Visually stunning pc games 2012

Players planning on running the game on lower settings might have issues, as the game offers only a few possible tweaks to improve performance for lower-grade systems.

Cranking everything up to the max is going to require an RTX card like the or above. It's not the most performance-heavy FPS on the market, but Metro certainly rewards powerful PCs with jaw-dropping visual fidelity.

That's the word that's probably going to be on your mind as your overpriced system struggles to push out 60 FPS in this game. Kingdom Come: Deliverance's Dunia engine is actually based on the engine developed for the notorious Crysis. It carries over that engine's breathtaking visuals and equally breathtaking PC requirements—ranging from high-end GPUs to a solid chunk of disc space. The system requirements for this game make little sense.

Despite allegedly needing a GTX graphics card and a solid processor and we can't forget the necessary 16 gigs of RAM , those running GTX Ti's will still experience frame dips during play. Even RTX cards struggle to play this game at higher resolutions. The latest chapter in Lara Croft's story is more visually stunning and diverse than ever.

The previous game was no piece of cake when it comes to system requirements, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider continues the tradition. Even at mediocre refresh rates, you won't be able to enjoy this game with anything less than a GTX graphics card combined with the brainpower of something like an i7 K processor. Its performance does scale quite well when pushed to higher resolutions, but you'll still want a 20 or 30 series RTX card from Nvidia to squeeze out as many frames as possible. This game is benchmarked frequently for a reason.

Forza Horizon 5 is one of the most stunning games released in Beautiful lighting, realistic car models, and incredible weather effects all make for one of the best-looking racing games you can find. It also makes for a rather demanding PC title. And that's just for p resolution running at 60 FPS. Ubisoft's latest Assassin Creed game is, unsurprisingly, the most demanding of the series.

This shouldn't come as a surprise given Valhalla's open-world nature, yet it's when you crank up the resolution that these requirements get extreme.

Related: Best Parkour Games: Ranked. Even then, expect a few frame dips during performance-heavy cutscenes. Now that everyone's favorite western adventure of has been released on PC as well, it's time to talk about its flaws. Despite being an amazing game on console, its PC port was far from stellar. The recommended requirements aren't anything to laugh about either. For Nvidia users, a GTX or above is absolutely crucial for a great experience. AMD users will need to opt for a Rzen 5 X or above to get such results.

Should you meet those requirements, you'll get to experience the most visually impressive Rockstar game to date. Far Cry 5 presents players with a massive open-world format inspired by the wilderness of Northwestern United States.

Aside from its campaign, which can be played in both solo and co-op, FC5 features a map editor that allows players to create their personalized challenges and share them with the world. Gone are the days of playing as an inexperienced tomb raider who was willing to stand her ground when necessary but typically avoided combat. This is something developer Hello Games has spent the past couple years trying to remedy.

The game sees players assuming control of Rico Rodriguez once again as he takes on the Black Hand, a powerful militaristic organization run by a new villain named Gabriela Morales.

The game blurs the line between realism and power fantasy even further by providing players with new combat options, including the neat ability to kick enemies off ledges -style.

In terms of visuals, Odyssey is a carefully blended mix of confident art design and technical wizardry, the result being an immersive open-world game whose magic and wonder could rival that of the gods of Olympus. Hitman 2 builds upon the success of the previous game in a lot of ways, most notably the size and scope of its sandbox environments. The sequel pushes the Glacier 2 engine to its full potential, rendering intricately designed levels such as a crowded racing event in Miami, Florida, and a shady mining operation located beneath a lush Colombian rainforest.

It offers seemingly infinite opportunities to venture into the beaten path and dive deep into the unknown. Its uniquely designed locales and otherworldly beasts are complemented by well-written characters and an engaging story centered on Geralt of Rivia, a monster-hunting Witcher.

In addition to his two swords, Geralt can wield magical powers that add an extra layer to combat and make battling enemies more satisfying. Control was a hot mess at launch as frame rate stuttering plagued both console and PC versions, not to mention how taxing the game was, even for the most powerful graphics cards. The third-person action game is highlighted as one of the first major releases to support real-time ray tracing and strive to utilize practically all of the features included with RTX.

In terms of gameplay and story, Control carries over a lot of the themes and mechanics found in previous Remedy Entertainment games such as Quantum Break and Alan Wake. In it, you control Jesse Faden, a woman equipped with supernatural abilities and a shape-shifting gun called the Service Weapon.

Monster Hunter games have historically always appealed to a much smaller community. Small details such as monsters accumulating scars throughout a hunt and unique weapon animations for each attack go a great length towards immersing you in this fantastical world.

This affects environmental weather effects, lighting, ambient colors, tone-mapping and weapon systems. Also, higher-quality textures completely change the experience. The online version of the game continues to be well-supported by Rockstar, and a host of community-made servers, mini-games and activities that provide more excuses to dive into the world of Los Santos.

Project Cars 2 is a motorsport racing sim that boasts an impressive catalog of tracks set in 60 real-world locations and a roster of vehicles to race in. Truth be told, Life is Strange doesn't have the same kind of technical flair as some of the other entries in this list. But developer Dontnod Entertainment make smart choices to transcend the limitations of a technical budget reduced from their last project: the cyberpunk beat-em-up adventure Remember Me. They achieve a singular look by casting the entire experience under an impressionistic watercolor aesthetic.

That's fitting given Life is Strange's focus on the misadventures of a time-rewinding teen, as the game's final look captures the dream-like nature of memory, and the uncertainty that hides behind nostalgia. Every costume and every cobblestone looks uniquely handcrafted. But the game's most stunning technical achievement is its hair modeling, whether its on the various fantastical creatures that protagonist Geralt encounters or the very beard that grows on his face as the adventure progresses.

With hundreds of established versions of The Dark Knight between comics, cartoons and films, there's no shortage of looks for any Batman project to choose from. For Batman: Arkham Knight, developer Rocksteady chose a combination of Burton-esque grandiosity and Nolan-esque paramilitary fetishism.

When combined with a heavily modified Unreal Engine 3, the final installment of the Arkham series pushes graphics processing to the limit. The entirety of Gotham city features complex lighting arrays, tangible weather effects, reflective surfaces and interactive smoke and fog. It's a vivid adventure for the Dark Knight, marred by a shoddy PC release.

While originally developed for the less-than-bleeding-edge Xbox One, Rise of the Tomb Raider astounds with an array of technical bedazzlements. Lara Croft and other characters are animated with stunning motion capture that permits the kind of emotionally charged performances you don't often see in action adventure games. There's also the realistic hair, eyes and skin that respond visually to temperature, moisture and light.

When they all come together to respond to some of the most chaotic action set pieces ever, you get the most realistic expression yet of one of gaming's most iconic action heroes. Tom's Guide is your source for all things PC gaming, whether you're trying to decide on the perfect gaming desktop or are seeking the best mouse and keyboard to get an edge on your competition.

We've also rounded up the best gaming monitors , and picked out our favorite gamepads for those who prefer using a controller. Jill Scharr is a creative writer and narrative designer in the videogame industry.

She previously worked as a Staff Writer for Tom's Guide, covering video games, online security, 3D printing and tech innovation.

Comments Jill Scharr. Topics Gaming. See all comments Good list It would have one of the early fps's Quake probably It is a pretty subjective topic but I stand by my list : That said, you make a good point about racing games.

An Amiga game would be a good choice too, if just to get some 80s gaming on th elist.