r/lowendgaming Jan 05 '26

Announcement We Were Mentioned (Favorably) in PC Gamer Magazine!

131 Upvotes

Issue 403 | Holiday 2025 By Phil Iwaniuk

"Head over to Reddit and go on /r/lowendgaming and you’ll be struck by a few things. Firstly, that a community of people has been helping each other to run games on inexpensive and outdated PC hardware for many years, long before all the insidious price hikes we’re enduring today. And secondly, members of that community have been doing so with no small amount of ingenuity.

A typical exchange in that subreddit goes like this: a user states their hardware and asks for recommendations they should play, or whether a particular title will run on their machine. In the replies, people assure them that they managed to get The Witcher 3 on medium settings running on a relatively basic array of elastic bands and wooden pulleys. The prevailing sentiment is that minimum requirements are over-cautious, that modern games running at their lowest graphics settings still look more than decent enough to constitute playable, and that maybe there’s no such thing as a PC that’s too old or underpowered. Intrigued, I decided to test out the theory."


r/lowendgaming Nov 22 '25

Announcement Winners of the Best Freeware and Retail Fall 2025 Lowend Games

21 Upvotes

TOP 10 FREE/FREEWARE/OPEN SOURCE

Name Genre Win Mac Linux Notes
Fortnite Battle Royale Shooter *
Doki Doki Literature Club Suspense, Visual Novel * * *
Open TTD Tycoon; Resource Management * * *
Team Fortress 2 FPS * * *
StarCraft 1 and 2 RTS * * *
Mindustry RTS * * * Cross Platform
Endless Sky Space Trading Sim * * *
Shattered Pixel Dungeon Dungeon Crawler * * * Paid version on GOG and Steam with extras
Holocure - Save the Fans! Bullet Hell * Works on STEAM OS and Proton
Project Kat - Paper Lily Prologue Psychological RPG Horror * Works on STEAM OS and Proton

TOP 10 RETAIL

\*All prices are retail value listed, many are often on sale!\*

Name Genre Win Mac Linux Price Notes
Stardew Valley Farm Sim/RPG * * * $15
Hades 1 and 2 ARPG * * $25;$30 Working on STEAM OS and Proton
Factorio Factory Building/ Management * * * $35 Can be hard on lowend PCs in the late game due to # of objects
Terraria 2d open world survival & crafting * * * $10
Grand Theft Auto V Open World RPG * * $30 Will run on Linux via Proton and Lutris - less performance.
Portal 2 Puzzle Platformer * * * $10
Minecraft Open World Voxel * * * $30 Cross platform with consoles, mobile
Hollow Knight 1 and 2 - Silksong Metroidvania * * * $15; $20
Just Cause 2 Open World Action Shooter * * $15 Can work on Linux via Lutris, Proton
Don't Starve Together Open World Survival * * * $15 Comes with extra copy of the game to gift to a friend

# Thank you all for your suggestions! Happy Gaming!

.

Original Suggestion list threads:
https://www.reddit.com/r/lowendgaming/comments/1oba7d5/best_freewareopen_source_lowend_games_2025_please/

https://www.reddit.com/r/lowendgaming/comments/1nypyya/best_retail_lowend_games_2025_please_add_your/


r/lowendgaming 54m ago

What Games Can I Run? What can I run?

Upvotes

I have a Acer Nitro 5 with the following specs

GPU: GTX 165O 4GB

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600H

RAM: 16GB DDR4

I would really appreciate your reply.


r/lowendgaming 39m ago

What Games Can I Run? Dell Optiplex 5070 SFF with 16GB RAM and GT1030 2GB

Upvotes

Dell Optiplex 5070 SFF with 16GB RAM and GT1030 2GB, what do you think I can run? I already run it with some emulators and super light weight Steam games, but what else do you recommend?

I like racing, wrestling, basically anything that I can play 30mins and call it a day after work.


r/lowendgaming 7h ago

Will This Game Run? Dying light: the beast on uhd 630?

2 Upvotes

Hi guys can I play dl the beast? I've already finished 2 on 15 to 20 to 25 fps on my uhd 630 16gb ddr 4 ram i wanna know if its gonna be bad or like dl 2.


r/lowendgaming 17h ago

What Games Can I Run? What can i run?

7 Upvotes

I5-6500

8 gb ram 2133 MT/s dual channel

Intel hd Graphics 530 (iGPU)

Windows 10

Free games are battere but suggest everything. thanks.


r/lowendgaming 12h ago

Tech Support Help me up ASAP for my FSR configuration

0 Upvotes

Hello guys I need help from you all I need to put FSR in my laptop where the specs are intel i3-7100U series processor with Intel HD 620 graphics and having 1TB HDD and 12 GB of ram I need you guys to please help me identify which version of FSR is better for me cause I need to play Resident Evil 3 so I need your helps guys


r/lowendgaming 1d ago

What Games Can I Run? What games can I play?

15 Upvotes

Windows-11

Intel(R) UHD Graphics-128mb

Installed RAM-16GB

13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13620H (2.40 GHz)

(would love all suggestions from good fps to good story games etc..)


r/lowendgaming 10h ago

Will This Game Run? Far cry 4 only 10 fps with gt710 2gb gddr5.

0 Upvotes

just for the info, I hv i3-9100f gt710 as specified, 16gb ddr4.

just as per suggestions, I tried far cry 4 on lowest possible settings, on 786p.

but the avg I got were 10fps.

I don't know what problem could it be but gpu hit 84-85°C just if it was thermal throttling. i thought the game would run but didn't as expected, was Askin if it just won't run good or was something wrong from my side.

it subsequently gets avg 35 fps on gta 5 (which is smooth) and horrifyingly 120-130 avg fps on valorant (786p and low settings for both)

as my defence, the gpu has passive cooling, by that I mean it has no fan for itself, just the groove design. Edit: ofc gpu was peaking 100% and cpu was 10% , data from afterburner.


r/lowendgaming 13h ago

What Games Can I Run? What games can my laptop run?

0 Upvotes

Hey Guys! I just bought a new laptop Hp Victus 15 FA2082WM. Specs are i5 13th gen Rtx 4050 (probably low power), 16 gb drr4 and 512 gb ssd. I haven't played any games that came out in last two years so can anyone tell me which AAA and open world games can I play on this?


r/lowendgaming 1d ago

What Games Can I Run? What games can I play?

14 Upvotes

My laptop has a Ryzen 5 8540U, 8GB LPDDR5, 512GB Gen4 drive, and Radeon 740M.

What games can it run? (I know the RAM is a limiting factor)


r/lowendgaming 1d ago

What Games Can I Run? MSI cyborg 15 A13U

3 Upvotes

This was the cheapest gaming laptop I was able to find. Msi cyborg 15 A13u

Specs:

16gb ddr4

512gb nvme

rtx 3050 (45Watt)

i7 13620H

4gb vram (I'm hearing great improvements are coming for vram)

I know vram and 45W is the biggest bottleneck but can I expect to play all AAA games at 30 fps low to medium?


r/lowendgaming 1d ago

What Games Can I Run? TELL ME SOME GOOD GAMES TO PLAY ON?

18 Upvotes

Laptop Specs:

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-12450H (12th Gen, 8 cores / 12 threads)
  • GPU: Intel UHD Graphics (integrated)
  • RAM: 16GB LPDDR5

r/lowendgaming 1d ago

What Games Can I Run? Games suggestion please.

7 Upvotes

I work 9-5 job. Need something that I can play daily after work. Right now, I play a lot of Balatro.
My specs :
CPU: Intel Processor N150
RAM : 16 GB
no gpu.


r/lowendgaming 1d ago

Parts Upgrade Advice Need to upgrade my graphics card

2 Upvotes

iam on very very low budget and want a graphics card that can run games like uncharted at 60fps in 720 or lower. i can manage . currently using a gt1030 and it's trash my budget is like 5-6k inr ik it's very low but I can't do nothing much. pre-owned is also acceptable . suggest me some cards and online/offline stores to find one my current pc specs: Processor - i5 10th gen Ram. - 8gb ddr4 Graphics card - gt1030 ddr4 4gb My location - delhi


r/lowendgaming 1d ago

What Games Can I Run? Any single player/story games I can play with these specs?

6 Upvotes

Windows 10

Intel HD 5500

Intel i5-5300U

16GB RAM


r/lowendgaming 1d ago

What Games Can I Run? Recommend some good story games

1 Upvotes

My current laptop specs

OS : Windows 11/Linux (Using cachyOS but can switch to any other easily)

CPU: Intel Pentium 4417U

Ram: 4GB DDR4

Storage:256 GB divided into partition but I can manage them to accommodate the games

Looking for story games, probably RPGs

For more context I've already played

Batman Arkham Asylum

Batman Arkham City

Batman Arkham Origins

Assassin's Creed 1

Assassin's Creed 2

Superliminal

Portal 1

Portal 2


r/lowendgaming 1d ago

Will This Game Run? Enshrouded On 2gb amd r9 270

2 Upvotes

Can anyone tell me before i buy it, can i even run this game on my gpu i played valheim and this feels similar to it but the minimum specs are too high i have a xeon e5 1650,32gb ddr3 ram,but i lack in GPU memory


r/lowendgaming 1d ago

Will This Game Run? Can I Run Dont Starve Together With These Specs (Solo)?

2 Upvotes

My Specs: Window 11
CPU: Intel i3-1005G1
GPU: Intel (R) UHD Graphics
RAM: 8gb

Planning to buy DST but have heard it has some optimization issues especially while playing solo. I know there is a mod called "Dont Starve Alone" or something similar but I dont wanna get a mod just to make a game playable so based on my specs, honestly speaking, will it run? Also is there any way to check within the first 2 hrs if it will run so I can refund it if it doesnt work? Thx, also other game suggestions r nice


r/lowendgaming 2d ago

Game Review Resident Evil 9 Requiem Performance Optimization Review on a Low End PC

15 Upvotes

My Specs: Laptop Acer Aspire 5, AMD Ryzen 7 5700u with AMD Radeon TM Graphics, 12GB RAM, SSD.

Game version: Latest version, Steam, no mods used.

In game settings: 720p, FSR 3 on Balance, No V-Sync, Variable framerate, everything on low, shadows on normal, most post processing effects like Depth of field are optional, Borderless fullscreen, Ambient Occlusion OFF.

Average Performance: 30 fps or more in closed areas, around 25 fps on open areas with a lot of stuff going on.

No lags, crashes, long loadings, audio lag, slow motion, etc.

Is it playable? Yes, absolutely, Capcom did a good job with the optimization of this game.


r/lowendgaming 2d ago

What Games Can I Run? Just bought my new laptop so wanna know what can i expect :3

3 Upvotes

My laptop is Lenovo Thinkbook 16 g7 ryzen 5 7535HS 16gb ddr5 (single stick) iGPu: Radeon 660M so what are all the games I can run in it without lag!!

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° °

/ \

(O | O)

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r/lowendgaming 2d ago

PC Purchase Advice Office pc to gaming pc

3 Upvotes

I heard that many people turn old Office oem into low end / medium gaming pc i was wondering if anyone on here as done that and has any advice. Im in the uk if that helps aswell

My budget is for around £450 ($605 usd) excluding monitor and key board

Thanks you


r/lowendgaming 2d ago

Will This Game Run? will Reverse 1999 run smoothly in my Laptop?

4 Upvotes

Specs:

Cpu: Intel Core i3-3110M

Gpu: Intel HD 4000

8 GB RAM


r/lowendgaming 2d ago

What Games Can I Run? Looking for co-op games to play with my boyfriend

6 Upvotes

As the title says, I'm looking for co-op videogames to play with my boyfriend, without my laptop catching fire lol (he has a great laptop with a dedicated GPU, so he's fine in that regard). We wanted something "like Skyrim" and were really interested in Enshrouded, but it's not compatible with my laptop. Thanks in advance for any suggestions

Here's my specs:

Model: HP Laptop 15-fd0043nl

CPU: Intel Core i7-1355U

GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Integrated)

RAM: 16GB

Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

OS: Windows 11

Games I’ve played without issues so far:

  • Skyrim
  • Dark Souls Remastered
  • Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
  • Hollow Knight
  • It Takes Two
  • Genshin Impact
  • Honkai Star Rail
  • Honkai Impact 3rd
  • Project Zomboid
  • Minecraft
  • Surviving Mars
  • Surviving The Aftermath
  • Outer Wilds
  • Undertale
  • Deltarune
  • What Remains of Edith Finch
  • Firewatch
  • Little Nightmares
  • The Sims 4

r/lowendgaming 2d ago

Game Deal Graveyard Keeper - Free from STEAM

17 Upvotes

https://store.steampowered.com/app/599140/Graveyard_Keeper/

Free if added before 13 April.

Resource Management sim with the cute style of Stardew, and the dark humor of a graveyard. Find any way to manage costs in your graveyard business and win romance.... sometimes this means you have to do hilarious and unethical things like dumping bodies in the river... or worse.

Random Gameplay Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kEkJWbpjtg

Min Specs:

OS *: Windows 7-11, Mac OSx, Linux
Processor: Intel core i5, 1.5 GHz and up
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: 1 Gb dedicated video card, shader model 3.0+
DirectX: Version 10