PC gaming is demanding. Every year, new games hit the market that extend the capabilities of the hardware. There are innovative games whose graphics alter the course of gaming forever. Myst, Doom 3, Crysis, World of Warcraft, BioShock, Half-Life 2, The Witcher 3, and many more come to mind. That's not even close to an exhaustive list, either.
However, they share a common theme. At the time of its release, the game could push your system hardware to its limits.
So what games should you be looking to stress test your new graphics card right now?
The Witcher 3:Wild Hunt was released in 2015 to applause across the board. Years later, and people are still blown away by the beauty of its sprawling RPG world. Even now, The Witcher 3 is still one of the best ways to max out your system.
To be fair, The Witcher 3 is impressively resourceful when it comes to GPUs. For ultimate beauty, you need a modern and powerful card. However, even older cards like the Nvidia GTX 770 or AMD Radeon R9 290 can still bring the world to your monitor. The recommended system spec for The Witcher 3 is:
The Witcher 3:Wild Hunt will definitely max out those GPUs, even on Medium settings. Those with Nvidia graphics cards Nvidia graphics cards:Which one is right for you? Nvidia Graphics Cards:Which Is Right For You? Nvidia graphics cards are the most popular for a reason. But which model should you buy and why? We explain the jargon, the cards and their performance. Read More
The incredible Logical Increments give you a better idea of what hardware you need to experience The Witcher 3:The Wild Hunt at its best. Plus, you can see where your current hardware can take you with regards to graphics.
Far Cry 5 takes the state of Montana and places it on your computer. You can wander around the vast open world exploring every mountain, creek, glade, and river. I spent more time looking at the scenery than playing through the story. (In fact, that's true of several games on this list.)
Far Cry 5 is a bit of a misnomer on this list. You can still experience Montana, and its religious cults using hardware similar to the predecessors of the Far Cry 4 and Far Cry Primal series. However, if you want a consistent 60+ FPS at 1080p on Ultra settings, you definitely need a top-tier GPU. Also, the only way to get FPS over 60 at 1440k on Ultra is to use two GPUs in CrossFire or SLI configuration.
Final Fantasy XV is the latest entry in one of the most popular game series of all time. Square Enix is known for creating detailed and expansive environments, and the world of Eos is offered in multitudes.
Final Fantasy XV requires a high-performance GPU to view it at its best. The dips in graphical fidelity between its Low, Medium, High and Highest settings are noticeable, especially between Low and Medium. Also, the world really does come alive on Ultra, especially if you can support the Ultra setting at 1440p.
Crytek's Crytegine has always had a reputation as a system hardware wrecker. The original Crysis (2008) was used as a system benchmarking tool for years. (A few free Windows benchmarking tools for you to try. Top 10 Free Windows Benchmarking Programs Top 10 Free Windows Benchmarking Programs A benchmark produces a snapshot of your PC's performance. It can help you troubleshoot component issues, compare configurations, and decide on hardware upgrades Read More) Crysis 3 (2013) was very similar, and at the time of its release, only the most up-to-date hardware could run it at its highest configuration.
Kingdom Come:Deliverance licenses a heavily modified version of CryEngine 5, called the Dunia Engine. The Dunia Engine came to prominence in Far Cry 2, but it was still powering Far Cry 5 and its amazing visuals. So, Kingdom Come:Deliverance has similar graphics and hardware requirements as Far Cry 5, as well as an equally spectacular game world.
In fact, Eurogamer tested Kingdom Come:Deliverance using an i5-8600K CPU with an Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti on Ultra, and struggled to hit a solid 60 FPS. Reducing the draw distance, shadows, and lighting to High brought Liberation to a steady 60+ FPS. But you can see the level of hardware you need to experience Kingdom Come:Deliverance at its best.
You're thinking, "How can a four year old game still push modern hardware to its limits?" Well, Arma III has such extensive graphics customization that you can still use it to melt down your computer.
As one of the best tactical shooters 7 Highly Tactical Shooters Worth Your Time 7 Highly Tactical Shooters Worth Your Time Tired of unrealistic arcade shooters? These seven tactical shooters require you to play as a team and prioritize smart thinking over a fast-firing finger. Read More Arma III has some features that push its hardware to its limits. It should be noted that the game environments are colossal. The largest Arma III map, Altis, covers 270 square kilometers. Obviously, you're not looking at or rendering the entire map at the same time. However, you can set your view distance to 25 kilometers , take a helicopter into the sky and marvel at the scale of the world. And that requires some serious processing power.
Processing the number of units on a map throughout a large multiplayer game is also very resource intensive, especially once the bullets start flying overhead. However, this is an old game, so there are some subsidies. Those with extremely new hardware could use Arma III mods to add more graphical fidelity to the game to maximize their experience.
The world of virtual reality gaming is growing in strength. Early iterations of VR headsets were clunky, running at relatively low resolutions, and many users experienced motion sickness due to inconsistent frame rates.
The Nvidia GTX 10xx series (especially the GTX 1070, 1080 and their respective Ti models, which make up our list of the best graphics cards to buy The best graphics cards in 2018 for any budget The best graphics cards in 2018 for any budget Looking for ¿ The best graphics card for your PC? It's going to be tough with prices near all-time highs. Consider buying low-end or mid-range cards Read More If your system hardware can handle it, Fallout 4 VR is one of the most entertaining and expansive virtual reality experiences available at the time of writing.
Destiny 2 is another game where you will stop to look at the majestic world around you. The sheer scale of Destiny 2 is phenomenal, as it regularly melds intergalactic vistas with intricate detail. Detailing that you can miss unless you take the time to enjoy it. Another thing Destiny 2 does extremely well is lighting. Each location feels unique and has its own color schemes, while developer Bungie has worked hard to make transitions between zones simple and dramatic.
Destiny 2 is really optimized really well. Those with older hardware can still enjoy battling the brutal Red Legion. Those with newer hardware can turn the dial up to 11 to experience a visually stunning space story (the actual narrative is sort of) that maximizes everything their system has to offer.
I haven't included Deus Ex:Mankind Divided or Quantum Break because while they require serious hardware to run, they are also poorly optimized games. Which, in turn, gives them a false position in the list of hardware requirements. Also, while Forza Motorsport 7 really pushes the limits of system hardware, Forza Horizon 4 runs on similar specs.
CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 and CryTek's Hunt:Showdown is set to push all are Hardware to its absolute limits. Other gamers are aware of Red Dead Redemption 2. A PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2 would offer another beautiful open world game that would see more than a few gamers scrambling for PC hardware upgrades. What updates will improve the performance of your PC? Which updates will improve your PC's performance the most? Need a faster computer but aren't sure which component would be most beneficial to upgrade? This is what you need to know. Read more.
