Difficulty

Difficulty is a feature in Plague Inc. and Plague Inc: Evolved (Compatible with PC, XB1, PS4, & NS) that alters gameplay according to difficulty. Note that if you beat a plague on any difficulty, all the easier difficulties on the scenario or plague type will have been registered as beaten, as well, shown as biohazards, which means that things unlocked for a difficulty are also unlocked for a greater difficulty as well. For example, if you beat bacteria on brutal, then a locked gene will be unlocked and virus will be unlocked.

A standard plague can be unlocked if all the previous (standard) plagues have been beaten in normal.

A special plague can be unlocked if all the previous plagues have been beaten in brutal.

• Casual
• Normal
• Brutal
• Mega-Brutal

Casual is the 1st and "easy" difficulty, and is for those wanting a quick or easy game and is the minimum to unlock a gene of the Genetic Code respective to its plague type. In it people are extremely lax. People do not wash their hands, doctors don't work, and sick people are even given hugs.

"For new players or those wanting a quick game"

• No one washes their hands - Fast infection rates.
• Research doctors don't work - Slow cure research speed.
• Sick people given hugs - Infectivity increased once spotted.

Normal is the 2nd and default difficulty, and is the minimum for unlocking the next (standard) plague type. In this difficulty, more people wash their hands, as well as doctors contributing to research.

"For experienced genetic strategists"

• 67.3% of people wash hands - Adequate infection rates.
• Doctors work 3 days a week - Adequate cure research speed.
• Sick people ignored - No change in Infectivity once spotted.

Brutal is the 3rd and "hard" difficulty, and was the hardest before Mega Brutal was introduced. Brutal introduces obstacles such as excessive hand washing, very determined doctors, and higher disease paranoia. Winning with all standard plague types on brutal unlocks the Neurax Worm, and winning with the Neurax Worm on Brutal unlocks Necroa Virus and so on.

"For strategic geniuses living in concrete bunkers"

• Compulsive hand washing - Slow infection rates.
• Doctors never go home - Fast cure research speed.
• Sick people locked in prison - When disease is spotted, infection rates are greatly lowered.

Mega Brutal is the 4th and "very hard" difficulty. Introduced with Plague Inc: Evolved and later added in the Mutation 8 update for the mobile Plague Inc., this difficulty can be slightly slower, and doctors can and will discover a disease with no symptoms. Doctors will, even then, stop at nothing to cure diseases.

"For players who thought Brutal was Casual!"

• Genetic drift impacts evolution - Symptom costs become more expensive with more people infected, vice versa.
• Doctors invest in research - Very fast cure research speed.
• Random medical check ups - Plague will randomly be detected through "Anomalous blood test results". It will also be detected automatically once any country is fully infected.

Gallery

Difficulty selection screen in Plague Inc.

Ditto, with mega-brutal chosen

Trivia

• Completing a game in casual difficulty will not unlock a new plague, unlike the other difficulties. It will unlock new genes like all other difficulties, however. This way, the same game setting can be played over and over again - You will easily farm all the genes without much trouble.
  • In addition, Plague Inc: Evolved can have "Pity Mode" activated in the settings, allowing the next plague to be unlocked by beating the previous on casual.

• In order to access Mega-Brutal on Plague Inc., tap the biohazard icon below the Brutal difficulty, which caused Brutal to be replaced by Mega-Brutal, also changing the icon into black-in-gold, and can be activated/deactivated at will.
  • In Plague Inc: Evolved, it's available directly.
  • If you play on Android, you must buy the premium version to unlock Mega-Brutal.