Hard Mode Explained

Hard Mode is a short early-game challenge, not a full alternate campaign and not Genocide.

How to start

On the naming screen for the fallen human, enter the name Frisk. Confirm when the game warns you. That enables Hard Mode for that file.

What to expect

Ruins encounters are tougher. Toriel’s fight is stricter. After the Ruins climax, Hard Mode ends with a developer-style cutoff rather than continuing through Snowdin as a full hard campaign.

Should you play it first?

No. Finish a normal run first. Hard Mode is a joke/challenge layered on the tutorial zone, not the “true” difficulty path fans mean when they say Genocide.