Thinking back, September has been a month full of challenging games. Silksong has proved to be much more difficult than the first game, Chronos: The New Dawn is a brutal survival horror experience, and PC players are still struggling to get Borderlands 4 to run. Jokes aside, challenge is one of the key ingredients for a compelling game. There are plenty of cozy and chill games on Xbox Series X, but this weekend, I think we are all looking to let off some steam by overcoming a steep challenge.
I’ve rounded up a trio of games that you will need fast reflexes and a keen eye to overcome, but in very different ways. Whatever style of challenge you’re after, here are three awesome games to test your skills.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Let me be clear from the start: don’t play Modern Warfare 3 for the campaign. Not only is it not particularly difficult, but it is easily the worst Call of Duty story since Ghosts. The multiplayer, on the other hand, is still a blast. This is before the omni-movement system introduced in Black Ops 6, so it has a much more grounded feel to it. The gunplay is as tight as ever, and there are some of the all-time best maps included now. Since we are gearing up for Black Ops 7, it could be fun to go back in time a bit and see how far things have come. I don’t think anyone will fall in love with this entry again, but it is perfect to dip back into via Game Pass for a weekend for some quick fun.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Hades
2025 might be the greatest year for indie games on record. We’re talking about hits like Citizen Sleeper 2, Silksong, Blue Prince, and the upcoming Mina the Hollower. That makes it all too easy to miss out on one of the other most anticipated indies we’ve all been waiting for: Hades 2. This roguelike has been in early access for about a year and was revealed to hit 1.0 during the September Nintendo Direct. The only problem is that it is currently only coming out on Switch, Switch 2, and PC. But I am certain the Xbox release isn’t far off, as hinted by the fact that the first Hades is back on the service. Why not revisit the first one and see if you can make it even further in this beautiful action roguelike? Even if you’ve reached the end a dozen times already, there are always more Boon combinations to find.
Hades is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
The original Deep Rock Galactic is a top-tier co-op FPS that you should totally play, but it isn’t at all what Survivor is. This is a purely single player experience using an isometric camera angle that is more akin to Vampire Survivors than anything else. You move around and explore randomly generated maps, mining and fighting aliens, but automatically attack as you collect resources and upgrades. Not only are the caves you’re exploring random, but the missions are also procedurally generated, meaning you never know what to expect on any given run. Well, except for thousands of aliens. Each level down you go, the more difficult things get, but only by reaching the end can you get extracted and claim all that loot you’ve collected. It has a far better visual style and more engaging loop than most Bullet Heaven games, and is great to slide into easily on a lazy weekend morning.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is available now on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
