10 games for weak PCs that still impress with their graphics

Many modern games are stunning in their graphics, but not every gamer has a PC that meets at least their minimum system requirements. However, there are projects that look great even on outdated hardware. We have selected 10 games from the past that can still give visual pleasure even on weak PCs.

Mirror’s Edge

A futuristic first-person action platformer with parkour elements developed by DICE. The action takes place in a sterilely clean city of the future, where the protagonist Faith Connors works as a reclusive courier for underground groups hiding from the totalitarian government. The game offers a dynamic gameplay centered on rooftop movements, jumping, and acrobatics. Each level is a series of tricks and spatial puzzles where the player has to find the fastest way through the urban ecosystem.

The style of Mirror’s Edge is striking in its bright minimalism. The environment is almost entirely white with accents of red, which highlights the route the player needs to take. The developers used a modified Unreal Engine 3 engine with special lighting algorithms — soft shadow scattering and clear reflections — to make color details look clearer. This combination of light and color allows the game to remain attractive even today: the clean, contrasting palette does not require super-high detail and plays well on weak systems.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows XP / Vista
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz (or AMD equivalent)
• RAM: 1 GB
• Video card: GeForce 6800 256 GB | AMD Radeon X850
• Disk space: 8 GB

Watch Dogs

Ubisoft’s open-world action game set in Chicago tells the story of Aiden Pierce, a hacker who gains access to the centralized network of a smart city to punish those responsible for the death of his family member. To achieve his goals, Aiden can control traffic lights, fire hydrants, and bridges. The open world of Chicago allows you to drive freely, complete tasks, and find alternative ways to your goal.

In Watch Dogs, the city of Chicago looks detailed and realistic: it is a modern metropolis with skyscrapers, bridges, and architectural monuments. The game uses the Disrupt engine, which has been used to create detailed models of characters and vehicles. The dynamic cycle of time of day and weather conditions is perfectly realized: the change from day to night, sunny weather to storm dramatically changes the atmosphere of the streets. The illuminated neighborhoods and reflections on wet asphalt in the rain look especially impressive, and the smoothing and high level of detail make the picture pleasant even today.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows 7/8
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 2.66 GHz | AMD Phenom II X4 940 3.0 GHz
• RAM: 6 GB
• Video card: GeForce GTX 460 1 GB | Radeon HD 5770
• Disk space: 25 GB

L.A. Noire

A detective action game from Team Bondi, set in Los Angeles in 1947, shortly after the Second World War. The protagonist is Inspector Cole Phelps, who fights crime. The gameplay focuses on an exciting process of investigation: the player examines the crime scene, searches for evidence and conducts interrogations to determine who the criminal is.

L.A. Noire’s graphics are captivating with incredibly realistic facial animation. For this purpose, MotionScan technology was used: hundreds of high-quality cameras simultaneously filmed the faces of actors, so the game accurately reproduces their facial expressions and emotions, which can be used to determine how truthful the testimony of the characters is. In addition to facial animations, it is worth noting the stylization of Los Angeles in the 40s with its retro cars, neon signs, and historically accurate architecture, which creates a cinematic noir atmosphere.

Unity impresses with its detailed city and atmospheric lighting. The developers have recreated Paris on a scale of approximately 1:1. The game incredibly accurately recreates the French capital of the 18th century with narrow streets, Gothic cathedrals, luxurious palaces, and crowds of NPCs, which can be hundreds on the screen at a time. Thanks to the AnvilNext 2.0 engine, realistic lighting and materials were implemented: glare on the pavement after rain, soft light through the stained glass windows of the cathedral, textures of clothes and facades — everything looks incredibly realistic. Unity also introduced improved parkour animations, shadows, and depth of field. Even today, this is one of the most beautiful and atmospheric parts of the series.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows 7 SP1 / 8 / 8.1
• Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K | AMD FX-8350 (4 cores)
• RAM: 6 GB
• Video card: GeForce GTX 680 2 GB | Radeon HD 7970 3 GB
• Disk space: 50 GB

Crysis 3

Crysis 3 is a first-person sci-fi action game from Crytek. Several years after the events of Crysis 2, New York City has turned into a huge green zone — the city’s architecture has merged with the jungle. The player plays as the Prophet, a special agent in a high-tech nanosuit who fights against the alien race of Cephalopods.

Crysis 3, like each installment of the series, impressed with its graphics: the developers sought to squeeze out all the capabilities of the CryEngine 3 engine. The game has volumetric fog and smoke, improved dynamic vegetation, advanced lighting and shadows with global illumination. The image is smooth thanks to improved shaders and effects. The immersive effect is also provided by deep contrasts between the bright daytime sun and gloomy shadows in the city ruins. Even now, the game looks spectacular.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows Vista / 7 / 8
• Processor: 2.4 GHz dual-core CPU
• RAM: 3 GB
• Video card: GeForce GTS 450 | Radeon HD 5770
• Disk space: 16 GB

Portal 2

The legendary puzzle-platformer from Valve will lead the player through a series of test levels in the Aperture Science complex. As in the first part, the main mechanic is a portal gun: the player draws portals on special surfaces to teleport himself or objects to other platforms. Unlike the original, new elements have appeared here: lasers, portable light bridges, reflective cubes, and several types of special gels that change the physics of the surface (for example, accelerate or repel).

Portal 2’s graphics are distinguished by excellent artistic design and technical implementation: the game looks minimalistic, but at the same time atmospheric and expressive thanks to clear textures and dynamic lighting. The portals look especially impressive, with smooth animation and a realistic effect of transition to another space.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7 | SteamOS | Linux
• Processor: Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or dual-core 2.0 GHz (or AMD equivalent)
• RAM: 2 GB
• Video card: 128 MB with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 (e.g. Radeon X800 or GeForce 7600)
• Disk space: 8 GB

Mafia II

Mafia II takes place in the fictional city of Empire Bay, stylized as a typical American metropolis of the 40s. The protagonist is Vito Scaletta, who, after returning from the war, tries to build a new life but quickly falls into the criminal world. The plot is full of drama, revealing the themes of family, betrayal, and the struggle for power in the criminal world.

Mafia II creates a post-war retro noir atmosphere. The city of Empire Bay corresponds to the style of the 40s and 50s: classic cars, retro advertisements, clothes, interiors, and architecture create a vivid picture of the era. The change of seasons and weather also looks nice — snowy streets in winter, rainy evenings and soft sunlight add to the atmosphere and mood. Lighting and shadows look smooth and cinematic. Even with its age, Mafia II’s graphics are still pleasing to the eye thanks to its good art style.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, Windows 7
• Processor: Intel Pentium D 3.0 GHz | AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+)
• RAM: 1.5 GB
• Video card: Nvidia GeForce 8600 | Radeon HD 2600 Pro
• Disk space: 8 GB

GTA V

Grand Theft Auto V is a game that needs no introduction. It takes place in the fictional state of San Andreas, a large, detailed and dynamic version of Southern California, and tells the story of three main characters: Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. The game combines crime drama, humor, and freedom of action in a huge open world where you can follow the plot and engage in various activities.

GTA V remains visually one of the most ambitious games of its generation and impresses with the detail of the open world — from the bright sun and beach landscapes to dense forests and city neighborhoods. Realistic lighting, shadows, and weather effects create a vibrant atmosphere that changes with the time of day and weather conditions. Character and vehicle models are detailed, and animations are smooth and natural. In addition, the graphics are well optimized, allowing the game to look attractive even on weak computers.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4 GHz | AMD Phenom II X4 2.5 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Video card: GeForce 9800 GT 1 GB | Radeon HD 4870 1 GB
• Disk space: 120 GB

Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 is the final installment of the role-playing game trilogy about Captain Shepard, who unites interstellar civilizations to resist the invasion of the Reapers, a giant race of biosynthetic creatures that wipe out all sentient species every 50 thousand years.

Mass Effect 3 features picturesque space landscapes and detailed futuristic locations. Thanks to the Unreal Engine 3, the game smoothly renders complex special effects that add dynamics to battle and travel scenes. The character models have expressive faces with realistic animations that convey emotions and make dialogues come alive.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows 7
• Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (or AMD equivalent)
• RAM: 2 GB
• Video card: NVIDIA 7900 | AMD ATI Radeon HD3200
• Disk space: 15 GB

Batman: Arkham Knight

The final installment of the Arkham trilogy tells the story of the Scarecrow threatening the citizens of Gotham with a fear toxin. At the same time, the mysterious antagonist Arkham Knight teams up with other villains to kill Batman. Gameplay-wise, the game continues the tradition of the series, combining hand-to-hand combat, stealth, and the use of gadgets. But this installment also features something fundamentally new: a controllable Batmobile that can be used for transportation and road battles.

The graphics of Batman: Arkham Knight still looks incredible, offering high character detail, realistic lighting, a complex system of weather conditions (rain, fog, lightning), dynamic shadows and high-quality textures. The game world looks alive thanks to PhysX technology — smoke, dust, debris, and objects actively react to the player’s actions. The destruction of objects while driving the Batmobile is particularly spectacular.

All this creates a powerful visual immersion that even now looks better than many modern games. With its dynamic weather, realistic effects, and dense detail, Gotham in this game is one of the most successful examples of visual city design in video games.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows 7 / 8.1
• Processor: Intel Core i5-750, 2.67 GHz | AMD Phenom II X4 965, 3.4 GHz
• RAM: 6 GB
• Video card: Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2 GB | AMD Radeon HD 7870 2 GB
• Disk space: 45 GB