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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”
+1 for RDR2