Systems and methods for controlling a difficulty level of a multiplayer networked game are provided herein. One exemplary method includes setting an initial difficulty level at a gaming server for a game played by a main gaming client and one or more challenger gaming clients. The method further includes sending an input request to the main gaming client and each challenger gaming client based on the initial difficulty level. The method further includes receiving main user input from the main gaming client, and challenger user input from each challenger gaming client responsive to the input request. The method also includes adjusting the initial difficulty level to an adjusted difficulty level based on the challenger user input.