The 20 Most Graphically Demanding PC Games
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The 20 Most Graphically Demanding PC Games
They're gorgeous, but these games have some high-spec GPU requirements. These are the most graphically demanding PC games to date. Whenever the newest and most competent computer components are released to the public, so are the video games that fully utilize their potential. And with leading hardware manufacturers competing to push out the highest performing parts for the best price almost yearly, it's clear why the gaming industry has been consistently experiencing a technological incline. These games are created not only as a gaming experience but also as a way of exploiting the most advanced new graphic technologies. For those looking to upgrade their rig, look to the recommended requirements of these 15 most GPU intensive games to get inspiration. Updated November 2nd, 2022, by Charles Burgar: The last few months have been great for PC gamers, . New hardware and graphically intensive games are out for PC gamers to enjoy, some of which include Sony exclusive titles. We've updated this list with new entries, updated all of our older entries to reflect the launch of Nvidia's RTX 4090 GPU and the new generation of AMD and Intel CPUs. List entries are in no particular order. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 10 x64 Windows 10 x64 Processor Intel i3-6100 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Intel i5-6600k / AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Memory 8 GB 12 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 960 / AMD RX 470 Nvidia GTX 1060 / Radeon RX 580 Storage 125 GB 125 GB -not to be confused with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)-is the latest entry in the Call of Duty series, featuring . As you'd expect, it's also the franchise's most graphically demanding title yet, requiring a GTX 1060 and Ryzen 5 1400 to play at 1080p 60 FPS. That might not rock the boat by modern standards, yet the game has tons of scalability settings. Upscaling, 4K resolution, and tons of detailed assets can with the highest settings. Ray tracing is inexplicably missing from this title, but it does feature Nvidia's Reflex and DLSS technologies, alongside a wide selection of sharpening and upscaling options for all PCs. F1® 22
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 10 x64 Windows 10 x64 Processor Intel i3-2130 / AMD FX 4300 Intel i5-9600k / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti / AMD RX 470 Nvidia GTX 1660 / Radeon RX 590 Storage 80 GB 80 GB is the best Formula 1 racing simulator to date, featuring a deep Career Mode and detailed graphics. It's not the prettiest racing game on the market-as our detailed pointed out-yet the life-like renders of iconic Formula 1 cars and excellent VR support more than make up for this. Getting this game up and running won't require a powerhouse of a PC, only needing a GTX 1660 and Intel i5-9600 to run at a reasonable frame rate. The true performance cost of F1 22 comes when playing the game with Ray tracing, , or at 4K resolution. A stronger PC can get a ton of mileage out of F1 22's visual settings, making it a staple benchmarking title for many hardware reviewers. Halo Infinite
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 10 x64 Windows 10 x64 Processor Intel i5-4440 / AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Intel i7-9700k / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti / AMD RX 570 Nvidia RTX 2070 / Radeon RX 5700 XT Storage 50 GB 50 GB The latest entry in the Halo franchise is , right down to the game's gorgeous art style. The PC version of requires an RTX 2070 and Intel i7-9700k to hit recommended settings, both of which are rather high requirements when compared to most PC titles. Most PCs should be able to play the multiplayer component of Infinite at 1080p 60 FPS with these specs, but those looking to play the single player or high-budget Forge maps at higher resolutions or frame rates will want a particularly high-end PC . Horizon Zero Dawn
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 10 x64 Windows 10 x64 Processor Intel Core i5-2500K / AMD FX 6300 Intel Core i7-4770K / Ryzen 5 1500X Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 / AMD Radeon R9 290 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 580 Storage 100 GB 100 GB What was once a PlayStation exclusive has made its way to PC in 2020. with its stunning visuals when it was first released, yet its rough PC release pushed many players away from it. Now that some time has passed, how does fare today? It's in a far better state now. Improvements to the game's shader compiling, DLSS support, and tons of performance improvements have made Horizon Zero Dawn a solid PC port that pushes modern systems to their limits. A GTX 1060 is recommended to play this title at 1080p, but anyone looking to play at 1440p or 4K will need a higher-end GPU. Fortunately, this game's dynamic resolution scaling option means mid-range PCs can run this game at respectable frame rates. Bright Memory Infinite
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 10 x64 Windows 10 x64 Processor Intel E3-1230v2 / AMD FX-8350 Intel i7-4790K / AMD FX-9590 Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 960 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) Storage 13 GB 13 GB It's difficult to find an FPS game that looks better than . This fast-paced FPS title features some of the best lighting and particle effects you can find in a modern title. It even has ray tracing support if you own a compatible card. System requirements for the game seem rather low compared to the other entries on this list, but that doesn't mean Bright Memory Infinite isn't a graphically demanding game. Playing this game at higher resolutions with a high frame rate will require a good CPU and GPU combo. And if you're looking to , you'll need an RTX 3080 or better. Marvel' s Spider-Man Remastered
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 10 x64 Windows 10 x64 Processor Intel i3-4160 or AMD equivalent Intel i5-4670 or AMD equivalent Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 950 / AMD RX 470 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) / AMD RX 580 Storage 75 GB 75 GB comes to life on PC with updated visuals and unique settings. Features such as DLSS, upscaling options, ray tracing, make this the definitive version of Insomniac Games' superhero masterpiece. Indeed, this version of Spider-Man proves to be . Swinging across New York will take a toll on your PC on high settings, as to be expected. A GTX 1060 and Intel i5-4670 are required to play the game at solid framerates, but those looking to play at 4K will need an Nvidia 30 or 40 series GPU. If you're sensitive to frame drops, this title supports Nvidia's new DLSS 3.0 frame-generating technology, one of very few PC games to support this feature. RIDE 4
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 8.1 x64 Windows 8.1 x64 Processor Intel Core i5-2500K / AMD FX-6350 Intel Core i7-5820K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics GeForce GTX 960 / AMD equivalent GeForce GTX 1060 / Radeon RX 580 Storage 43 GB 43 GB Racing games tend to have bleeding-edge graphical fidelity, and RIDE 4 is no exception. The sense of speed and next-gen visuals work together to make RIDE 4 one of the most realistic-looking titles on the market. before playing the game themselves. Of course, a game that looks this good needs a powerful machine to run properly. A GTX 1060 or RX 580 is needed to play this game at 1080p, but this game's visually truly shine at 4K. If you want to become truly immersed in RIDE 4, . The Ascent
Minimum
(1080p, 30 FPS) Recommended
(1080p, 60 FPS) OS Windows 10 x64 Windows 10 x64 Processor Intel Core i5-3470 / AMD FX-8350 Intel Core i7-6700K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics GeForce GTX 660 / Radeon R9 390X Nvidia GTX 1070 / Radeon RX 5700 Storage 35 GB 35 GB Few games showcase the cyberpunk art style quite as well as , a cooperative top-down shooter that features excellent particle effects and lighting. As great as this game looks, you'll need an impressive PC to get the most out of this title. The recommended specs call for a GTX 1070 and Ryzen 5 2600, aiming for a 1080p, 60 FPS gameplay experience. Some frame dips during busy encounters are to be expected with this title, although the stuttering issues present at launch seem to be fixed now. You'll need an RTX 20 or 30 series card or an AMD equivalent for higher resolutions, frame rates, or to utilize The Ascent's gorgeous implementation of ray tracing. And if you're someone who's already played The Ascent, gives you a tempting reason to return to its detailed cyberpunk settings. Resident Evil Village
Minimum
(Performance, 1080p, 60 FPS) Recommended
(Quality, 1080p, 60 FPS) OS Windows 10 x64 Windows 10 x64 Processor Intel Core i5-7500 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Intel Core i7 8700 / AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 560 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 / AMD Radeon RX 5700 Storage 28 GB 28 GB is one of the most graphically demanding titles in the series. You'll need a GTX 1050 Ti just to play this game, although the min specs are for 1080p resolution at 60 FPS. If you're willing to deal with a lower frame rate, you could play this game on a slightly weaker GPU, but anyone who wants to get the most out of RE8 will need a good GPU. Recommended specs advise a GTX 1070 or higher, although you'll need an RTX card to use this game's ray tracing setting or crank up the resolution. With how jaw-dropping this game can look at times, it's worth the upgrade. Control
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 7 (64-bit) Windows 10 (64-bit) Processor Intel Core i5-4690 / AMD FX 4350 Intel Core i5-7600K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600X Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics NVIDIA GTX 780 / AMD Radeon R9 280X NVIDIA GTX 1660 / 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 580 Storage 42 GB 42 GB is one of the most GPU-intensive video games ever released on PC. This game's crowning achievement-at least visually-is its . Environments and particle effects are drop-down gorgeous while RTX is on, but this comes with a heavy price-both metaphorically and literally. You need an RTX 2060 or better GPU to use ray tracing. Considering just how good RTX's implementation is here, it's well worth the GPU requirement. DLSS is also available on the RTX series of cards, increasing performance substantially with . You can also play Control without an RTX card, yet that is also rather demanding, requiring a GTX 1660 to achieve solid frame rates. No matter how you put it, Control requires a decent PC to run and a high-end machine to truly shine. Hitman 3
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 10 x64 Windows 10 x64 Processor Intel CPU Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz / AMD CPU Phenom II X4 940 Intel CPU Core i7 4790 4 GHz Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 / Radeon HD 7870 Nvidia GPU GeForce GTX 1070 / AMD GPU Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB Storage 60 GB 60 GB has become a notable title for Intel's Alder Lake CPUs, yet it also serves as a fantastic benchmark for modern GPUs. The game can run on something as weak as a GTX 660, yet Hitman 3 truly shines with a GTX 1070 or above. Interestingly, Hitman 3 has a at the cost of performance. The VR version requires an RTX 2060 Super or above to run, which is also the minimum GPU you'll want to use ray tracing with the standard version of the title. Paired with the graphics options Hitman 3 offers, this serves as a solid benchmarking tool for PC enthusiasts. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 7 (64-bit) Windows 10 (64-bit) Processor Intel Core i3-3220 / AMD Equivalent Intel Core i7 4770K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia 650TI / AMD R7 250x Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 480 Storage 40 GB 40 GB The latest chapter in Lara Croft's story is more visually stunning and diverse than ever. The previous game was no piece of cake when it comes to system requirements, and continues the tradition. Even at mediocre refresh rates, you won't be able to enjoy this game with anything less than a GTX 1060 graphics card combined with the brainpower of something like an i7 4770K processor. Its performance does scale quite well when pushed to higher resolutions, but you'll still want a 20 or 30 series RTX card from Nvidia if you plan to . Shadow of the Tomb Raider is benchmarked frequently for a reason. Forza Horizon 5
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 10 (64-bit) Windows 10 (64-bit) Processor Intel i5-4460 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Intel i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 970 / AMD RX 470 Nvidia GTX 1070 / AMD RX 590 Storage 110 GB 110 GB is one of the most stunning games released in 2021. Beautiful lighting, realistic car models, and incredible weather effects all make for . It also makes for a rather demanding PC title. The recommended GPU for Horizon 5 is a GTX 1070, quite a large leap from Horizon 4's recommended GTX 970. And that's just for 1080p resolution running at 60 FPS. , if you want to push Horizon 5 into 4K territory, you'll want at least an RTX 2080ti or an RTX 3070. You'll also want a stronger CPU like the R5 3600 to maintain a solid 60 FPS during this game's more performance-heavy races. Assassin s Creed Valhalla
Minimum
(Low, 1080p, 30 FPS) Recommended
(High, 1080p, 60 FPS) OS Windows 10 (64-bit) Windows 10 (64-bit) Processor Intel Core i5-4460 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Intel Core i7-6700 / AMD Ryzen 7 1700 Memory 8 GB 8 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 960 / AMD R9 380 Nvidia GTX 1080 / AMD Vega 64 Storage 50 GB 50 GB SSD Ubisoft's latest game is, unsurprisingly, the most demanding of the series. The absolute minimum GPU required to run this game is a GTX 960, and that's for 1080p resolution at 30 FPS on low settings. For 60 FPS on high settings, you'll need a GTX 1080 or better. This shouldn't come as a surprise given Valhalla's open-world nature, yet it's when you crank up the resolution that these requirements get extreme. If you want a smooth 1440p experience at 60 FPS with no frame dips, you'll need an RTX 2080ti or a 30 series GPU, . A solid 60 FPS at 4K resolution-mimicking what the PlayStation 5 outputs-is going to require an RTX 3080 or 3090 with a high-end CPU from AMD or Intel. Even then, expect a few frame dips during performance-heavy cutscenes. Red Dead Redemption 2
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 7 – SP1 (64-bit) Windows 10 (64-bit) Processor Intel Core i5-2500K / AMD FX-6300 Intel Core i7-4770K / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Memory 8 GB 12 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 770 / AMD Radeon R9 280 Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 480 Storage 150 GB 150 GB Despite its performance on console hardware, Red Dead Redemption 2's PC port is incredibly demanding-even when . Stuttering and FPS dips are common on recommended hardware, although reducing your settings can help mitigate this. The recommended requirements aren't anything to laugh about either. For Nvidia users, a GTX 1060 or above is absolutely crucial for a great experience. AMD users will need to opt for a Ryzen 5 1500X or above to get such results. Much like GTA V, requires a hefty amount of RAM, its recommended settings suggesting 12 GB. Should you meet those requirements, you'll get to experience the most visually impressive Rockstar game to date with few issues. And for those with RTX 30 series cards, give this game a try at 1440p to give your GPU a serious workout. Final Fantasy XV
Minimum
(720p, 30 FPS) Recommended
(1080p, 30 FPS) OS Windows 7 – SP1 (64-bit) Windows 10 (64-bit) Processor Intel Core i5-2500 / AMD FX-6100 Intel Core i7-3770 / AMD FX-8350 Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 760/1050 / AMD Radeon R9 280 Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB / Radeon RX 480 Storage 100 GB 100 GB In 2018 we finally got to see on our desktop monitors. But this port came with a price: with your settings cranked to the max, FFXV is arguably . Advanced physics and detailed textures are enough to stress out modern GPUs. We're still baffled by the required 155GB free space to play this game in 4K - that's right, you'll need 155 GB of storage space to play this game at its highest settings. And even then, we can't guarantee 60 FPS with anything tamer than an RTX card and 16 GB of RAM. A GTX 1060 (6GB) is recommended for this game, but that recommendation is for 1080p resolution at 30 FPS. For most PC gamers, that's unacceptable. Getting this game to run at 60 FPS will require a powerful GPU. And if you're looking to run FFXIV at 4K or even 1440p, you'll want a 30-series RTX card or even a 4090. Metro Exodus
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 7 (64-bit) Windows 10 (64-bit) Processor Intel Core i5-4440 / AMD equivalent Intel Core i7-4770k / AMD equivalent Memory 8 GB 8 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 670 / 1050 / AMD Radeon HD 7870 Nvidia GTX 1070 / RTX 2060 / AMD RX VEGA 56 Storage 59 GB 59 GB features the fabled real-time ray tracing technology support to use the full potential of Nvidia's RTX graphics card lineup. Players planning on running the game on lower settings might have issues, as the game offers only a few possible tweaks to improve performance for lower-grade systems. on lowest settings reveal an average of under 60 FPS on anything worse than a GTX 1070. Cranking everything up to the max is going to require an RTX card like the 2060 or above. It's not the most performance-heavy FPS on the market, but Metro certainly rewards powerful PCs with jaw-dropping visual fidelity . Dying Light 2
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 7 Windows 10 Processor Intel Core i3-9100 / AMD Ryzen 3 2300X Intel i5-8600K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 1050 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 560 NVIDIA® GeForce RTX 2060 / AMD RX Vega 56 Storage 60 GB 60 GB Jumping across rooftops and drop-kicking zombies has never looked so good. is one of the more recent releases on this list, and its recommended specs are nothing short of brutal. An RTX 2060 is recommended to play this game at 1080p with 60 FPS, but don't expect to run this game on high or ultra settings with a 2060. As great as Dying Light 2 looks, it is easily one of the most performance-heavy PC games on the market. Getting this game to run well on a 2060 will require playing the game with a mix of medium and high settings, as demonstrated with . If you're looking to play this game at 1440p at ultra settings, you'll need top-of-the-line hardware. Far Cry 6
Minimum
(30 FPS) Recommended
(60 FPS) OS Windows 10 (64-bit) Windows 10 (64-bit) Processor Intel Core i5-4460K / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Intel Core i7-7700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Memory 8 GB 16 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 960 / AMD RX 460 Nvidia GTX 1080 / AMD RX Vega 64 Storage 60 GB 60 GB is the most demanding Far Cry title yet, requiring a GTX 1080 and Ryzen 5 3600X to reach 60 FPS at 1080p resolution. If you want to play this game at 4K resolution, you're going to need a whopping 16 GB of VRAM, meaning you'll need an RTX 3090 or higher to play this game at 4K. You'll also need a powerful CPU to push this game to higher resolutions or a target FPS of 120 or higher. Cyberpunk 2077
Minimum Recommended OS Windows 7 (64-bit) Windows 10 (64-bit) Processor Intel Core i5-3570K / AMD FX-8310 Intel Core i7-4790 / AMD Ryzen 3 Memory 8 GB 12 GB Graphics Nvidia GTX 780 / AMD Radeon RX 470 Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB / GTX 1660 Super / Radeon RX 590 Storage 70 GB 70 GB You're going to need a fairly powerful PC if you want to explore Night City. This game chews through your system memory, requiring at least a GTX 780 and 8 GB of RAM to play on minimum settings. If you want to , you're going to need at least a GTX 1060 (6GB version) and 12 GB of RAM. Even with those specs, Cyberpunk will struggle to maintain a consistent framerate at times. And if you want to play this game at max settings in 4K 60 FPS, you'll need a powerhouse of a PC- and a top of the line CPU can run Cyberpunk at these metrics consistently. Fortunately, Cyberpunk has quite a few settings you can tweak to maximize your performance. on how you can increase this game's performance with minimal visual impact.