Do you have a very old PC or a laptop that is too cheap? We recommend the best PC games that do not need a graphics card or many requirements.
Playing video games on a computer is not as simple as on consoles. It has its obvious advantages, such as technical and performance improvements if we have state-of-the-art equipment, but also its drawbacks when our compatible is far from current trends, especially when that distance is several years ago. Very old hardware will make us not keep up with the releases, but we should not feel obliged to stop playing.
In this report, we are going to recommend games that can work on older computers and computers that do not have a dedicated graphics card, that is, that run the graphic load from an integrated card (such as Intel HD) and depend largely on the power of your processor to play. They are computers of another generation, which in many cases are portable and have integrated graphics to run the minimum services.
The games that you will see below can work normally on computers from the last decade (more or less) that do not have updated graphics or that depend on an integrated card from past generations. It is a practical and varied selection in genres, types of games, and developers so that you have a variety to choose from in those moments when you have to survive your life as a gamer with a computer from another time.
Modern games that don't need a graphics card
Age of Empires IV
Traditionally, the Age of Empires saga has taken into account the technical specifications of the computers in its community and has adapted to the most obsolete equipment to work without problems on them. What we didn't expect is that the newest installment, Age of Empires IV, would also have a special graphics mode that reduces certain graphics and performance details to work on older PCs. You can always continue playing Age of Empires II, but it doesn't hurt to try this new title to see if it works on your computer without a graphics card (especially considering that it is included in Xbox Game Pass ).
Sid Meier's Civilization VI
If you want a good strategy game but Age of Empires is not your thing, you can always try your luck with Sid Meier's Civilization VI, a title much more focused on diplomatic management and international relations than on combat between armies. It has a wide variety of expansions and accessories that update the game with new factions, characters, and mechanics, but if you want to start with the basic version you should be able to enjoy it without problems on your computer without a graphics card.
Assassin's creed
Perhaps Assassin's Creed is not the most current title in the Ubisoft franchise, but it will be one of the few that you will be able to play without a graphics card on your PC. Don't worry, because even with that limitation you will enjoy one of the best installments of the saga, a game starring the master assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad who still maintained the essence of stealth for which this series became popular.
Burnout: Paradise
The original version of Burnout: Paradise (not the remastered one that was released recently, obviously) has such low requirements that you will most likely not need a graphics card to run it if you reduce its graphic quality to a minimum. Thanks to that, you will be able to enjoy one of the best driving games in history, a brutal arcade racing title that stands out for its physics, for the originality and freshness of its game modes, and for the great soundtrack that sounds while we drive.
Streets of Rage 4
If you want a good side-scrolling action game, what we traditionally know as beat'em up (or a lifelong 'me against the neighborhood') we recommend Streets of Rage 4, a modern installment of the arcade classic that maintains the essence of original games bringing freshness through spectacular graphics and very fine gameplay.
Hades
Those who have already enjoyed Hades not only highlight its frenetic and varied combat rhythm but also a very well-written story that reinterprets Greek mythology and that is intertwined as we progress through this roguelike from an isometric perspective. We could well introduce it in the indies section because it is developed by Supergiant Games, but its benefits are so many that we wanted to recommend it as soon as possible.
Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium - The Final Cut has become on its own merits one of the best and most original role-playing games that we can play on PC, especially thanks to its excellent writing, its innovative dialogue system, and a particular artistic style that makes look like a moving picture. The studio that developed it, ZA / UM, has optimized the game to work "even on working-class computers", in their own words, so you can install it without fear of your computer exploding.
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
The game that raised the pillars on which the real-time strategy genre would later be based received a practically perfect remastering in 2020 with the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection. For those less experienced in the genre, it can be difficult to get into the work of Petroglyph Games, but its pulp plot is capable of catching so many years after its original release. In addition, the editing is excellent in terms of content, including even deleted scenes and documentaries that do a lot to preserve the history of this important classic.
Retro games that don't need a graphics card
Monkey Island 1 & 2
The Secret of Monkey Island is a classic adventure game capable of running on any computer with hardware from the last decade. There are different versions of the game, but the one we recommend the most is the Special Edition available on platforms such as Steam, where you will find it for less than ten euros and ready to be run on your computer.
Broken Sword 1 & 2
We continue with the adventure genre and we opted for another recommendation within the mythical sagas of the nineties. We are talking about Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars and its first two episodes, games that have remastered requirements adjusted on Steam and GOG.com. They are two very fun, original, and consistent adventures. Do not hesitate to live them as soon as you can.
The Longest Journey
We raised the team requirements a bit, but we continue to keep them low, so you can play another highly recommended adventure: The Longest Journey. It was one of the first great works of Funcom and continues to maintain the type as one of the series most loved by fans of the genre. For less than ten euros you have in your library a classic of the genre.
- The Longest Journey on Steam
Counter-strike
Do you want to shoot while playing a classic from the 2000s Internet cafes? The obvious recommendation is Counter-Strike (the original version), a game capable of having fun for hours even when you don't have Internet thanks to its bots. It is the ideal multiplayer for when you meet colleagues to work, they all have low-end laptops and you want to disconnect by hitting shots.
- Counter-Strike on Steam
Half-life
From the fight against terrorism, we move on to the first experiments of Black Mesa. Half-Life is still one of the indispensable first-person shooter games for gamers, so if you feel the limitation of your PC's hardware, this is the best time to learn how the series began starring Gordon Freeman that has not had continuity.
- Half-Life on Steam
Deus Ex
Another classic first-person saga with a focus on narrative is Deus Ex. We are not going to recommend his latest installments, as they are more demanding in terms of graphic load, but the recovery of works from another time via Steam or Gog.com allows us today to play the original episode, a masterpiece, for less than seven euros and with requirements that make it work on any computer.
- Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition on Steam
Hitman: Codename 47
Also, travel to the past of another saga, the one starring Agent 47, with Hitman: Codename 47, an interesting proposal within the action and stealthy murders in video games that you can find on Steam for less than six euros. It is a classic from another time that we cannot forget and that can help us not to be bored in the absence of a powerful PC.
- Hitman: Codename 47 on Steam
Max Payne
Inevitable is recommending Max Payne as one of the most innovative action games of its time thanks to the use of bullet time and its dark narrative. Remedy knew how to create a protagonist with personality, motifs, and chargers in industrial quantities. Varied, demanding, and difficult, it is one of the most loved action games since it arrived almost two decades ago.
- Max Payne on Steam
Grand theft auto iii
Will a game developed by Rockstar Games be missing from our list? No. Grand Theft Auto III is our recommendation if you have a computer that does not have a dedicated graphics card. Its requirements are covered by all the low-end teams of the last ten years (or more), so you would have no problem touring Liberty City with your team and good old Claude.
- Grand Theft Auto III on Steam
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Want to get into the role of Bethesda but your team is unable to move Skyrim or Oblivion? Nothing happens, you have succulent opportunities in the past. From Steam, you have The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind at your disposal, an indisputable classic of the company to which you can dedicate hours without worrying about its technical requirements.
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Game of the Year Edition on Steam
Fallout
If you want to go from fantasy-medieval to post-apocalyptic territory and your computer is very low on power, the best thing you can do is travel to the origins of the Fallout saga continued by Bethesda. You can see that many aspects have changed over the years, but that the essentials have remained intact for the benefit of the more traditional fans.
- Fallout on Steam
Diablo II
Speaking of role, we cannot ignore one of Blizzard's best works to date within the genre: Diablo II. The second installment of the dark series continues to be for many players the most complete of the license, so we place it in this report as a more than the interesting solution for those teams that do not have dedicated graphics to run games.
- Diablo II on Battle.net
Starcraft
Following the recommendations made in Blizzard, turn for Starcraft and its first episode, a safe bet to put hours of the strategy genre either playing its campaign together with the Brood War expansion or multiplayer, which is still as attractive as in the past. Highly recommended to disconnect from day to day if you like strategy.
- Starcraft on Battle.net
Baldur's gate
Another classic of the unquestionable role is Baldur's Gate, a timeless title that is capable of continuing to trap us in its world decades after its release. It maintains the type thanks to the Enhanced Edition, whose requirements are really low, and it provides us with an enormous amount of hours of gameplay so that we do not remain idly in front of the computer.
- Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition on Steam
Indie games that don't need a graphics card
Untitled Goose Game
Untitled Goose Game is undoubtedly one of the funniest video games that you will be able to try on your PC without a graphics card. In it, we control a goose that has set out to annoy the residents of an idyllic bourgeois neighborhood. We can hide their materials from them, steal their belongings and ruin their garden. All this is both solo and cooperative. A magnificent independent work that you should not miss.
- Untitled Goose Game on Steam
Dwarf fortress
Are you looking for a title from another time that gives you unlimited hours of play? The best recommendation we can make for you is Dwarf Fortress, a classic of the compatible freeware in management and social simulation. Our underground fortress of dwarves will always be in constant evolution demanding our efforts. It is one of the precursors of Minecraft.
- Dwarf Fortress on its official page
Stardew valley
In the indie universe, fun and originality are not directly proportional to the graphic demands of the titles. Stardew Valley is one of the proposals that demonstrate this maxim and is capable of giving us hundreds of hours of play, managing our farm with the best musical accompaniment to relax from our day-to-day.
- Stardew Valley on Steam
Spiritfarer
If you like management games so much that you have Stardew Valley burned, you should take a look at Spiritfarer, a beautiful two-dimensional title in which we build and manage a ship in which we take souls to the portal to the afterlife. Wrapped up in a beautiful adventure, during the game we will have to build rooms, prepare food and, in general, keep the place decent so that the deceased are comfortable in it.
- Spiritfarer on Steam
The Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac is another one of those indie games capable of offering players hundreds of hours of gameplay without sucking the blood of team requirements, pure addiction. The level of demand to be able to move it on your computer is minimal, so it can run without problem on any computer sold during the last ten years that does not have a dedicated graphic.
- The Binding of Isaac on Steam
FTL
The management of spaceships offered by FTL: Faster Than Light is really complete, attractive, and interesting for those who need a game to which they can spend hours without demanding too much from the team. It is capable of running on computers with non-dedicated graphics compatible with Open GL 2.0, which is a fifteen-year-old technology, so you shouldn't have a problem.
- FTL: Faster Than Light on Steam
Spelunky and Spelunky2
Do you want a game that offers you exploration in two-dimensional retro environments and with a difficulty according to other times? The best option you can consider installing on your PC is Spelunky, an indie platform classic with random levels that will keep you entertained for hours while you try to find all the hidden secrets. If you have already played the first installment so much that you want new experiences, we recommend you get Spelunky 2, another that works on any computer and that brings improvements over the first in every way.
Undertale
We are not going to deny that Undertale is an atypical and even strange game, a work that is not suitable for all types of players, a fact that precisely transforms it into a game with enormous charm. He lives alone within his own ecosystem laughing and loving great video game cliches to deliver a one-of-a-kind RPG to his buyers.
- Undertale on Steam
Papers, please
Talking about interesting indie proposals for teams with technical limitations in the graphic requires that we inevitably mention Papers, please, the work of Lucas Pope that transforms us into a customs control agent. The Admissions Ministry will introduce you to stories from a fictional society that has more than one inspiration in the real world.
- Papers, Please on Steam
La-Mulana
One of Nigoro's great classics, La-Mulana, is accessible on the computer through the revision that was released for the first Wii. It is an exploration game with a difficulty not suitable for the impatient and with a great personality both in its design and in its playability. If you are a lover of two dimensions, La-Mulana is a highly recommended option.
- La-Mulana on Steam
Cave Story +
The work of Daisuke Amaya is one of the most influential independent games of all time, and for many studies, the germ of the scene indie. Adapted with numerous technical and playable improvements and adding game modes, the Nicalis version, Cave Story + is an action and platform adventure that exudes love for the best exponents of the genre of the era of 8 and 16 bits, at the same time which brings many original ideas and offers great phases with exquisite control.
- Cave Story + on Steam and Epic Games Store
Into the Breach
The same creators of the great FTL that we have already mentioned in this list offer an even rounder game with Into the Breach, a turn-based strategy game that adapts the battles of the kaiju cinema to boards that look like something out of a board game. Here we will defend cities and their population with giant robots against the attack of giant aliens, having to think not only about the counterattack against each Vek offensive but about the damage that we can cause to the buildings.
- Into the Breach on Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG
Axiom Verge
Axiom Verge is one of the best Metroidvania out there; yes, also taking into account the two-dimensional Metroid and Castlevania themselves. Here we explore a mysterious alien world full of secrets, monsters, and huge final bosses that we will face with a large number of weapons, objects, and abilities that we discover little by little. It is one of those games capable of surprising the most veteran player, and one of those titles that manage to take a very established genre further.
- Axiom Verge on Steam and Epic Games Store
Light blue
During the last years, the narrative in video games is advanced. We are not talking simply about making better-told stories or dealing with deeper issues, but rather that there are videogames that use their own mechanics, interactivity, to support their argument. All this is done by Celeste, where we control Madeline, who will face her internal demons in her ascent to the mountain that gives the game its name. But it's also an excellent, tough rig with superb control.
- Celeste on Steam and Epic Games Store
The Red Strings Club
The Spanish studio Deconstructeam captured everyone's attention with Gods will be Watching, but The Red Strings Club is a much rounder and also different game. In a cyberpunk world, players play (almost always) a waiter who must get information from his customers, something he achieves by preparing cocktails that we must mix ourselves. The plot, and especially the dialogues, are written with an astonishing taste and are capable of making us reflect on philosophical, sociological, and technological issues.
Nuclear Throne
The game of the now-defunct studio Vlambeer is a shooter overhead tremendously satisfying, overwhelmingly varied and widely replayable. Nuclear Throne is a roguelike that always provides confrontations where we have to manage the bullets with the head while using the abilities of each character at the right time; where learning the shortcuts of each world becomes something necessary for survival; and where the fights against the final bosses will never leave us a respite. As if that were not enough, using one character or another varies the experience completely.
- Nuclear Throne on Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG
The Messenger
It is difficult to tell you explicitly why you have to play The Messenger without blowing part of the experience. We will only say that if you like action games in two dimensions and/or science fiction stories, give the work of Sabotage Studios a try, as it is a title inspired by the classics of the genre that is wonderfully controlled, It looks spectacular, it has mechanics that evolve at the right place and it has a soundtrack of those that you hear over and over again outside of the game. And don't watch videos.
- The Messenger on Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG
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