Top 10 Great Games That Run Well On Bad Computers

#10: “Team Fortress 2” (2007)

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“Team Fortress 2” was released way back in 2007, so it’s not exactly like you’d be playing the freshest title out there. That said, due to its addicting gameplay and numerous updates, “Team Fortress 2” still has a more-than-healthy community on PC. Luckily for those of you with crappy computers, you can still jump in and join the fun, as it doesn’t require all that much. If you turn down your screen resolution and delete unnecessary background, the game will run easily. Sure, it may not look fantastic, but it is more than playable.

#9: “This War of Mine” (2014)

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“This War of Mine” is a game developed by 11 bit studios, and it follows the civilian aspect of wartime struggles. Players control a group of survivors and must endure until a ceasefire is declared by gathering tools and materials and maintaining your characters’ health. It’s an enormously powerful game thanks to its story elements and downbeat visual style, and it’s absolutely worth playing, even if you have a low-end PC. You don’t need max settings to experience the emotions that this game brings, and it’s not exactly a graphical showpiece to begin with. Just throw it on and lose yourself in the experience.

The game that reinvigorated 80s synth music for a new generation, “Hotline Miami” sees you controlling an unnamed protagonist as they brutally slaughter everyone in a given room. But seriously, the music alone is, like, 80% of the reason for playing this game. Thanks to its retro-style graphics, it doesn’t need a whole lot to run, so you can easily play it on a crummy old laptop should you have one laying around. PC gaming doesn’t need to be extravagant and difficult, and “Hotline Miami” proves it.

“Stardew Valley” has a little bit of everything: it’s primarily a farming simulator, which sees you fixing up your inherited farming land, but it also includes cooking, fishing, interacting with NPCs, and exploring procedurally-generated caves for resources. It’s a fantastic little game, filled to the brim with things to do. And you guessed it, it can be played on potatoes. Not the ones you farm, the one you play on. It’s a laid-back game and requires next to nothing to play; any laptop from the previous few years will run it without breaking a sweat.

#6: “Darkest Dungeon” (2016)

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“Darkest Dungeon” is a neat little indie game which sees you control a band of heroes who dungeon crawl through the…well, dungeons, underneath a Gothic mansion. A unique twist on the formula is your character’s stress levels: you have to keep your characters healthy and calm, or else afflictions may occur. It’s a punishing and tiring game, but in all the right ways. Think of it as a FromSoftware title for your laptop. Unlike their games however, this one requires little to run, and can easily be played on dated hardware due to its less-than-demanding requirements.

We’re sure you know all about “Undertale” by now, so we’ll spare you the details. Needless to say, the game is universally loved due to its complex and thematic writing, its unique combat system, and its score. It’s one of gaming’s most original titles in years, and best news of all, it’s easily accessible, even to those of you holding on to out dated technology (seriously, that ten-year-old laptop has got to go). The game’s primitive graphics means that it can easily run on any old PC, and you’re doing yourself a disservice if you haven’t already tried it.

#4: “FTL: Faster Than Light” (2012)

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Luckily for us, “FTL: Faster Than Light” requires so little in terms of graphics and space that it could probably run on an Atari. OK, maybe not, but you get the point. This game can be played on the potatoest of potatoes, yet it’s so much fun that you won’t even notice how simple it is. It’s one of the few highly successful titles to come from Kickstarter, and it follows a spacecraft’s crew as they try to defend themselves from invading fleets. It’s a great game for those with imaginations or who fancy themselves as a bit of a Captain Kirk.

#3: “The Binding of Isaac” (2011)

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This indie game was released six years ago and chances are you’ll have absolutely no problems running it. The game has you controlling Isaac or one of the many unlockable characters as they battle monsters in his mother’s basement. The game is extremely replayable due to the vast amounts of power-ups and the procedurally-generated dungeons, and it helped make roguelike games refreshing and interesting for a new generation. It runs on basically anything, and can even be played with a simple laptop keyboard. It’s extremely primitive and simple, and we love it.

#2: “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” (2012)

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If you can stomach the toxic community that plagues this game, then “Global Offensive” is an absolute must-play. It’s one of the best multiplayer titles on the market today, and it’s extremely simple to find a game due to the high amounts of people still playing. If you want to get in on one of PC gaming’s hottest titles, then here you go. Sure, you may not be able to run it on a dusty laptop like most of the games on this list, but with a few tweaks and setting adjustments, low-end PCs should have no problem with running this stellar title. Before we unveil our top picks, here are a few honorable mentions. “Papers, Please: A Dystopian Document Thriller” (2013) “Spelunky” (2008)

#1: “League of Legends” (2009)

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Let’s face it: the toxic community of “Counter-Strike” seems like Mother Theresa when pit against the hell that is “League of Legends.” That said, you could simply ignore the noxious players and enjoy one of the most popular games of this generation. This is one of the best MOBAs on the market, and it remains wildly popular to this day, which is in no doubt helped by the low system requirements needed to play the game. A simple old laptop will meet minimum requirements, and while it may not excel in performance, it is highly enjoyable nonetheless.