Looking for games you can play without a graphics card? Graphics cards have gotten bigger, bigger and more expensive over the years, with some of the top cards on the market reaching $1499 and up. This is a huge amount just to be able to play video games at maximum resolution and frame rate, and for many, this is a deciding factor.
The truth is that there are many games that don't necessarily require a graphics card to run. Sure, these aren't the graphical powerhouses of Far Cry 6 or Resident Evil Village, but they're still a lot of fun, and the fact that they can be played on minimal hardware settings without a dedicated GPU is just the icing on the cake.
Powerful GPUs might seem like a must for PC gaming, but that's not really the case. It's true that video cards built for gaming have been in demand ever since software rendering went out of fashion in the mid-90s, but even in 2022, some games are still considering players using legacy hardware.
Here are the top 15 PC games you can play without a graphics card:
From well-optimized MOBAs designed for a wide range of players to high-end games from years ago, those whose computers aren't quite up to the task of playing today's hits can still get into the game without too much trouble. So, we present to you games for weak computers that can be played without a video card.
Overwatch
Surprisingly, this super popular FPS shooter doesn't require a special graphics card to run, which is good news for new Overwatch players. According to the minimum specifications, it can be played on the Intel HD 4400 series chipset, which is about the lowest requirements. This is good news for Overwatch players who want to party on the go, on their laptop.
As expected, the game will not receive any awards for graphical fidelity as it may not be playable at high settings. You can push the game a bit beyond the low settings where the compromise between FPS and playability starts to show.
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Team Fortress 2
Released in 2007, Team Fortress 2 is one of the most famous multiplayer games of all time. The seminal hero shooter that inspired games like Overwatch and Valorant, Team Fortress 2 is a challenging FPS that requires players to have a deep understanding of the intricacies of the various classes.
While success sometimes depends on teamwork and communication, PC performance is almost never a factor. Team Fortress 2 can run without a dedicated GPU, so it's a unique game in terms of hardware.
League of Legends
There is a running joke in the video game community that League of Legends can run on a 486 computer from the 90s. While this is a bit of a stretch, it says a lot about how versatile the game is across multiple system configurations. Gamers definitely don't need a dedicated GPU to enjoy playing League of Legends, not now or ever.
Mac owners, in particular, have benefited from the way League of Legends is designed, and it runs with ease on the lowest-powered Macbook Air. It's still an exciting classic with a very strong fan base, and Riot Games is still looking to make a few tweaks to make it look its best.
Fortnite
Fortnite continues to delight players with its fantastic gameplay and catalog of crushing events that keep the game fresh. It's also a prime example of how a modern game can look and run on Intel integrated graphics hardware that doesn't need a GPU.
The minimum system requirements for Fortnite are 4 GB of RAM and an Intel HD Graphics 4000 chipset. This is more than acceptable when it comes to playing smoothly while maintaining beautiful graphics. However, heavier streaks will result in FPS drops, although this is still tolerable.
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Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeon originally debuted in 2015 as a rather underwhelming horror roguelike, but over time it has evolved into a super-complex strategy game suitable for the genre's most hardened fanatics. This is a story of desperation and depravity, in which players will have to compete for great odds in a brutal war against Lovecraftian horror.
While the game isn't for everyone, it was built to run on just about every PC. The only real condition is OpenGL compatibility, so this game can run on any computer with more processing power than the average toaster.
Portal
Low-powered computers can easily handle Valve's Source 2 engine these days, which is good news for Portal fans. For those who have never played this series before, now is the time. Not only is it easy to handle, but it is also one of the coolest and most inventive puzzle games in the FPS genre.
Portal's gameplay is simple and consists of a pistol that can create two types of dimensional portals, allowing players to navigate through a series of puzzle rooms. This is a game that checks gray matter without checking the machine it's running on.
Grand Theft Auto V
Despite some unpopular opinions about Grand Theft Auto V, it is still one of the most played games in the world. However, even on modern hardware, GTA V can be difficult to run on ultra-high settings, which is why it's so ironic that the game can be played on low-end systems. GTA V can run on an Intel 4400 chipset with as little as 4GB of RAM, although the results are not impressive.
This means low definition and image detail in order to play the game on systems with low performance levels. It might be easier to get GTA V for your home console than to struggle with the PC version on a low-end system that can't handle its engine.
Valorant
Valorant is a relatively new FPS game that was released in June 2020. However, it can still run on Intel HD 4000 or AMD R5 200 architecture without requiring a dedicated GPU to handle the visual load. This particular game is more CPU dependent than graphics hardware, which is an advantage for non-GPU gamers.
This gives players ample opportunity to tweak graphics settings and achieve their desired ratio of clarity and frame rate. The game itself looks shiny and crisp, which is a testament to how integrated graphics can handle a deceptively simple FPS.
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Rainbow Six Siege
This popular FPS game can run on multiple system configurations that do not have a GPU installed. It can be run even on the Intel Core i3 processor platform, but the frame rate will suffer. Luckily, AMD's Ryzen APUs will save the day.
The Ryzen 3 3200G Vega APU combines graphics processing technology on board the actual processor, bringing both worlds together. This compares to the minimum system requirements required to play R6 Siege, which requires either an Nvidia GTX 460 or an AMD Radeon HD 5770, both of which are pretty dated by now.
Sid Meier's Civilization VI
Sid Meier's Civilization series is a foundational strategy game that helped popularize the concept of 4X games. Games, often based on real history, tend to deal with the development of society as it moves from the Stone Age to the distant future.
Civilization VI, released in 2016, is one of the most famous games in the series and one of the most significant 4X strategy games released in the last decade. Surprisingly, the game can work with basic integrated graphics cards commonly found in laptops and Chromebooks.
Black Mesa
Another APU that offers extreme value for money is the Ryzen 5 5600G from AMD. Featuring Radeon 7 graphics technology, it eliminates the need for a GPU to play many modern games. Black Mesa is a perfect example. This official fan remake of Half-Life can be played on the 5600G with good frame rates.
Most APUs and integrated GPUs typically require graphics settings to be lowered to Low, but Black Mesa is capable of reaching higher numbers. If the integrated video processor meets the requirements, there is no need to spend money on an expensive video card.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Originally a mod for Valve's 1998 FPS Half-Life, the Counter-Strike series has become one of the quintessential PvP games on PC. The game requires precision and tactical know-how, has a very high skill ceiling, but the barriers to entry are surprisingly low.
The game not only does not require a special GPU, but is also free on the platform Steam from Valve, which means it can be played by almost anyone with a modern laptop. In addition, Counter-Strike recently added a battle royale: Global Offensive mode - an ideal title for gamers on less powerful hardware.
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Forza Horizon 4
Racing fans can be happy that they don't need a GPU to get playable framerates in Forza Horizon 4. Results will vary by hardware, but the game can deliver acceptable framerates thanks to a well-researched game engine and less demanding visuals.
It is recommended to use AMD APUs, especially Vega 8 or 11 architectures (3200G and 3400G). As for Intel, the UHD 750 architecture is also a solid choice, though gamers should be prepared for slight drops and frame rate stutters depending on how detailed the on-screen image is.
Minecraft
Known for its almost impossibly huge, randomly generated worlds, Minecraft seems to be quite complex on most computers despite its simplistic aesthetic. While this may be true for those who like to install mods that greatly change the visuals of the game, the Java version of Minecraft can run on just about anything.
The alpha version of Minecraft first went public in 2009, and its base system requirements still largely reflect that. While performance will certainly be improved on relatively inexpensive eighth-gen game consoles, just about anyone with a work laptop can try Minecraft.
Doom
One of the most well-optimized games of all time, Id Software's landmark 1993 first-person shooter Doom was built with a large install base in mind. Outpacing the popularization of discrete graphics cards, Doom could run even on relatively simple systems of the time, and its file size of less than 2 MB meant that memory was not as much of an issue as other DOS games.
Today, Doom can be run on any Windows computer. In fact, on the store page Steam Windows XP/Vista compatibility is listed as a minimum requirement. Indeed, Valve's DRM services are probably more taxing on the machine than Id's hit game.
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