12 of 12A tower or small-form PC with a graphics card.
Games for a desktop PC
Every game on the list runs on a Windows PC. The real question is which graphics card each one needs, and which launcher or account comes with it.
A desktop PC with a dedicated graphics card is still the most capable kit for our twelve games, and the only one that runs all of them. The spread is wide: some run on a decade-old card, while the heaviest want a mid-range card from the last few years and a solid-state drive.
Several games bring their own launcher or account on top of Steam: EA's app for Apex Legends, Epic's launcher for Fortnite, Riot's client and anti-cheat for VALORANT, Microsoft's launcher for Minecraft. They are free, but they add accounts to keep track of.
Plays11
Stardew ValleySteam and GOG for Windows, Mac and Linux, plus the Microsoft Store. It needs 2 GB of memory and 500 MB of space.9.4/ 10
MinecraftOne £29.99 purchase gives Windows both Java and Bedrock. Bedrock runs on very modest hardware; Java now asks for a Vulkan 1.3 card with 2 GB.9.0/ 10
Baldur's Gate 3Steam and GOG. The minimum is a GTX 970-class card with 4 GB of video memory; an SSD is required.8.9/ 10
Cyberpunk 2077Steam, GOG and Epic. The minimum is a GTX 1060 6GB-class card and an SSD is required.8.7/ 10
Final Fantasy XIVSquare Enix's own launcher or Steam, on 64-bit Windows 11. Minimum is a GTX 970-class card with 4 GB.8.4/ 10
FortniteEpic Games Store, or the Microsoft Store since November 2025. It runs on Intel HD 4000-class graphics in its performance mode.8.2/ 10
Elden RingSteam. Minimum is a GTX 1060 3GB-class card; 60 GB of space.8.2/ 10
Dota 2Steam on Windows. The published minimum is very low; the game now needs graphics that support DirectX 11.7.7/ 10
Marvel RivalsSteam, the Epic Games Store or NetEase's launcher. The minimum is a GTX 1060-class card and 16 GB of memory.7.6/ 10
VALORANTRiot client on 64-bit Windows 10 or 11. Windows 11 also needs TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, because of the Vanguard anti-cheat.7.4/ 10
Apex LegendsSteam, the EA app or Epic, with an EA account. The minimum is a GTX 950-class card.7.0/ 10
Plays, with a catch1
Setting it up well
- Check your graphics card first: open Task Manager, choose Performance and select GPU.
- Install big games on a solid-state drive; several of our twelve require one.
- Update your graphics driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel before a first launch.
- Turn on upscaling (DLSS, FSR or XeSS) before lowering texture quality.
- VALORANT on Windows 11 needs TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot switched on in your PC's firmware.