The Most Demanding PC Games of 2024: Pushing Hardware to the Limits

Rockstar’s first trailer for GTA 6 got almost every gamer talking and nearly broke the Internet. Now, imagine finding out that your PC cannot run the action-adventure the way you’d like when you finally see its system requirements. 

I remember feeling the same way about Cyberpunk 2077. Developers notoriously refuse to share requirements until around release dates. So, how do you maintain your excitement about upcoming games?

This list will help. If your computer can comfortably run these games beyond their medium settings, rest assured you can play almost any upcoming title. Still, these games can sweat even the highest-tiered GPUs and 14th gen Intel CPUs.

How PC Games Have Evolved

Hardware was limited in the early days of personal computers, and game developers had to work with the simple systems available at the time.

We can trace the earliest computer games to those designed for mainframes. They include XO, a 1952 tic-tac-toe adaptation for the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC), and Spacewar!, developed by Steve Russell and other MIT students on a PDP-1 mainframe.

PC games continued to progress as PCs advanced. Computer ports for console games became popular in the 1980s, and 3D graphics emerged in the mid-1990s, with titles like “Doom” and “Quake” requiring more powerful processors and dedicated graphics cards.

The mid-2000s ushered in high-definition gaming with the introduction of DirectX 10 and high-resolution displays. From then on, game developers continued to push the envelope, creating hyper-realistic gaming environments with volumetric atmospheres. 

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Also read: Timeline of All Windows OS Versions: From Start to Now

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Top 10 Most Demanding Games in 2024

To avoid any confusion, this list is not a 2024 exclusive. Some games released years back can still stress today’s hardware due to ongoing updates and their support for advanced technologies like ray tracing.

I’ll cover the most graphically demanding PC games, showing you their system requirements for low and high settings. Some titles on this list are also among the most CPU-intensive games you’ll play.

I’ll also include an overheating index (from 0 to 10) for each game to help you measure your computer’s potential thermal output during heavy gameplay. Higher is hotter.

Note that the index indicates how the games affect regular gaming desktops. As they are more powerful, it means laptops will produce even more heat.

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Helpful read: Gaming Laptop vs. Desktop: Are Gaming Laptops Worth It?

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Starfield

• Release date: September 6, 2023 
• Overheating index: 8.5

System requirements:

Starfield is one of Bethesda’s biggest and most technically impressive RPG titles. It uses BGS’s updated Creation Engine 2 to deliver its vast and meticulously crafted universe with over 1,000 planets. The result is upgraded visual fidelity and a more stable performance.

You’re a member of Constellation, a group of intrepid space explorers embarking on a multi-planetary journey. Your goal is to uncover the secrets of the cosmos and find mystical artifacts that will shape humanity’s destiny.

The title’s expansive universe and upgraded visuals can burden even the best hardware. Its minimum system requirements are one of the highest I’ve seen for any game, making it one of the hardest games to run on PC. 

You’ll need a GTX 1070 Ti to run the game at modest FPS rates. But if you want to go beyond 1080p and enjoy your experience, you need something stronger, such as an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT paired with a capable CPU like the Intel i5-10600K.

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Also read: What Is the Best Gaming Processor for PC in 2024?

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Forspoken

• Release date: January 24, 2023
• Overheating index: 7

System requirements:

Forspoken is a magical action RPG that drops your character, Frey, into the fantasy world of Athia. The young New Yorker has newfound magical abilities that she must use to navigate the realm and save inhabitants from fog and other plots that threaten them. 

The game combines thrilling combat with fluid parkour movement, allowing you to seamlessly navigate Athia’s sprawling landscapes and battle its corrupted dwellers.

Luminous Productions deployed stunning visuals to bring Athia and its magical elements alive. It features high-resolution textures, fine lighting, and quality models. They make up the reasons for Forspoken’s high system requirements and why it’s one of the most graphically demanding PC games to run. 

Using a system that meets Forspoken’s minimum requirements will get you a meagre 720p resolution at 30 FPS. If you want to play the game in 1080p or 1440p with better FPS, you’ll need to use the recommended hardware, including an SSD and at least an RTX 3070 or its equivalent.

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Further reading: Windows 11 Gaming: How to Fix Ping Issues and Increase FPS

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Cyberpunk 2077

• Release date: December 10, 2020
• Overheating Index: 9.5

System requirements without ray tracing:

System Requirements with Ray Tracing:

CD Projekt Red developed Cyberpunk 2077 using their REDengine 4. Your character is V, a mercenary outlaw chasing after a unique implant that holds the key to immortality. You can customize your appearance, skillset, and cyberware to equip your character for high-stakes heists and other missions.

The open-world RPG’s Night City makes it one of the most demanding PC games, especially if you want to fully experience its visually stunning dystopian world. Even with minimum settings, you’ll need at least 12 GB of RAM and a GTX 1060 to get the game going.

The game’s initial buggy release made it one of the hardest games to run on PC after its fairly stable launch on consoles. However, CD Projekt Red managed to fix things and make it playable. 

Update 2.0 might have increased the hardware requirements, but it also introduced more performance optimization options. Frame generation, DLSS, core prioritization, and various other settings make it easier than ever to fine-tune Cyberpunk 2077 for your specific system, ensuring a smoother experience on modern hardware.

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Also interesting: Intel Processor Generations in a Timeline: History and Evolution

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You’ll need the recently-included ray tracing capabilities to truly bring out the environment’s beauty. While the recommended specs allow for low ray tracing, a truly noticeable lighting improvement requires a more powerful setup, such as an RTX 3080 Ti or better. 

Yet, maintaining a consistent frame rate at max settings can still be challenging, even with top-of-the-line hardware.

For those who want to push the limits and play with path tracing at max settings, only the most powerful PCs, with an RTX 4090 paired with a top-tier CPU for example, will do.

Ark: Survival Ascended

• Release date: October 25, 2023
• Overheating index: 8

System requirements:

Ark: Survival Ascended is the Unreal Engine 5 remake of the dinosaur-filled survival adventure. It showcases the graphical prowess of UE5, particularly through its Lumen and Nanite technologies. This deployment results in a visually stunning experience that significantly elevates the look of the original Ark: Survival Evolved and makes this version one of the most RAM-intensive games.

Venturing into the enhanced world of prehistoric creatures and taking on its survival challenges makes you understand why you’ll need a 32 GB RAM at some point. While the recommended specs call for an RTX 3080 GPU and a Ryzen 5 3600X processor, don’t be fooled—these aren’t quite enough for a smooth experience at high resolutions.

You’ll need a higher-end PC if you’re aiming for crisp 1440p or even 4k visuals with buttery-smooth and consistent performance. Even then, you still have to count on a bit of luck in navigating the game’s unpredictable performance landscape.

Red Dead Redemption 2

• Release date: October 26, 2018
• Overheating index: 6.5

System requirements:

Rockstar’s epic Western adventure is a visual masterpiece on PC, but it comes at a cost. Despite its relatively modest console performance, Red Redemption 2’s PC port is notorious for surpassing newer open-world titles in its hunger for resources. Users commonly experience frame rate drops and stuttering, even on systems that meet the recommended hardware requirements. 

Speaking of requirements, they’re nothing to scoff at. NVIDIA users should have at least a GTX 1060, while those on Team Red will need a Ryzen 5 1500X or better to truly experience the game’s best offerings. If your rig fits the bill, you’ll be rewarded with a stunningly detailed world, breath-taking vistas, and immersive gameplay.

Cranking up the resolution to 1440p requires an RTX 30 series or better configuration, but you’ll still watch your GPU sweat. People with setups closer to the minimum requirements can get by with reduced graphical settings.

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Also read: How to Stress Test GPU for Peak Performance

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Alan Wake 2

• Release date: October 27, 2023
• Overheating index: 9.5

System requirements:

Remedy Entertainment waited over a decade to release this long-anticipated sequel. While the prolonged release date brought many visual upgrades and improved graphical fidelity, its heavy burden on PC resources and high system requirements may leave some wondering if it’s for them.

Make no mistake, Remedy’s Northlight Engine delivers stunning full-motion sequences, gorgeous rendering, and an immersive gaming experience. 

The single-person horror adventure is more relatable to authors with crippling episodes of writer’s block. The game focuses on Alan Wake, a novelist whose creative draught takes him to a dreadful reality called The Dark Place, and FBI agent Saga Anderson, investigating ritualistic murders in Bright Falls.

It features a great deal of satisfying combat laced with visceral horror and terrifying creatures. This dark atmosphere and all its elements make it one of the most GPU-intensive games. The game’s requirements even rival the hardware-hungry Cyberpunk 2077, demanding a GTX 1070 and Intel i5-7600k for minimum settings.

You need an RTX 3070 or Ryzen 7 3700X to enjoy a smooth 60 FPS experience. But if you want the game’s best graphics with super sharp 4k resolution and realistic lighting, you need higher-end hardware, such as the RTX 4080.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

• Release date: March 22, 2024
• Overheating index: 8

System requirements:

Capcom’s open-world RPG is not for weak configurations. You need at least a GTX 1070 and 16 gigabytes of RAM at the minimum to explore the vast and treacherous world of Gransys. That configuration can only get you playing in 1080p at 30 FPS, and it’ll still chew through your system’s resources. You could also class it among CPU-heavy games, as the minimum requirement demands an Intel Core i5-10600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600.

To fulfill the recommended requirements, you need an AMD Radeon RX 6700 or RTX 2080 or better. This setup should get things running at higher graphics settings. However, you need a more powerful CPU to render the game’s town hubs and other graphics-demanding scenes. To reach the highest settings and deploy special features like ray tracing, you need a stronger rig with an RTX 2080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6800 or better.

Dragon Dogma 2’s open world, stellar combat mechanics, and fantasy creatures explain why it throws a lot of rendering tasks at your computer. Capcom has expanded the game with a more robust world, new classical mythology-inspired enemies, and updated specializations and moves.

The Last of Us Part 1

• Release date: March 28, 2023
• Overheating index: 7.5

System requirements:

The Last of Us Part 1 hit PCs in March 2023 after a previous focus on consoles. But its initial buggy release angered users and earned Naughty Dog fierce criticism. 

Despite performance improvements, the game still eats up system memory and strains graphics cards. The minimum requirements alone demand a decent AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT or GeForce GTX 970 and Intel Core i7-4770K or equivalent CPU. 

The Last of Us Part 1 is one of the most GPU-intensive games around and also requires a chunk of computational power at decent settings. To run it at 60 FPS with a 1080p resolution, you’ll need a Radeon RX 6600 XT GPU or similar (RTX 2070) paired with a Ryzen 5 3600x CPU or better. Thankfully, the game’s FSR 2 and DLSS support allows you to rev up the graphics settings a notch.

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Also read: Stress Test Secrets: How to Stress Test RAM Right

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Forza Horizon 5

• Release date: Nov 9, 2021
• Overheating index: 7.5

System requirements:

While I haven’t got the chance to explore Forza Horizon 5, my RTX 2060 configuration had its work cut out for it running FH4. The Forza Horizon franchise is known for its terrific weather effects, realistic car models, and all-round breathtaking visual fidelity, and there’s no doubt FH5 is more of a marvel.

But all that graphic work requires pretty capable hardware. Forza Horizon 5’s minimum requirement is the GTX 970, which was the recommended option for FH4. The 2021 release recommends the Nvidia GTX 1070 or AMD RX 590 or better. However, you’ll need an RTX 3070 or similar if you want to comfortably surpass the game’s 1080p resolution at 60 FPS and enter the 4k domain.

Your GPU must also be paired with a capable CPU to run the game at a comfortable 60 frame rates per second. Processors like AMD Ryzen 5 1500X and Intel i5-8400 will do just fine. But you can go higher to enjoy better graphics settings.

Kerbal Space Program 2

• Release date: Feb 24, 2023
• Overheating index: 8

System requirements:

What to Keep Your Eyes on When Running Demanding Games

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, the most CPU-intensive games and graphically demanding titles will make your PC components work hard. The downside is that overheating is a byproduct of all that hard work. 

If you don’t take care, high temperatures could damage your hardware.

These are stats you should ideally monitor when these titles put your GPU, CPU, and system memory into overdrive.

Component temperatures

If there’s one rule to live by, it’s keeping a keen eye on your PC’s temperature levels. That’s because excessive heat can cause hardware failure and reduce the lifespan of many devices.

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Also read: Why Is My Computer Overheating? Top Reasons and Effective Fixes

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Your GPU and CPU are the most important components to monitor. Thankfully, there are ways to implement in-game temp monitoring. People running AMD components can use the AMD Radeon Software, while NVIDIA users can rely on GeForce Experience’s Performance Overlay feature.

MSI Afterburner’s overlay feature is another option, which is arguably better since it displays CPU and GPU temp unlike the others.

However, if you use two display monitors, you can always track temperatures using the Task Manager and other dedicated software like Core Temp.

Fan speeds

Fan speeds can also alert you when to stop and cool things down. You can intuitively discern when fans have started working too hard by the way they sound. However, using tools to monitor RPMs is technically the best thing to do.

You can use utilities like MSI Afterburner, your OEM’s dedicated performance program, or fan control software to track your fan speeds while playing CPU- and GPU-heavy games.

Frame rates

Frame rates are also indicators that alert you when things are wrong. You should expect specific FPS levels, depending on which system requirements your computer meets.

For example, if your configuration supports a game’s 1080p resolution at 60 FPS, you should expect those levels. If you’re not hitting it, consider following our guide on optimizing your computer for gaming.

However, if you play games with satisfactory FPS rates, continue monitoring them. That way, erratic changes will alert you that something’s not right.

You can use tools like GeForce Experience, Radeon Software, Xbox Game Bar, and MSI Afterburner to monitor frame rates in real time.

The Future of PC Gaming

Many technological advancements are already making their way into mainstream PC gaming. These trends show that the future is brimming with excitement, and each sector will work with the other to significantly improve the gaming experience.

Advancements in virtual reality games, the push for more realistic gaming environments, and advanced AI integration could see an uptick in resource-hungry games.

However, cloud gaming could reduce dependence on high-end hardware configurations, especially with the help of 5G connectivity. 

Microsoft reported that Xbox Cloud Gaming is already attracting gamers in their tens of millions, and market estimates show that the sector may generate over $3 billion in 2024.

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Further reading: AI and Beyond: Emerging Technology in Software [2024]

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Can Your PC Handle These Games?

Now you know the types of games to throw at your PC and the performance to expect. Remember to use low settings if your components are close to any game’s minimum requirements and always take care of your computer’s thermals.

FAQ