NOT everyone has access to a fully kitted-out, RGB-infused gaming PC, but laptop games have you covered.
There are loads of games for laptops that’ll run on any modern system no matter how unequipped it is for gaming.
We’ve got a great selection of low-fidelity, but high-quality games you can enjoy on the weakest of hardware.
Even better, because of their low-spec nature, many are on the cheap side, so you won’t have to break the bank to play them.
Mini Motorways
Mini Motorways minimum requirements:
- Memory: 4 GB
- GPU: ATI FireGL T2-128
- CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.00GHz
- File Size: 350 MB
When it comes to relaxing strategy games, Dinosaur Polo Club is a masterful studio.
Its first game, Mini Metro, is beautiful, but Mini Motorways just beats it out for its minimalist style and moreish gameplay.
It’s your job to control the flow of traffic in an increasingly busy city by building the best motorways possible. It’s great on PC, but might be even better on mobile.
Civilization 5
Sid Meier’s Civilization V minimum requirements:
- Memory: 2 GB
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T7600
- File Size: 8 GB
Low-spec games don’t have to be simple. Civilization 5 is an extremely dense 4X strategy that will keep you hooked for hours at a time.
Its graphics are minimal, and you can even play it in a 2D mode if you’re still struggling to get a stable frame rate.
Build up your empire in what many consider the best game in this historic series. And you can even get together and play with loads of friends.
Moonlighter
Moonlighter minimum requirements:
- Memory: 4 GB
- GPU: ATI Radeon HD 5770
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9705
- File Size: 4 GB
Do you ever wonder where shops in RPGs get their merchandise? That Daedra Heart or Legendary Sword must’ve come from somewhere, right?
Well, Moonlighter answers that question. You play as a humble shopkeeper by day, but a daring adventurer by night in a series of different roguelike dungeons.
You gather your loot and then bring it up to your shop where you must work out the right price and manage the demands of your customers.
Papers, Please
Papers, Please minimum requirements:
- Memory: 2 GB
- GPU: ATI FireGL T2-128
- CPU: Intel Pentium 4 1.50GHz
- File Size: 100 MB
If you want something to make you think, both from a puzzling perspective and an emotional one, then look no further than Papers, Please.
You play as a border guard in the fictional country of Arstotzka, a world very similar to an Eastern bloc country during the Cold War.
It’s your job to check an increasingly complicated set of personal documents to accept or decline people’s entry into the country. I
f that wasn’t enough for you, it throws in many dynamic moral dilemmas for you to worry about.
Slay The Spire
Slay the Spire minimum requirements:
- Memory: 4 GB
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8300 GS
- CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.00GHz
- File Size: 1 GB
Slay the Spire is the perfect distillation of that “one more go” mentality games like Civilization and The Binding of Isaac perfected.
The gameplay is easy to learn, but difficult to master as you have to balance your deck with offensive and defensive cards, all while worrying about how much energy each one costs, and what your enemy is planning to do.
You’ll fall into the rhythm of it without even realising, and you won’t want to pull yourself away.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley minimum requirements:
- Memory: 2 GB
- GPU: Intel HD 3000
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
- File Size: 500 MB
We all want to live the idyllic country life, and for most of us, Stardew Valley is as close as we’re going to get.
Made entirely by one person over ten years, this game lets you farm, fish, mine, and forage in peace.
Then you can head into town and make friends, have silly adventures, and maybe even fall in love. It’s simple and pure, something we always need more of.
Minecraft
Minecraft minimum requirements:
- Memory: 2 GB
- GPU: Intel HD 4000
- CPU: Intel Core i3-3210
- File Size: 1 GB
What do you want us to say? It’s Minecraft. It’s the best-selling video game in history.
It’s perhaps the most open-ended game ever made, and it can run on really low-spec hardware.
The fact that’s even possible is a miracle, so you should definitely play it if you somehow haven’t already.
Don’t Starve
Don’t Starve minimum requirements:
- Memory: 4 GB
- GPU: AMD Radeon HD 5450
- CPU: Intel Pentium 4 1.70GHz
- File Size: 500 MB
It’s great when games are up-front about their main objective. If you want a stylised beaten-down world, then Don’t Starve is going to absorb you for weeks at a time.
Tim Burton wishes he could be this consistently dreary.
This isn’t your typical survival game either. This is a world of madness where what little rules there are seem to change on a daily basis.
Everything wants to kill you, even the trees, but you’ll never want to stop playing it. A psychiatrist might call it stockholm syndrome, but we call it good game design.
Gunpoint
Gunpoint minimum requirements:
- Memory: 1 GB
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 510
- CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.00GHz
- File Size: 700 MB
Noir detective films are great, but we’ve all had the same relatable thought while watching one: “What if the detective had super-powered mechanical trousers that let him soar through the air?”
Well, think no more as Gunpoint has what you’re looking for.
On top of the simple and enjoyable platforming, there’s a genius puzzle game about hacking electrical circuits and causing ridiculous chain reactions.
Do you want to wire it so opening a door fires a guard’s gun two floors away? You can, and you should.
FTL: Faster Than Light
FTL: Faster Than Light minimum requirements:
- Memory: 1 GB
- GPU: Intel HD 3000
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
- File Size: 175 MB
It’s a non-traditional real-time strategy, but it may be the best.
You have to explore the galaxy with your second-rate ship, encountering aliens, bartering deals, and gathering scrap to upgrade your ship so you can take down the all-powerful flagship on the other side of the galaxy.
If you’ve ever wanted to have a boundless space adventure, then FTL does it with just 2D graphics and engaging writing.
Things can spiral out of control ridiculously quickly, but it’s always fun, even when your efforts are hopeless. Besides, starting again is very easy, you’d be a fool not to go for just one more adventure…right?
Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
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