1. Sea Of Stars
It's extraordinary how Sabotage Studios managed to capture the heart and soul of old-school JRPGs in Sea of Stars. It took †the turn-based mechanics of the classics and added new combat flourishes that need timing and precision.
The good news is it still works great on potato PCs. Its recommended RAM is at 4GB. On our 8GB machine, it runs at a stable 60fps. It didn't have any obvious hiccups, even when we were on full screen with ‘Pixel Perfect’ graphics turned on.
It is worth noting that we only played the Demo to test this out. The results might be a little different if you're playing the full game. Either way, the game looks really good!
2. Blasphemous 2
Blasphemous 2 is a joy to play on low-end PCs. It’s brutal and it encourages you to ‘git gud’ like a Soulsborne game. But what makes this game better isn’t just because of that, it’s the performance. The game runs at a consistent 60fps, but oftentimes you encounter framerate drops only when loading in a new room. It’s not that noticeable, so you won’t be facing any issues facing these twisted enemies.
From epic boss fights, to familiar metroidvania mechanics, Blasphemous 2 offers hours and hours of content for your low-end PC. But like its first game, the difficulty is not gonna be a cakewalk.
3. Venba
Now here’s one that can tug at your heartstrings, but not your PC.
Venba’s story is about an immigrant Indian family finding their new home in Canada. At first glance, it doesn't look like a performance-heavy game. It's pretty minimal with its vibrant 2D art style. Your RAM might just feel the cozy and casual vibe with the game's minimum requirement of 1GB.
During our runs, it stayed at a constant 60fps. I didn't even notice any noticeable stutters on max settings. That means you'll have uninterrupted sessions with Venba and her delicious Indian dishes.
It’s a short game. With the cooking sessions and the light puzzles, you could even finish it in under 2 hours.
4. Dordogne
Speaking of emotional stories, Dordogne also has its own tear-jerking narrative. But before we get to it, we'll have to talk about its unstable performance.
The game only requires 5 GB of RAM to be playable. But even with our 8 GB RAM, the framerates weren't as consistent as we’d hoped. It ran at sub 30FPS, dipping between 22-23fps.
What we did was open the game in Windowed Mode at 1280x800 resolution. That boosted the performance by 15fps, allowing us a stable enough 30fps. When the framerates are stable enough, Dordogne allows us to revisit to our childhood home and uncover old memories. The beautiful cutscenes at least run smoothly at 50-60fps!
The game could use some optimization. But if you want to play it on your low-end PC, this is a good enough solution.
5. Sticky Business
No need to worry about performance issues in a game about having your own Sticker business. The whole time we were playing, it ran at a solid 60fps, even on max settings. However, we haven’t tried making our own custom Stickers. Adding your own designs might result in some wonky stutters.
Either way, it is an absolute joy to play. It’s one of those cute little cozy games that you find on Steam. It offers a relaxing experience especially when you pack and ship those sticker orders!
6. 30XX
You might notice that this game bears some resemblance to Megaman. 30XX takes inspiration from Capcom’s action platformer, adding roguelike into the mix.
Performance-wise, it runs solidly at above 30fps. But you can make it smoother by turning the graphics from Very High to Low. It may be in 2D, but it does have a lot of intricate actions and animations. Thankfully, these all looked great on our low-end PC.
Since this is an action game responsiveness is important. In this game, it won't be a problem. But like any game that needs quick reflexes and thinking, I recommend using a controller.
7. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Even for a Remaster, the point and click puzzler from CAPCOM has no issues on our potato PC. We’ve only tried the demo and the game runs absolutely fine at a steady 60fps. Playing as a ghost and tricking objects to work in our favor is a blast!
If you’re a fan of Ace Attorney, this is another one of the creator’s games after he spiky haired lawyer. It still has an immersive central mystery and its ‘point and click’ mechanics aren’t something you see in a videogame everyday!
8. Chants Of Sennaar
Now this one’s pretty interesting. Chants Of Sennaar is a puzzle game where you decipher the ancient language of a strange civilization. It’s satisfying putting two and two together to translate the ancient texts.
Unfortunately, before we go out of our way to understand language, the game needs to run smoothly.
At 1080p resolution, the game runs at 25fps. While that’s okay for a game that’s less action and more translating and exploring, we can bump up the frame rate to above 30 by decreasing the resolution and playing on Window Mode.
After which, you’ll still have some minor hiccups while exploring but it will be a smoother experience.
Overall, this is a very clever game that’s worth checking out. Especially if you want to scratch that Obra Dinn, Outer Wilds or Golden Idol itch!
9. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
For a more relaxed experience, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a game to play on a night when you’re feeling introspective. It’s a game about a witch dealing with her own personal issues in an astral world. Making Tarot Cards and reflecting on life might be a very personal experience for others.
The good news is that it runs really well on our machine! Even with its 8gb RAM requirement, we got a stable 60fps throughout the demo experience. Its pixel art style also guarantees that it’s not a very demanding game to play!
10. Rise Of The Triad: Ludicrous Edition
We end this list with a bang, literally. Rise Of The Triad: Ludicrous Edition is a 1995 classic brought to life by video game preservation. So it’s safe to say that the game can run even on the most potato of PCs.
Think Doom or Quake, but more on global security than facing alien or demon threats. Don’t expect a new game here. It is a completely retro experience with its shooting and mechanics. Apart from that, its movement can be nauseating for others since it runs at a constant 60fps.
Since this is an old game, you can customize its graphics to cater your preference. Graphics don’t even matter!