I’m upgrading from an older GTX 1080 rig that is honestly still usable, but there have been a few newer titles here and there that I’ve been putting off playing.
What are some beautiful and demanding hardware wise games you guys would recommend? Bonus points for underrated games or hidden gems.
Yes. It’s not the most graphically demanding game so hardware wise it isn’t much of a test of a new PC. It is, however, rather aesthetically beautiful and worth going for in the context of what you’re going for, IMO.
Guardians of the Galaxy game had some of the wildest at direction, just like the movies. There isn’t really anything else like it. Check some screenshots or a let’s play to see if it’s your cup of tea.
If you want to try something for free, you can check out genshin impact. Beautiful open and great music. Just don’t get too deep into the gacha rabbit hole lol
I would NOT play Returnal if you are not using a Dualsense controller. I bought a Dualsense controller for the nice D-Pad compared to my other controllers, and Returnal was the first game I had played that used the haptics, adaptive triggers, and the speaker.
Blew my fucking mind. I had no idea how awesome it would feel to play a game like this. I wish more games I like supported all of that. Rumble is great, the haptics on the Switch Pro controller are alright… but the Dualsense haptics are NUTS. The controller adds a whole new dimension to playing, and the PC port of Returnal is excellent. I played hours every day until completing it. Hard recommend… but get a Dualsense.
I’m sure it feels awesome with a Dualsense, I’ve heard a lot about the adaptivr triggers on this game. I’ve played it with an 8bitdo controller and the game was still pretty fun, the controls felt nice regardless.
The controls are great with other controllers! I can’t even explain how different it is with a Dualsense though. I don’t even have a PS5, but I really liked the controller. Until I played Returnal… Now I LOVE it. The triggers are really awesome, but the haptics were so much more than I expected—they’re so much more than just simple rumble.
Even the speaker was awesome to have. Chirping satisfyingly when I timed a reload correctly, making strange noises when I picked up a Parasite, and doing a Ether noise when I picked up Ether.
Between regular controllers, KBM, and a Dualsense, the Dualsense legitimately changes the experience so significantly, I wouldn’t recommend it without one. I convinced my friend to pick one up before trying Returnal, and I knew he started with it when I got a text that just said
Nice, RDR2, Control and Spooderman are specifically the titles I’ve been putting off until I built a new PC, thank you. Even though I beat RDR2 on PS4 a couple years back, I’m very down to revisit in 144hz.
I might give CP2077 another go too, beat that on release and it ran surprisingly well on a 1080 aside from all the goddamn bugs, but I’m curious to revisit it again with all the bells, whistles and patches. Forza 5 and God of War also ran spectacularly well on the older hardware as well, but I’m probably due for a replay of those too.
I’ll have to check out Returnal, I’ve heard mixed reviews but haven’t actually looked into it. Thank you.
Control is excellent and also has a mod from one of the developers that adds stuff like HDR, support for newer versions of DLSS, better raytracing etc.
EDIT: Also, if you’re playing RDR2 ensure to enable the nvidia reflex low latency stuff and run at a high framerate to mitigate some of the input lag. It’s a marked improvement over PS4.
I’ll have to check out Returnal, I’ve heard mixed reviews
The game had technical issues on release but they’ve since been resolved, I’ve played it recently and had no issues. It’s fun but pretty short so I’d buy it on sale.
The sole DLC/expansion for CP2077 is coming out this fall. If you’ve waited this long you might as well wait for it to be complete before you revisit it.
I’ve been waiting for the DLC before doing a first foray, personally.
Eventually. By buying an AMD CPU and GPU I guess I’m getting two free Starfields, so beating both copies will probably take me through the end of the year or at least through September.
I also went from a 1080 and I’ve really enjoyed playing the following on ultra now:
Doom eternal, cyberpunk 2077, mount and blade 2, ready or not, and I was planning on replaying the revamped metro series as well as death stranding
If you’re just looking for something graphically impressive you probably have to put Cyberpunk 2077 with full Path Tracing on the list, if your new rig can handle it.
Not really a hidden gem but it probably looks spectacular.
If you went high tier, did you leave enough coin for a Quest 2 headset? With a cheap, dedicated router you can stream wirelessly and the experience is mind blowing. Games like HL:Alyx are ridiculous; I just wish there were more native ports to VR.
I was at one point really excited about VR (2016/2017) and actually built this rig I have right now in big part for it, but ended up returning an Oculus Rift after my very disappointing experience with it. And other than HL: Alyx, Beat Saber and a couple other titles, there don’t really seem to be many really captivating titles that justify the cost and space requirements for a proper VR setup. I’m open to maybe getting a VR headset in the future if something compelling comes along, but a Quest ain’t it. Thanks for the recommendation though, I hear HL: Alyx is fantastic.
That’s one of the games I’ve been putting off. I bought it when it came out, but couldn’t run it well enough and got a refund. Will definitely rebuy it on the new rig.
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Elden Ring + Doom Eternal
Is Elden Ring still locked to 60hz?
Yes. It’s not the most graphically demanding game so hardware wise it isn’t much of a test of a new PC. It is, however, rather aesthetically beautiful and worth going for in the context of what you’re going for, IMO.
That’s unfortunate, but locked framerate is a deal breaker for me, so pass. Thanks for the rec.
Guardians of the Galaxy game had some of the wildest at direction, just like the movies. There isn’t really anything else like it. Check some screenshots or a let’s play to see if it’s your cup of tea.
Cyberpunk. And with sharpening (like RIS) at 80% even better!
Microsoft Flight Simulator is pretty on a good gaming rig.
If you want to try something for free, you can check out genshin impact. Beautiful open and great music. Just don’t get too deep into the gacha rabbit hole lol
This has to be bait, no way that game has good graphics. War thunder has better graphics and is free as well
You never know until you try it ;) Also this is one of the cases where the advertising of the game makes it seem 100x worse then it actually is
Absolutely not interested in any of it, but I will admit it’s pretty if you’re into that sort of artstyle.
Ahhh I remember the feeling of upgrading to a new GPU after ditching my 1050 earlier this year. Here’s some games that can stress test your new rig:
Also while Elden Ring isn’t as demanding as technically impressive as other games it can look quite beautiful.
Returnal is BEAUTIFUL at 1440p/144hz. RTX off.
I would NOT play Returnal if you are not using a Dualsense controller. I bought a Dualsense controller for the nice D-Pad compared to my other controllers, and Returnal was the first game I had played that used the haptics, adaptive triggers, and the speaker.
Blew my fucking mind. I had no idea how awesome it would feel to play a game like this. I wish more games I like supported all of that. Rumble is great, the haptics on the Switch Pro controller are alright… but the Dualsense haptics are NUTS. The controller adds a whole new dimension to playing, and the PC port of Returnal is excellent. I played hours every day until completing it. Hard recommend… but get a Dualsense.
I’m sure it feels awesome with a Dualsense, I’ve heard a lot about the adaptivr triggers on this game. I’ve played it with an 8bitdo controller and the game was still pretty fun, the controls felt nice regardless.
The controls are great with other controllers! I can’t even explain how different it is with a Dualsense though. I don’t even have a PS5, but I really liked the controller. Until I played Returnal… Now I LOVE it. The triggers are really awesome, but the haptics were so much more than I expected—they’re so much more than just simple rumble.
Even the speaker was awesome to have. Chirping satisfyingly when I timed a reload correctly, making strange noises when I picked up a Parasite, and doing a Ether noise when I picked up Ether.
Between regular controllers, KBM, and a Dualsense, the Dualsense legitimately changes the experience so significantly, I wouldn’t recommend it without one. I convinced my friend to pick one up before trying Returnal, and I knew he started with it when I got a text that just said
“holy shit”
Nice, RDR2, Control and Spooderman are specifically the titles I’ve been putting off until I built a new PC, thank you. Even though I beat RDR2 on PS4 a couple years back, I’m very down to revisit in 144hz.
I might give CP2077 another go too, beat that on release and it ran surprisingly well on a 1080 aside from all the goddamn bugs, but I’m curious to revisit it again with all the bells, whistles and patches. Forza 5 and God of War also ran spectacularly well on the older hardware as well, but I’m probably due for a replay of those too.
I’ll have to check out Returnal, I’ve heard mixed reviews but haven’t actually looked into it. Thank you.
Control is excellent and also has a mod from one of the developers that adds stuff like HDR, support for newer versions of DLSS, better raytracing etc.
See here
DF did a video on it
EDIT: Also, if you’re playing RDR2 ensure to enable the nvidia reflex low latency stuff and run at a high framerate to mitigate some of the input lag. It’s a marked improvement over PS4.
The game had technical issues on release but they’ve since been resolved, I’ve played it recently and had no issues. It’s fun but pretty short so I’d buy it on sale.
The sole DLC/expansion for CP2077 is coming out this fall. If you’ve waited this long you might as well wait for it to be complete before you revisit it.
I’ve been waiting for the DLC before doing a first foray, personally.
It’s worth checking out CP2077 again. They fixed a ton of bugs and added new features as well. Perfect timing before the expansion comes out.
Eventually. By buying an AMD CPU and GPU I guess I’m getting two free Starfields, so beating both copies will probably take me through the end of the year or at least through September.
Oh no! I can do you a favor and take one free starfield off your hands to save you some time.
+1 for RDR2
I also went from a 1080 and I’ve really enjoyed playing the following on ultra now: Doom eternal, cyberpunk 2077, mount and blade 2, ready or not, and I was planning on replaying the revamped metro series as well as death stranding
The newest Metro game and Death Stranding are on my list too, thank you.
If you’re just looking for something graphically impressive you probably have to put Cyberpunk 2077 with full Path Tracing on the list, if your new rig can handle it.
Not really a hidden gem but it probably looks spectacular.
Atomic heart! Both gorgeous and well optimized
This is me right now. God of War (2018) looks breathtaking.
Read Dead 2, Last of Us, Uncharted 4
Atomic Heart! Both gorgeous and well optimized
Minecraft…
…with shaders.
If you went high tier, did you leave enough coin for a Quest 2 headset? With a cheap, dedicated router you can stream wirelessly and the experience is mind blowing. Games like HL:Alyx are ridiculous; I just wish there were more native ports to VR.
No, I won’t ever buy a Meta/Facebook product.
I was at one point really excited about VR (2016/2017) and actually built this rig I have right now in big part for it, but ended up returning an Oculus Rift after my very disappointing experience with it. And other than HL: Alyx, Beat Saber and a couple other titles, there don’t really seem to be many really captivating titles that justify the cost and space requirements for a proper VR setup. I’m open to maybe getting a VR headset in the future if something compelling comes along, but a Quest ain’t it. Thanks for the recommendation though, I hear HL: Alyx is fantastic.
The fact that Horizon: Zero Dawn hasn’t been mentioned yet is a travesty.
Is the sequel out on PC yet?
Not yet, no release date yet either. Probably won’t be until the end of next year at least
That’s one of the games I’ve been putting off. I bought it when it came out, but couldn’t run it well enough and got a refund. Will definitely rebuy it on the new rig.
Its one of the few games I’ve played through twice
Emulate TotK on Yuzu and play it at 1440p/60FPS with graphical mods. It’s BEAUTIFUL.
You can also CEMU BotW and play at 144hz, also with graphical upgrades.