Best Low-Resource PC Games: Complete Guide by Genre, Requirements, and Cheats

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Not everyone wants or can upgrade their PC. Every now and then, especially with how difficult and expensive it's become to find certain parts. Fortunately, the PC catalog is immense, and there are tons of titles that run smoothly on older or low-end computers, especially if we adjust a few graphics parameters.

In this guide you will find a detailed selection organized by genre of games that require little and perform well, as well as tips to check compatibility with your computer, optimization tricks and a comprehensive list with minimum requirements published by their studios. Keep in mind that engines are updated and sometimes the requirements increase, and on PC there's always room for fine-tuning based on resolution, textures, or filters.

How to know if your PC can handle a game

On paper it's easy: compare minimum and recommended requirements with your components. In practice, there are nuances: performance can vary due to drivers, patches, or bottlenecks, and not all genres need a constant 60 FPS to be enjoyable. Tools like Can You Run It help, but The most reliable thing is still to review real requirements and experiences in guides like this one.

Even when meeting minimum standards, performance may be lacking. The good news is that there is room for improvement.: Resolutions like 1280x720 or 1440x900 often unlock valuable frames without destroying sharpness, and if you also lower shadows, anisotropic filters and ambient occlusion, you will notice the difference. Look for portable modes or optimizations that some companies include and make sure you have the system updated.

Reference type equipment for this guide

To standardize expectations, many tests are based on something very common and inexpensive today: Intel Core i5 2500 or AMD FX 6300 (best AMD processors for PC), 8GB DDR3 and a 2GB GTX 660 or Radeon HD 7850. Recent equivalents like GTX 950 or Radeon RX 560 also fit the bill. With that set you should be able to run most of the games listed with medium quality and 1080p, and in others even more.

Quick tricks to gain performance

Start with the resolution- Drop down to 1280x720 if necessary and adjust scaling. Then tackle shadows, post-processing, and draw distance. In competitive games, prioritize Stable FPS to the aesthetic. Check if there is low-power presets, use DirectX 11 when your older GPU prefers it and keep drivers up to date and, if you can, install on a SSD disk.

Essential selection by genre and with few requirements

To get started, here are some recent modern and classic titles that shine with low requirements and work very well on modest computers, followed by a comprehensive list with even more options.

Action and open world

Grand Theft Auto V It remains an open-world benchmark with surprisingly solid optimization: with reasonable minimums and sensible tweaks, it runs smoothly even on veteran machines.

• Minimum indicative requirements: 4-core CPU (Core 2 Quad or Phenom X4), 4 GB RAM, GPU type GeForce 9800 GT or Radeon HD 4870, 64-bit OS.

Sleeping Dogs It is one of the underrated titles of the genre, with Hong Kong lovingly recreated and filled with content; its PC version scales well on modest hardware.

• Minima: Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Athlon X2 2.7 GHz CPU, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 8800 GT or Radeon 3870 GPU, 15-20 GB storage.

Mad Max It performs better than its official specifications suggest; with a 2GB GPU it's too much at 1080p medium-high quality.

• Realistic minimums: Core i3 or FX 4100 CPU, 6 GB RAM, GeForce GT 640 or Radeon HD 7730 GPU.

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag It was cross-generational, so it's asking for little for how good it looks; on i5 2500 and GTX 660 type computers, 1080p high is viable.

• Minima: Core 2 Quad Q8400 or Athlon II X4 620, 2 GB RAM, GeForce GTX 260 or Radeon HD 4870.

Survival, management and strategy

They are billions, a Spanish Steam phenomenon, combines colony, defense, and zombies with requirements very affordable.

• Minima: 2 cores at 2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Intel HD 3000 or GPU with 1 GB, Windows 7.

Factor It's addictive like few others: automation and infinite factories with requirements ridiculous by 2025, ideal if your CPU is not very modern.

• Minimums recommended by the study: : 4-core 3GHz CPU, 8GB RAM, GPU with 1GB VRAM, 5GB of space.

Stardew Valley offers farm, life and relaxation with a use of hardware testimonial, perfect for office equipment.

• Minima: 2 GHz CPU, 2 GB RAM, GPU with Shader Model 3.0, DirectX 10.

Frantic action, roguelike and metroidvania

Hades and its sequel sweep by design and pace; the first one runs well with Dual core CPU and 4GB RAM plus a 1GB GPU.

• Minima: 2.4 GHz 2-core CPU, 4 GB RAM, GPU 1 GB VRAM, 15 GB disk.

Hollow Knight It is an essential metroidvania, with agile combat and fantastic setting; asks for very little.

• Minima: Core 2 Duo E5200, 4 GB RAM, GeForce 9800 GTX 1 GB, 9 GB disk.

Celeste's combines precise platforms with a very human story; its technical load is light and runs on almost any PC.

• Minima: Intel Core i3 M380, 2 GB RAM, Intel HD 4000, Windows 7.

Neon white It mixes shooting, platforms and replayability with contained requirements. for its visual section.

• Minima: Core 2 Duo E6750 or Phenom II X3, 6 GB RAM, GeForce GTS 450 or Radeon HD 5750, 6 GB disk.

Platforms and adventures for all tastes

Rayman Legends It is one of the best of the genre in the last decade: colorful art, inspired levels and excellent performance on older hardware.

• Minima: Pentium 4 3 GHz or Athlon 64 3000+, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 6800 GT or Radeon X1950 Pro.

Cuphead dazzles with hand-drawn animation and memorable bosses, and runs without disheveled on older GPUs.

• Minima: Core 2 Duo E8400 or Athlon 64 X2 6000+, 3 GB RAM, GeForce 9600 GT or Radeon HD 3870, 4 GB disk.

A has in time brings back the flavor of classic 3D platforms, with good reviews and low demands.

• Minima: 3 GHz CPU, 4 GB RAM, 8 GB space.

Co-op shooters and modern classics

Left 4 Dead 2 It never goes out of style: hordes, replayable maps and a huge community, with requirements that any modest PC is enough.

• Minima: Pentium 4 3.0 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 128 MB GPU, DirectX 9.0c, 13 GB disk.

Portal 2 offers brilliant puzzles, campaign and co-op with Source engine, very efficient on older hardware.

• Minima: Dual Core 2.0 or AMD 64X, 2 GB RAM, Radeon X800, GeForce 7600 or Intel HD 2000, 8 GB disk.

Role-playing, adventures and narrative experiences

Elysium disk It is a modern classic role-playing game, with a unique conversational system and very modest requirements.

• Minima: Core 2 Duo or equivalent, DirectX 11 GPU with 512 MB (integrated or dedicated), 2 GB RAM.

Undertale, heir to Earthbound, proposes to play with combat and morale, and runs even on very old computers.

• Minima: 2 GHz CPU, 2 GB RAM, 128 MB GPU, Windows, macOS or Linux.

Subnautica serves up underwater exploration, crafting, and open-world survival with a demanding lower than expected.

• Minima: Intel Haswell 2 cores/4 threads at 2.5 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Intel HD 4600 or similar, 20 GB disk.

Extensive list with official or realistic minimum requirements

Then an extensive review of titles which continue to work very well on low-resource PCs, with notes and minimum guidelines published by their studios or based on realistic tests.

Action, open world and shooting

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Spectacular campaign about idTech 5 with great performance-quality ratio.

• Minima: Windows 10+, Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2, 4 GB RAM, GTX 460 or Radeon HD 5850, 50 GB.

Sleeping Dogs

Charismatic open world and a high degree of replayability; it asks for very little.

• Minima: Win 10+, Core 2 Duo/Athlon 64 X2 2.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 8800 GT or Radeon HD 3870 512 MB, 20 GB.

Guild Wars 2

free MMO with many hours of content and moderate requirements.

• Minima: Windows 7, Core 2 Duo/Athlon X2 (2c/4h best), 6 GB RAM, GeForce 8600 GT or Radeon 2600

League of Legends

Light and very popular MOBA;be patient with the toxicity and enjoy.

• Minima: Windows 7, 3 GHz CPU with SSE2, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 8400 GT or Radeon 2400 512 MB, 12 GB.

Overwatch 2

Competitive optimized which works great on modest equipment.

• Minima: Windows 10, Core i3 or Phenom X3, 6 GB RAM, GTX 600 or Radeon HD 7000, 50 GB.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Intergenerational and very well scaled on PC.

• Minima: Win 10, Core 2 Quad or FX 4100, 4 GB RAM, GTX 650 or Radeon HD 7750, 28 GB.

Batman: Arkham City

One of the best action sandboxes, ages phenomenally.

• Minima: Win 10, Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Athlon X2 4800+, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 8800 GT or Radeon HD 3870 512 MB, 17 GB.

Battlefield 4

Last intergenerational from the saga, with campaign and multi solids.

• Minima: Win 10, Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Athlon X2 4800+, 4 GB RAM, 8800 GT or HD 3870 512 MB, 30 GB.

Mirror's Edge

First-person parkour with very friendly performance.

• Minima: Win 10, 3 GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM, GeForce 6800 GT or Radeon X1800 256 MB, 8 GB.

GTA V

Exemplary optimization and outstanding performance on modest hardware.

• Minima: Win 10, Core 2 Quad or Phenom X4 2.5 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 9800 GT or HD 4870 1 GB, 72 GB.

Mass Effect 3

The most technically advanced from the original trilogy; it works very well on modest teams.

• Minima: Win 10, Core 2 Duo or Athlon X2, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 7900 GT or Radeon X1800 256 MB, 30 GB.

Fallout 4

Notable graphic leap compared to Fallout 3, with top setting.

• Minima: Win 10, Core i5 or Phenom II X4, 6 GB RAM, GTX 550 Ti or Radeon HD 5830 1 GB, 30 GB.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

Solvent action and adventure with low requirements.

• Minima: Win 10, Core 2 Duo or Athlon X2, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 7800 GTX or Radeon X1800 512 MB, 10 GB.

FEAR 3

Action with touches of horror and contained demand.

• Minima: Win 10, Core 2 Duo or Athlon X2, 4 GB RAM, 7800 GTX or X1800 512 MB, 10 GB.

The Evil Within

Survival horror with fresh ideas and a lot of pulse.

• Minima: Win 10, Core 2 Quad or FX 4300, 4 GB RAM, GTX 460 or HD 5850 1 GB, 50 GB.

Metro: Last Light Redux

First-person post-apocalyptic that looks and performs wonderfully if you adjust the quality.

• Minima: Win 10, Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2, 2 GB RAM, 8800 GTS or HD 3870 1 GB, 10 GB.

The Witcher III

Monumental action role which still looks current and scales well to medium quality.

• Minima: Win 10, Core 2 Quad or FX 4100, 6 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 7750 1 GB, 35 GB.

Diablo III

Highly polished ARPG with artistic design that ages perfectly.

• Minima: Win 7+, Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2, 2 GB RAM, 8600 GT or HD 2600 XT 512 MB, 25 GB.

Resident Evil 2 Remake

Reference remake, demanding on ultra, but very playable on medium with 1GB GPU.

• Minima: Win 10+, Core i3 2000 or FX 4100, 8 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 7750 1 GB, 26 GB.

Devil May Cry 5

Fast-paced action with RE Engine and excellent optimization.

• Minima: Win 10+, Core i3 2000 or FX 4100, 8 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 7750 1 GB, 35 GB.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Generational leap compared to 2013, but manageable in the mid-range with a 2GB GPU.

• Minima: Win 10+, Core i3 2000 or FX 4100, 6 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 7750 2 GB, 35 GB.

Forza Motorsport 7

Top driving and one of the best optimized on PC.

• Minima: Win 10, i5 750 or FX 4100, 8 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 7750 2 GB, 100 GB.

Dishonored

Infiltration and powers with masterful design and low requirements.

• Minima: Win 10+, Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2, 3 GB RAM, 8600 GT or HD 2600 XT 512 MB, 9 GB.

Crysis 3

Technical classic which is already affordable and looks fabulous on high with the typical equipment.

• Minima: Win 10+, Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2, 3 GB RAM, GTS 450 or HD 5750 1 GB, 17 GB.

The King of Fighters XIV

2D fighting with a 3D engine and tight requirements.

• Minima: Win 10+, Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2, 3 GB RAM, GTS 450 or HD 5750 1 GB, 17 GB.

Destiny 2

Very complete F2P and stable in the middle at 1080p with the reference equipment.

• Minima: Win 10+, Core i3 2000 or FX 4100, 6 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 7750 1 GB, 105 GB.

Resident Evil Remaster HD

Classic with pre-rendered scenery that looks great and asks for little.

• Minima: Win 10+, Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2, 2 GB RAM, GTX 260 or HD 4870, 20 GB.

Streets of Rage 4

Exquisite 2D beat em up with superb animations and low requirements.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, Core 2 Duo E8400 or Phenom II X4 965, 4 GB RAM, GTS 250 or HD 6670, 8 GB.

Mad Max

Post-apocalyptic open world, much better optimized than it appears.

• Realistic minimums: Win 10 64 bit, Core i3 or FX 4100, 6 GB RAM, GT 640 or HD 7730, 32 GB.

Gears of War 4

Very solid campaign and remarkable performance.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, Core i3 or FX 4100, 8 GB RAM, R7 260X or GTX 650 Ti, 103 GB.

Street Fighter V

Polished fight that moves 1080p medium-high with great fluidity.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bits, Core i3-4160 or FX 4350 (2c/4h), 6 GB RAM, GTX 480, 21 GB.

State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition

Survival with management and lots of content.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, Core 2 Duo E6600 or Athlon 64 X2 6000+, 4 GB RAM, GTS 450, HD 5750 or Intel HD 4600, 4.1 GB.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Action role with very good performance at 1080p on the typical equipment.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i5-750 or Phenom II X4, 3 GB RAM, GTX 460 or HD 5850, 44 GB.

Dying Light

Survival and parkour in the open world; very affordable today.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i5-2500 or FX-8320, 4 GB RAM, GTX 560 or HD 6870, 40 GB.

Alien: isolation

Exemplary setting and demanding gameplay; runs high on modest equipment.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, Core 2 Duo E8500 or Athlon 64 X2 6000+, 4 GB RAM, GT 430 or HD 5550, 35 GB.

A Plague Tale: Innocence

Powerful narrative adventure; viable at 1080p medium at 30 FPS with standard equipment.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i3-2120 or FX-4100, 8 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 5830, 50 GB.

Tom Clancy's The Division

Shooter with RPG touches; very scalable and decent in the middle with older GPUs.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i5-2400 or FX-6100, 6 GB RAM, GTX 560 or HD 6870, 40 GB.

Dark Souls III

Challenging action and top art direction; 1080p medium recommended.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i3-2100 or FX-4100, 4 GB RAM, GTX 460 or HD 5850, 25 GB.

DOOM 2016

Iconic fast action; better with OpenGL on older GPUs.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i5-2400 or FX-6300, 8 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 5830, 55 GB.

Lost Ark

Free ARPG surprisingly attractive for what it asks for.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, Core i3 or Ryzen 3, 8 GB RAM, GTX 460 or HD 5830, 100 GB.

Resident Evil 0

Prequel with prerenders that has aged very well.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2, 2 GB RAM, GTX 260 or HD 4870, 13 GB.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2

First-person cooperative with big maps and lots of loot.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i5-2300 or FX 4350, 6 GB RAM, GTX 460 or HD 5830, 60 GB.

Prey

Immersive, original and very well done; works great on medium at 1080p with the typical equipment.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i5-2400 or FX 8320, 8 GB RAM, GTX 660 or HD 7850, 20 GB.

Far Cry 4

Living open world and reasonable demand.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i5-750 or Phenom II X4 955, 4 GB RAM, GTX 460 or HD 5850, 30 GB.

Titanium case 2

Excellent campaign and very fun multi; inflated official requirements.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, Core i3 or FX (4 threads), 8 GB RAM, GTX 660 or HD 7850, 45 GB.

ShadowWarrior 2

Frenetic action with very good performance on modest hardware.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, Core i3 or FX (4 threads), 8 GB RAM, GTX 560 Ti or HD 6850, 14 GB.

Final Fantasy XIII

Controversial but solid JRPG and very light on PC.

• Minima: Win 10 64-bit, dual-core CPU, 1 GB RAM, GeForce 8000 series or Radeon HD 2000, 60 GB.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Precise action with its own identity; viable at 1080p low-medium 30 FPS on the typical device.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i3-2100 or FX 4100, 4 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 6770, 25 GB.

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge

Highly polished classic beat em up and very cheap in resources.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i3-2100 or FX 4100, 4 GB RAM, GT 320 or HD 5570, 1 GB disk.

Sonic generations

Speed ​​and homage at 60 FPS at 1080p on modest rigs.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i3-2100 or FX 4100, 4 GB RAM, GT 320 or HD 5570.

Cuphead

Platforms and bosses with a 30s aesthetic; light and beautiful.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, Core 2 Duo E8400 or Athlon 64 X2 6000+, 3 GB RAM, 9600 GT or HD 3870, 4 GB.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Demanding but scalable; 720p average at 30 FPS is feasible on older GPUs.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i3-2100 or FX 4100, 8 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 6770, 150 GB.

Vampyr

Atmospheric vampire RPG; 1080p medium at about 40 FPS with standard equipment.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i3-2100 or FX 4100, 8 GB RAM, GTX 650 or HD 6770, 20 GB.

The Elder Scrolls Online

Very long MMO with good scalability.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, i3-2100 or FX 4100, 4 GB RAM, GTX 560 or HD 5850, 150 GB.

Remember me

Futuristic action with good narrative and friendly requirements.

• Minima: Win 10 64 bit, Core 2 Duo or Athlon X2, 2 GB RAM, 8800 GTS or HD 3850, 9 GB.

Light classics, adventures and other recommendations

Batman: Arkham Asylum marked a before and after; it works on very old equipment.

• Minima: Pentium 3 GHz or AMD Dual Core, 1-2 GB RAM, GeForce 6600 or ATI 1300, DirectX 9, 8-9 GB.

Tomb Raider (2013) restarted the saga with great results and low requirements.

• Minima: Core 2 Duo 1.86 GHz or Athlon 64 X2 2.1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, GeForce 8600 or Radeon HD 2600 XT, 12 GB.

Rayman Legends, already mentioned, shines in any team.

Animal Well It's a metroidvania without combat, super light.

• Minima: 1 GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM, integrated graphics, 35 MB disk.

Borderlands 2 It improves on the original and shines in co-op; it asks for little.

• Minima: Dual Core 2.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, GPU 256 MB (8500 or HD 2600 and above), 13 GB.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent y Layers of Fear They are author's horror that they run on almost everything.

• Minimal amnesia: 2 GHz CPU, 2 GB RAM, Radeon X1000/GF6, 3 GB, Windows XP.

Undertale, Terraria, Do not starve, Minecraft y Brawlhalla are safe bets with very modest hardware.

Homefront y Homefront: The Revolution They have a good quality-performance ratio; the second one asks for something more but it is playable in medium with older GPUs.

• Homefront minimums: Core 2 Duo E4600 or Athlon 64 X2 5400+, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 7900 GS or Radeon X1900, 10 GB.
• Homefront recommended: Core 2 Quad Q6400 or Phenom 9550, 2 GB RAM, GTX 260 or HD 4850, 10 GB.
• Revolution minimums: i5-4570T or FX-6100, 6 GB RAM, GTX 560 Ti or R7 260X, 38 GB.
• Revolution recommended: i5-2500K or FX-8320, 8 GB RAM, GTX 760 or HD 7870, 38 GB.

Batman: The Telltale Series offers a narrative adventure that is very light on resources.

• Minima: Win 7 64, Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz, 3 GB RAM, GTS 450 1 GB.

Murdered: Soul Suspect proposes to investigate your own crime with moderate technical load.

• Minima: Core 2 Duo E7600 or Athlon II X2 265, 4 GB RAM, GTS 250 or HD 4830 512 MB, 20 GB.
• Recommended: i7-920 or FX-8100, 4 GB RAM, GTX 660 or R9 270, 20 GB.

Ocean Horn It's perfect if you like classic Zelda and your PC is old.

• Minima: Dual Core 1.7 GHz, 1 GB RAM, DX10 GPU 256 MB, 700 MB disk.
• Recommended: Dual Core 2.2 GHz, 2 GB RAM, DX10 GPU 512 MB, 800 MB disk.

Far Cry 2, Far Cry 3 y Blood Dragon They are still a delight with low demand if you adjust shadows and distance.

Broken Sword (saga), Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy y Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders They perform perfectly even on office equipment.

overcooked and TRINE trilogy shine in local cooperative with very low requirements.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy It works great in almost any setup due to its visual novel nature.

Spec Ops: The Line It is a shooter with one of the best narratives in the genre and very affordable requirements.

Dead Space (trilogy), FEAR (trilogy) y Clive Barker's Jericho They combine action and terror with ancient demands.

LEGO (saga) The whole thing is perfect for small teams and playing in company.

Valve has light jewelry: Half-Life 1 and 2, Portal 1 and 2, Team Fortress 2 They work great on older hardware.

More light recommendations: Counter-Strike, Alpha Protocol, Chimpact, Company of Heroes and its Legacy version, The Darkness II, Fallout 1, 2, 3 and New Vegas, original Far Cry, Tomb Raider before 2010, Kingdom Classic and New Lands, Oddworld classics, Saints Row 2 and The Third, Shadow Warrior Classic, Borderlands 1, Street Racing Syndicate, Turbo Pug DX, The Witcher 1, Alice Madness Returns, Resident Evil 4 and 5. All of them They ask for little and offer hours if you adjust quality and resolution.

Final tips for choosing and adjusting

Think about your favorite genre and prioritize titles that scale well: in shooters and competitive games, remove post-processing; in adventure and role-playing games, increase textures and lower shadows before resolution.

Remember that many lows are posted with a margin. A GPU with 1-2 GB and 8 GB of RAM They still offer a lot of fun if you choose wisely. And if you can't find an option, try 720p with medium quality and you'll see how you gain stability with a reasonable visual impact.

The PC scene is so flexible that, with a little bit of care, there's always something going on in your teamBetween classics and current indie titles, and with the tips in this guide, the hard part will be deciding where to start.