Choose a mode, difficulty or platform
Change the correct Tape to Tape difficulty setting
ReviewedIn Tape to Tape, Game Options difficulty applies to Play Now modes such as Quick Match and Tourney. Campaign has its own difficulty when you choose the Squad for a run, according to the current player answer to this exact question.
If you changed an option and your next campaign still feels wrong, first check which mode’s setting you changed. Do not assume the Game Options control silently overrides the difficulty selected for a campaign.
On this page
Use the setting for the mode you are about to start
| Intended session | Relevant setting |
|---|---|
| Quick Match / Play Now | The Game Options difficulty used by those modes. |
| Tournament / Tourney | The Play Now-side options for that format. |
| A new Campaign attempt | The difficulty shown while selecting the Squad/run. |
| A difficult game already in progress | Do not assume either setup control changes the active match retroactively. |
For the next Campaign run
- Choose Campaign and reach the Squad/run setup.
- Read the difficulty displayed there before starting.
- Select the intended difficulty in that setup rather than relying only on the global Game Options value.
- Review the setup once more, especially if you switched modes or Squads between attempts.
For a match or tournament
Review the Game Options setting relevant to the Play Now format, then start the intended match type. If it still behaves unexpectedly, record the mode, chosen setting and installed version; that is more useful than reporting only that the game is hard.
This answer resolves which setting applies. The source does not give every current menu label or establish an exact mid-match switch, so no hidden menu path is invented here.
Old difficulty advice may describe different balancing
The official 1.0 notes say Rookie, Pro and Veteran were rebalanced and Nightmare was added. A difficulty story from the earlier experimental campaign is therefore not a reliable numerical comparison with today’s setting.
Changing the mode’s difficulty also does not remove Squad-specific rules such as Modern offsides. If your actual difficulty setting is correct, inspect the particular action or ruleset causing trouble rather than repeatedly changing an unrelated control.
Check the result
The setup for your intended mode shows the difficulty you selected; you can distinguish that from the setting for another mode.