Just like many other “passing” and “temporary” crises in 2021, the graphics card shortage decided to stay for good, and these days no one dares predict an end. What can we do? Look back, explore older catalogs, and enjoy the indie offering. Today we're going to mention ten games you can run without a high-end GPU, and I guarantee you won't be wasting your time.
I'd love to be the bearer of good news... but there's nothing positive to share. As long as Ethereum stays near $4,000, no new factories open up to combat the semiconductor shortage, and this damn bug keeps collecting Greek letters, the graphics card situation won't improve. Dates keep slipping, “normality” is barely a memory, prices are impossible. Sad, disappointing... I know.
10 Games to Brave the Graphics Card Shortage
Luckily, there's an alternative: venture into the waters of indie games and older 'Triple A' titles. The fact that you can't play the newest releases doesn't mean the market has nothing to offer. Thousands of hours of entertainment await, and all you have to do is start with one game. Maybe one of the ones we mention here...?
Fallout: New Vegas
Original reviews placed it a couple of steps below Fallout 3 due to the massive number of bugs in its initial version, but eleven years of patches and community-created mods turned the Courier's story into the best of the “3D” Fallout games, and a solid starting point for anyone wanting to dip their toes into the franchise for the first time. Plus, it runs even on a gas pump...
Stardew Valley
The hero of the day gets tired of wasting his life in a cubicle and escapes to the countryside after inheriting his grandfather's farm. The dream of your life? If you plan to play it casually, maybe... but the iceberg of Stardew Valley runs deep, with complex characters, magical creatures, special events, and more. The co-op mode is ideal for playing as a couple, though you might lose your girlfriend/wife to some husbando. You've been warned. (?)
Into the Breach
Pacific Rim with time travel? Yes, please! A race of giant creatures seeks to destroy everything in its path, and you are the last hope, commanding a team of three mechs across infinite timelines, win or lose. Dozens of weapons and effects, multiple squads, achievements... the best turn-based strategy I've played in years, without hesitation. The Epic Store already gave it away in one of its rounds, and it's likely waiting in your library...
Skyrim: Legendary Edition
While Todd Howard seeks to accelerate his plan for global domination by releasing versions of Skyrim compatible with washing machines, refrigerators, and the metaverse itself (?), I want to mention Legendary for two reasons: All its patches and mods are still online, and its engine runs on DirectX 9, so it presents better performance on older GPUs. Plus, there's no point in exceeding 60 FPS, unless you want to completely destroy its physics. Go back to Skyrim. It's inevitable.
Blasphemous
The only path to the Miracle is suffering, and the first thing Blasphemous is a new definition of pain, especially if we have no experience with metroidvanias. So why play it? For its story. For its atmosphere. For the fabulous art. Because once you accompany the Penitent in his torture, you won't stop until you reach the end. Both its artbook and its soundtrack are excellent and deserve your attention. One suggestion: Use a gamepad.
Carrion
How fun can “reverse horror” be? After playing Carrion, the answer is “a lot”. It doesn't matter what you are or where you come from. All you need to know is this: You've just escaped, you must adapt to survive, and you have to cut, chew, drill, strangle, disembowel, mutilate, and dismember every human you come across. The path to the outside world is full of challenges, but once you recover your abilities, the sky's the limit. And there's a lot of meat out there...
RimWorld
The description “story generator” doesn't do justice to this marvel of video games. I've recommended it before, and I'll keep recommending it because there are practically no limits in RimWorld. Want to be a solitary explorer? No problem. Want to challenge the hostility of the polar cold? Make sure to bring a coat. Want to manage a colony of naked cannibal psychopaths who make t-shirts from dead people's skin? All the crimes against humanity you can imagine, and more. Its expansions are excellent, and mods make it almost perfect.
The Binding of Isaac
A child isolated and tortured by his fanatical mother. 22 different endings if we count the expansions. And among all that, maybe the best roguelike in history. Don't expect mercy in The Binding of Isaac, because it offers none. And once you enter, you must go to the bottom, peeling layer after layer, discovering disturbing details about every possible fate of poor Isaac. You'll lose, come back for more, lose again, insult me for recommending this, and come back for more.
Atom Zombie Smasher
Politics, intrigue, betrayal, strange characters and dialogues, a fabulous soundtrack, and as if that weren't enough, a zombie invasion! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to coordinate the defense of Nuevos Aires, liberate regions from the zombie horde, or eradicate the infection using a variety of squads and special resources like orbital bombardments. The story is a puzzle you'll have to piece together by collecting different vignettes, and even with all of them it doesn't make much sense, but it's still a little hidden gem.
The Tenth Is Up to You!
Ha! I've activated my trap card! Well, not quite, but I know perfectly well that it's impossible to cover every taste, so my master plan is for you to complete this list by leaving a comment. Which game has helped you survive this graphics card drought? Which title doesn't need too much firepower but can't be missing from any of your rigs? We want to know! And to wrap up, I want to wish you a very happy 2022. Keep playing, don't give up!
