whose a quest giver for the Imperial Legions. The Imperial Legions give you the quest item via thrwarting the Assassin's Guilsld while on a corruption investigation. Each faction only shows you plot details from their perspective. The Imperial Legions give you a lot of insight into the military situation while the Assassin's Guild and Merchant League give you insight into the corrupt nobility and struggling economy respectively.

It's a good game.

Doom 3 nightmare mode

Super Star Wars for the SNES or the level from The Lion King where you ride the ostrich and jump over nests

CS2, Quake 3 Arena, Street Fighter 3 and other in the series, Skullgirls.

Wanted dead

Don't Starve

War in the east 2

Games are only hard for children. Adults don't struggle on that shit.

Kingsfield 4, shadow tower abyss, both on PS2. Both first person dungeon crawlers.

Ikaruga, radiant silver gun, gradius 5, all shmups but more accessible than typical bullet hells. 2 of them are on PC, gradius 5 is PS2.

You could also try playing street fighter 6 online. That will be hard, but you'll be playing against zoomers and Puerto Ricans.

There's also cruelty Squad on PC, which is fantastic and very on vibe for dramanauts. Might try noita for PC as well for some fun and difficulty.

I work in the industry, play almost everything. I can provide many more if these don't work.

starcraft or starcraft 2 1v1 ladders

What kind of difficulty