8 Hardest Video Game Trophies & Achievements Of 2021 (So Far)

2. ANY Survey Trophy - Returnal

The kind of game that slowly thins the herd over time, Returnal went from "the first major PS5 exclusive", down to "that insanely brutal 3D bullet hell roguelike that makes me restart instantly when I get shot from off-screen".

Yes, Housemarque's first AAA game pulls no punches and throws in a few headbutts too. Its trophy set is largely attainable - save for the various "survey" trophies, centred entirely on overcoming the RNG grind at the core of its item distribution.

Literally, these are trophies assigned to finding every last item and interact-able in the game. Audio logs, weapon and item upgrades, pieces of lore or audio diaries - every last thing. And since we're dealing with a game that's procedurally generated, actively focusing on getting the Platinum can feel like you're losing your mind.

At time of writing only 7% of players have managed to achieve the "Past the Ruins" survey trophy for the first area, and that's before you look at overall completion data, which states that only 9% of players have even gotten into the third Act of the story whatsoever.

Hardcore test-your-mettle types? Returnal is the new Sekiro.