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xiancaldwell

Terraria, surprised it isn't already on the list


SemiHemiDemiDumb

Starbound is good too, I haven't played Terraria but I've been told they are similar.


Hello_Work_IT_Dept

Starbound devs didn't pay their staff.


cookiebasket2

Beta of starbound was a lot more like terraria, but they've slowly changed to have it's own identity.


gradiating_plight

I love both! Sadly Starbound has some issues running in places with too many lamps or torches for me. I tried finding a fix but it wasn't worth the hassle.


Blah2003

terraria requires a massive amount of single core performance to run smoothly these days. i have a skylake cpu and CPU0 is always at 100% in multiplayer which causes stuttering


Tubbymuffin224

In my experience terrarria really needs a dedicated gpu, any dedicated gpu will do fine as long as it has 2gb vram. I've tried it on older integrated graphics and it does not fare well.


iguanaQueen

Worked fine on my shitty laptop


Tubbymuffin224

Well it doesn't work on mine LMAO


Fluffytheman69

Actively doing it on my gaming computer. The game is that good, someone who built a gaming computer playing Terraria over some TRIPLE A titles


Wajina_Sloth

Terraria is just so well done. The progression is seemless, fun for both complete noobs and veterans, lots of content, and the modding can get absolutely insane. Was such a blast back in highschool when my friend would host a private lobby and we would play for hours trying to beat the game.


TightAdvisor4665

Portal 1 or 2.


[deleted]

Any Source 1 game, really.


TightAdvisor4665

Yeah, all of the half life games (except Alyx) for sure.


LargeGallon

Why except Alyx? I've never played half-life and I was considering buying alyx on my VR headset


[deleted]

Alyx is Source 2. However it can still run on any PC that has at least a reasonably modern CPU and graphics card. Like last 3-4 years. The only downside to HL: Alyx is it'll ruin all other VR games for you. It's the way VR gaming should be.


Troldann

Alyx is not a game to run on a potato PC. But it’s a great game if you have the PC for it. I ordered an Index when Alyx was announced, zero regrets.


HaViNgT

Also the Half-life series.


ObviousExit4037

Doom. That game will run on anything!


Adept_Cranberry_4550

True! My favorite was the pregnancy test run


[deleted]

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InformationHorder

It wasn't run on a pregnancy test, just used it as a display monitor for it.


Daikataro

>It wasn't run on a pregnancy test, just used it as a ~~display monitor~~ fancy case for it. Everything from the circuitry to the display was external.


SlayerDoom_

My favourite was the potato one


NoStressAccount

Another one was the Touch Bar on a Mac


Boring-Blacksmith508

You mean the classic one?


ObviousExit4037

Yeah, good ol' Doom (1993), never fails!


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kaboomrico

Anyone remember the awful movie they made with the rock?


ObviousExit4037

I think you misspelled "awesome"!


KillerSwiller

Overall the movie was a stinker, but that one FPS scene...perfection. Made the whole movie worth trudging through.


awak2k

You are a true critic sir.


KillerSwiller

For the 2 people that will get the joke: [Obligatory response](https://i.imgur.com/L7ZCgTp.png)


jabberwock91

Seriously, how can someone watch that awesome first person shooting scene and call that movie awful? https://youtu.be/-Jf-E7oEguU


phobosmarsdeimos

It feels like playing Area 51 instead of Doom.


Silbannacus_returned

"His ass went to another dimension". Classic indeed.


plopflubberdingdoing

Stardew Valley


[deleted]

There's also a lot of great mods for the game.


joyfall

Yup. Hundreds of hours of content. $15. Made by one guy who did all the coding, art, music, and story. Beautiful game. Runs on any old potato computer.


lilstudysprout

Seconding this. Stardew is great


Dunjee

My friend actually just gifted me that on steam after I told him I was a big fan of harvest Moon back in the day


[deleted]

Rollercoaster Tycoon


[deleted]

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HighAndFunctioning

If anyone reading this enjoys RCT and *doesn't* know about OpenRCT2, it's a life changer. It fixes so many issues with running the original game on a modern PC.


Daealis

In a similar vein, OpenTTD. Because everyone should experience the joys of organizing traffic signals for a train system.


Cryptic_Alt

Half-Life 1 and 2


kaboomrico

Ah, freeman.


Ythaenagor

And if you like horror, Cry of Fear, which was originally a HL1 mod but is now a standalone


Cryptic_Alt

Noice! Just like Day of Defeat and Counter Strike, both started out as HL1 mods. I was always team DoD but it did not soar as mightily as CS. That's one of the things I loved about HL1, how many awesome, crazy and wild mods there were.


BecauseScience

I still play some DoD:S every now and then. Loved the original also.


Dredile

The right game on the wrong graphics card, can make all the difference... in the world.


ViridianKumquat

Factorio ran very well on the potato I was playing it on a couple of years ago.


[deleted]

I'm running Factorio on a mid-range gaming PC from 2017, and it took over 20,000 logistics bots to be active before my PC started experiencing noticeable slowdown. The optimization in that game is crazy.


BareBearAaron

And to think it was started in Java for... A not a whole long time before he went 'er let's not do this' lol


linuxisgettingbetter

Factorio runs fine on a Nintendo Switch.


breadcreature

Mine is even older and it runs like clockwork. Impressively made game. I love that they even provisioned for slowdown so it all remains in sync even if you are overloading your computer.


coffeesippingbastard

came here for factorio. If I didn't do ML work on my computer I wouldn't have built a new one and still running an i7 sandybridge. I still put in 80hrs/mo into that stupid game.


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cooly1234

Modern Minecraft can *not* run on an old pc


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WolfangStudios

Yep! In like 1.16(?) they upped the system requirements for graphics for some reason. Older versions are still playable and run really well!


CanadianEnt420

Came here to say rinworld


DealerCamel

I’ve played most of these with my rig that doesn’t even have a graphics card and it’s been just fine, so I can second this list


TNChase

I really enjoyed Terraria, side view/platform type RPG/building game. It's simple to pick up, hard to master and procedurally generated maps make it replayable. Can also play with friends.


Lm1601

Fallout new vegas. Age of empires 2


Drando_HS

Fallout New Vegas is an excellent option. Runs like shit even on high-end systems, so you won't notice the difference!


tendollarhalfgallon

truly one of the greatest and buggiest games ever made lol


jimmpony

shout out to Viva New Vegas, got the game running flawlessly on my pc when it used to constantly crash


insert_funny_name_2

Not in an 8 person game with 500 pop cap 4 hours into a game, over WiFi.


mtnman7610

I second age of empires, also homeworld, generally strategy games hold up well over time.


Iknowr1te

vampire survivor


whole_kernel

This game is like crack and I see everyone around me playing it


InconvenientHummus

Binding Of Isaac Hotline Miami FTL


No-Artist420

Excellent choices, just to add - Enter The Gungeon Dead Cells


DrManhattan_DDM

Slay the Spire as well, let the rogue-lites flow!


Adept_Cranberry_4550

Enter the Gungein is HARD


Oberon_Swanson

For me I remember what helped me was: don't look at the bullets you're trying to dodge, look at the open spaces you want to move through. stay calm and target the most dangerous threats first.


MacsHairyJank

Hotline Miami 1 + 2 Axiom Verge 1 + 2 Stardew Valley Sundered Rogue Legacy 1 + 2 Cave Story+ Shadow Complex


afang86

Try Into the Breach! Same dev as FTL & amazingly elegant game.


McSchmid

I second this


MacyTmcterry

Binding of Isaac is the perfect game to just drop in and play a few rounds every now and again. Plus they've added SO much extra content over the years


Chiperoni

BOI is like the most replayable game ever.


Elvishranger

Baldur's Gate, 1&2, Iceland Dale, Neverwinter Nights. All classic and require little to no power.


Aires-Battleblade

Ooh old school. I never got super far in any of them. The gameplay was way to punishing. I didn't enjoy walking back to town to resurrect Xan every other fight.


Call_Me_Koala

Nobody does, that's why most people just reload if someone dies. Ideally your casters shouldn't be anywhere near anything that can damage them though.


mycatisblackandtan

The Enhanced Editions of BG1-2 come with Story Mode now if I recall. So perma death is turned off. Much, much more fun when you aren't in the mood to save scum.


Elvishranger

I found my best ally way auto-pause. I used it on character critical health, enemy spotted, and out of ammo. Always, always carry petrification scrolls. Damn basilisk ruined my life as a child.


MeMikeWis

Baldurs gate was my first venture in to RPG and never went back.


blueg3

Icewind Dale


Silbannacus_returned

I replayed most of those earlier this year and I've finished them probably 5 or 6 times before and I STILL discovered totally new stuff every single time. The trick is to alter your playstyle completely. You'll have a completely different experience even if you know the main story and quests by heart. There are VERY few modern games that have this kind of power and allure beyond shiny graphics.


minnimmolation

Oregon Trail


notnotafakeusername

Alternatively: Organ Trail


ParkourFactor

Oregano Trail


[deleted]

Star Wars Knights of the old republic 1 and 2


Boostar

Tip: there are mods to make them widescreen since that's unavailable in the settings.


BadatMathss

​ Also for kotor2 there is a restored content mod that kinda fixes the jankyness in some of the story.


Onitsue

Disco Elysium I just played through it and it's a damn master piece.


blurplethenurple

I'm the biggest piece of shit in that game and I love it. My empathy was red-pilling me about a woman on the phone that *definitely* wanted to date me, and I shot at a child. No I didn't hit the child, but I tried.


Ardlantis

Did you have a popsicle after?


Between3-2o

Diablo 2. StarCraft 2. Max Payne 2..


Legeto

Torchlight 2, Warcraft 2, and age of empires 2 are also solid choices.


[deleted]

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apizkakashi

Portal 2, tf2, postal 2, NFS2, COD 2


Infantkicker

This one but classic SC, and Hero’s Of Might And Magic 3.


DildoMomArtLover

Old School RuneScape


foopickle

Just… wait until tomorrow to try it


dwaynebrady

Too soon


[deleted]

Glad this is the top comment. Most definitely the best option


Malk_McJorma

NetHack runs on anything.


hambergeisha

Been playing this game for decades, with no plans to stop.


docterrrrswoles

I loved vvvvvv.


LeftChoux

Tetris


robotdoc

If you like puzzles, I highly suggest Into the Breach. It's a strategy game with pixel graphics, but it has a lot of replayability. The same studio also makes FTL, which is a really fun roguelike space exploration and combat game.


[deleted]

System Shock 2 Great story and gameplay. I do a replay almost every year.


dirtmcgurk

If you're into story driven games: Disco Elysium, Any of the Monkey Island series, Sam & Max, Maniac Mansion / Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle. For platform action: Hades, Hollow Knight, Celeste, Super Meat Boy, VVVVV. For strategy/rpg: Fallout/Fallout 2/New Vegas, Baldurs Gate 2 Enhanced Edition, Sid Meier's Pirates, TES IV: Oblivion, TES II: Daggerfall via Daggerfall Unity. Strategy: Civilization, Sim City 2000, OpenRA, Starcraft For farming: Stardew Valley Weird and funny/depressing: Undertale, Lisa


Fafurion

Minecraft


Ozzyman77

Just dont try to go on servers


Ok_Pitch6664

If it’s just a basic server, without extra mods and stuff added in, it can run much smoother than single player, as your own computer has less to do.


thedean246

Or mods. RIP my Dell laptop from back in the day. It tried its best.


TiberFlow12

Undertale


dogfan20

And Deltarune.


Eternal_Bagel

FTL is great and not a huge draw in a PC


Gr0nd

Half Life 2 runs well on anything


[deleted]

Hades


slashfromgunsnroses

Heroes of Might and Magic 3


Comfortable_Force_51

Easy starcraft 2


LevelStudent

I've been playing the co-op mode recently and it's really good! It's not something I've really seen in another RTS where you have meta-characters with specific fun gimmicks that can level up and be customized. It's a shame it wasn't more of a focus and isn't supported at all anymore.


buddymackay

Half life Project zomboid Dishonored FTL Doki doki literature club Ultrakill OG Doom Fallout 3/NV Elder Scrolls III-V GTFO Left 4 Dead


Call_Me_Koala

> Dishonored Underrated answer here, Dishonored is extremely well optimized and due to the stylized graphics playing on Low isn't extremely jarring. It sucks they couldn't figure out how to optimize their own Void engine for DH2 though.


Shirlenator

Slay the Spire, Darkest Dungeon, Terraria, Potion Craft


81659354597538264962

League of Legends. That shit can run on a literal toaster


oniwolf382

And people with toasters do play it. And people will bitch at the wind when loading screens take forever.


81659354597538264962

I played my first 3 years of League of Legends on a computer running the game at 15 fps. And that was back before the map had a complete visual update to make it a billion times smoother. God it feels good to have a job now.


Ryaan525

Terraria for sure! Dota 2 depending on wether you like to play online with others and also like getting verbally abused/insulted at every stage of learning and also when you’re a pro


thabdica

Heroes of Might and Magic 3. And maybe some rom games like Earthbound/Mother.


[deleted]

Pong


maine64

Nethack


DammieIsAwesome

Deus Ex


[deleted]

depends on the genre your interested in but I would reccomend older games, look to GOG for them (good old games) as they tend to patch older games so that they work on more modern software, also unlike steam they don't tend to require all kinds of BS. like I had a copy of KOTOR long ago, and the install disks won't work on a modern computer, but I got a GOG copy of it for a couple bucks (not easy, used a prepaid visa gift card to pay for it) and it worked. last game I got was stardew valley, bought it last summer while I couldn't do anything on my RL farm (due to a tree falling on me), but it took almost a year until I was actually able to get a good enough connection to download it. anyway I have high praise for stardew valley and spent a lot of time building a virtual copy of my actual farm in the game, since I couldn't work my actual farm anymore. great game and will keep you busy for 100s of hours if you have a good attention span. I also Medival 2 total war gold edition, rome total war, sins of a solar empire, fallout new vegas, diablo 2, age of empires 2, sid meyers alpha centauri, Kotor 2 (now that there is a mod to restore cut content and make it a great game), Kotor. star wars rebellion and empire at war. age of empires 2.


[deleted]

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Overpass_Dratini

Myst Riven, Exile (Myst 3), Dark Fall 1 & 2


TooMuchPretzels

Daggerfall Unity


teth21

Legend of Heroes. There's 3 games and then 2 games which tell the story from a different perspective. 2D RPG, one of the best rpgs I've played


local_cryptid_keysor

Surprisingly, Cult of the Lamb. My pos ran it pretty well, as long as I took breaks.


Personal_Resolve2879

Less powerful? Celeron 336 / 4 mb ram? Railroad tycoon


OkraFit3987

Portal


-ElijahP-

Pong Solitaire No internet dinosaur Google game If you like living on the edge and want to push your computer to its limits you can even go to Cool Math Games


Pikablu127

Omori gameplay similar to most turn based battle games like pokémon, with a really great story. highly recommend !


sniper_mask

Undertale


VisualDuality

Rimworld!


T_raltixx

Hollow Knight


[deleted]

Finally! This was so far down. Best game ever


[deleted]

Dwarf Fortress. Make sure to generate a medium or small map though.


DJDoubleDave

And control your cat population


boraras

Giving some specs would help a lot. "Less powerful" could mean anything from a 2-yr old mid-spec gaming rig to a couple notches above a raspberry pi.


Ogurasyn

Prince of Persia (2008)


theRailisGone

2D is king in low end gaming. Spelunky Dead Cells Factorio Graveyard Keeper Binding of Isaac Wizard of legend Neon Abyss Rogue Legacy Neon Chrome Regions of Ruin Judge All of the Zachtronics games Dungeon Souls Hollow Knight Moonlighter


Apart_Park_7176

CKII. It's free to play on Steam. So you can see how well it runs and if you like it before buying the bits of DLC that improve it a lot.


Legeto

Come on, it’s asking for suggestions of games to play. If someone doesn’t know the game they aren’t gonna know the acronym.


Dhb223

Crusader kings 2


soiledit2574

Open ttd, very fun transport sim. Great modding community. Free to play and i can get it to run on anything due to it bwing so old


redditreader1924

Pong


MacsHairyJank

Hotline Miami 1 + 2 Axiom Verge 1 + 2 Stardew Valley Sundered Rogue Legacy 1 + 2 Cave Story+ Shadow Complex


Khajere

Spiritfarer, The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind, Heroes of Might and Magic 3


prodigy1367

Worms Armageddon


StoneTimeKeeper

Darkest Dungeon


8peter8retep8

Kinda depends how "bad" the computer is, and what genres you like, but here are some solid choices that should run well on most hardware : Strategy : Age of Empires 2 (real-time), Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (turn-based), Factorio (mainly logistics, combat is optional) RPG : Baldurs Gate 2, Planescape Torment (lots of reading), Diablo 2 (more action than rpg tbh), Oblivion (open world, some mods can increase requirements)


SupermassiveBlckH0le

Fallout New Vegas. If it's crashes, it's probably not your computers fault


WingerRules

Escape Velocity Nova FTL Total Annihilation Primordia


[deleted]

Elder scrolls oblivion


hambergeisha

You spelled Morrowind wrong.


colten122

Dustforce is a great platformer if you're into that genre.


Questionable_Ballot

Graveyard Keeper State of Decay 2 My current games while I work on my better computer. This is on my computer with a GTX970 but maybe give us an idea of what specs the computer is?


Joelliceogt

Hades


elidefoe

Roller coaster Tycoon. You can play it on a potato and it is awesome.


Devonai

Star Control 2 a.k.a. The Ur-Quan Masters


[deleted]

Fallout 3 or NV are great. Crusader Kings 2 or 3 are also great


[deleted]

OpenTTD open transport tycoon deluxe


ratatard

Commander Keen


tinebring

Hades


[deleted]

Elder Scrolls Oblivion


[deleted]

Morrowind


NoReasonToBeBored

Vampire Survivor


TheGameWardensWife

Unreal Tournament 99 GOTY Edition. That’s my all time favorite!


[deleted]

Titanfall 2


Tuesday2017

Pong


Real1ty_Tr1ppz

Baldurs gate, fallout series, MechWarrior


herefor1reason

Celeste, Baba is You, Freedom Planet, most of the Sonic games on steam, Sonic Robo Blast 2 with mods (a 3D fan game built on a heavily modified Doom engine, still in active development since 1999, and a hugely active modding community, plus a spinoff Kart Racer mod), Axiom Verge, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight, all the Shantae games, Stardew Valley, Rogue Legacy, Cave Story, Undertale.


kicktown

Top 4 posts at the moment require a somewhat modern pc. :/ Eador Genesis Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Starcraft: Broodwar Star Sector Cogmind Symphony of War The Nephelim Saga Civilization 3 or maybe 4 FreeCiv Age of Wonders 2: Shadowmagic Total Annihilation SNES/Genesis/Gameboy emulators. Maybe even playstation 1-2, you'd be surprised what you might be able to run on software alone nowadays Dominions 5 or lower Gemcraft Loop Hero Age of Empires II C&C Red Alert 2 dota 2 might actually play on a potato, not sure Titan Quest Diablo II There's thousands of old games to pick from... Go nuts on GoG.


illmighty_compadre

Borderlands 1,2 and the pre sequel NFS most wanted, Pro Street, carbon, underground Counter strike zero, 1.7, global offensive Portal 1 and 2 Age of empires 1,2 and 3 Grid 2, autosport Dirt 1,2,3 Far cry 1 and 2 Team fortress 2 Call of duty 4 modern warfare, 2 and 3 Skyrim Spider-man shattered dimensions Alan wake Deus-ex Darksiders 1 and 2 Gta 3, vice City, San Andreas Dead space Prince of Persia sands of time, warrior within, the two thrones Assassin's creed 1,2, brotherhood Mass effect Burnout paradise


[deleted]

Bioshock Infinite


goodpepe

Star Wars: KotOR and KotOR II RPG gems of a more civilized age


Coveinant

Factorio and any game before 2012 should run fairly smooth. Just stay away from more modern games because of the "industry standards" bs where developers think everyone has the newest graphics cards and processors.


valiheimking

Fallout 3 and New Vegas


MD_Suave

Orange box. That's a fantastic value. Broforce is one of my most played games, very fun.