PC Gamer cranks up the difficulty: 15 pixel-art games to identify in 6 minutes

PC Gamer has launched the second round of its pixel art game identification quiz, and this time it's significantly harder than the first. The editorial team deemed the initial test too easy, so they've changed the format to challenge even the most seasoned gaming trivia enthusiasts.

Instead of the previous approach — which relied on zoomed-in screenshots — the new quiz uses distorted images. Some screenshots have been turned into blurry messes, while others are clipped to show only tiny, barely recognizable samples. The test includes 15 games, and players have six minutes to name as many as they can. The editors admit they've thrown in a few gimmes, but the majority of questions are designed to require careful observation.

The quiz has no thematic focus: the creators selected any game with interesting sprites or detailed pixel art environments, regardless of genre. "Any game with interesting sprites or detailed pixely environments is enough to get me to bite, even if I'm not traditionally a fan of its respective genre," the author explains. This means players won't find any pattern linking the answers.

After the first quiz, readers performed so well that the team decided to step up the difficulty for round two. The new format forces participants to rely on their visual memory and knowledge of pixel art styles rather than easily recognizable features.

Once the quiz is finished, readers are encouraged to share their scores in the comments and discuss which games stumped them. The editorial team also reminds the audience of other PC Gamer quizzes available, covering topics such as health bars, weird in-game currencies, and absurd patch notes. The publication continues to offer a wide range of gaming trivia content alongside its main coverage of upcoming 2026 titles, all-time favorite PC games, free games, and genre-specific lists like the best FPS, RPG, and co-op games.