Five Games That Will Look Fantastic On Your New PC

Recently, I built my first PC. And while it was a stressful process for which I wasn’t entirely prepared, I’m thrilled with the results.

My intention was to put a machine together that would comfortably support the upcoming virtual reality hardware. The obvious byproduct of that is a PC that runs recent games in stunning fashion.

If you’re considering building or buying a PC for VR, I’ve got five games you should consider loading up to put it through its paces. Depending on your specs, you might comfortably pull Ultra settings at 2560x1440 resolution.

First, my specs (full list here):

OS - Windows 10
Processor - Intel i7-6700 (3.4 GHz, Turbo Boost to 4.0 Ghz)
GPU - Asus GeForce GTX 980Ti (6GB VRAM)
RAM - 16GB DDR4-2666
Target resolution: 2560x1440, 60Hz (Note that there are monitors that will get you up to 144Hz. Some have a feature that matches refresh rate to frame rate to eliminate tearing.)

When I moved from my television (1080p) to the desktop monitor (2560x1440), I had to make some tweaks. As you might expect, pushing a higher resolution is more taxing on the system. 

If you are playing at 1080p, you are going to be able to use more demanding settings than you will at 2560x1440. For most games, playing on a television works well, but this is purely a matter of preference. You may opt for a traditional desk set-up, particularly if you are playing mouse-and-keyboard games or can't adjust to fonts designed for computer monitors at television distance.

Before you tweak, install a couple of tools

You are going to be tempted to jump right into your games and push settings to the maximum. Keep that urge in check, because more demanding options will drop your frame rate. For some people, that's not an issue, because you might not be able to tell the difference between 40 frames per second and 60 frames per second. Some people can. Others can't.

For many people, a frame counter is necessary to know how settings impact performance. Steam includes one built-in, but standalone games and other services might not give you the same functionality. Download a program called FRAPS, a widely used suite of tools.

If you're playing on Steam, use the native counter (you can turn it on in your settings menu under the "In-Game" tab. It's unobtrusive, but you should set the high-contrast option to "on" so you can easily see the output.

If playing on GOG, Uplay, or Origin, use FRAPS. A frame counter will help you monitor the impact of different settings on performance.

You should also have an idea of what you value more. For many people, a higher frame rate is preferable to eeking out max settings. You likely won't notice the difference between 8x anti-aliasing and 4x, but you will be able to tell if your frame rate dips below 30 or is wildly inconsistent. I prefer smoother performance and target frame rate at 40 to 60 (open world games are going to vary the most, because terrain and action vary quite a bit). 

If you have an Nvidia card, you might also consider using the GeForce Experience app. Not only does this automatically update your drivers, but it suggests optimized settings. Don't take those suggestions as gospel, though. Play around in-game until the result fits your priorities.

I also recommend that once you have your settings where you want them that you disable your frame counter. It's a tool for figuring out how you want a game to look when you're starting, and leaving it on means you'll see every slight dip. Don't obsess once you find your sweet spot. Just enjoy your games.

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Metro: Last Light Redux (Our Review)
Release Date: August 26, 2014 (Original Version: May 14, 2013)

Synopsis: Based on the best-selling book Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro: Last Light takes players to post-nuclear Russia. The only place safe from radiation are the metro tunnels, but mutated creatures and limited supplies make for hard living and a smart blend of first-person shooting and survival. 

Technical Details: You might think that the oldest game on this list won't make your new PC sweat. And for the most part you'd be correct.

However, Metro: Last Light Redux includes something called Supersampling Anti-Aliasing (SSAA). If you blindly go into your settings and crank everything up to maximum when you're already outputting to 2560x1440, you're going to watch your frame rate plummet. 

The reason for this is SSAA multiplies your resolution and then downsamples to the resolution you've chosen in your settings. So, if you are playing on a 1080p monitor, SSAA 2x generates images at 3840x2160. You might know that under another name: 4K. 

The result of using SSAA is a smoother image with less visible edges. "Jaggies" might largely be a thing of the past, but PC gamers are ever on the quest to smooth the last remnants out of existence.

Whatever you do, don't pick SSAA .5x. That halves the resolution and then upscales it to your monitor. 

Metro: Last Light may have originally been released in 2013, but it looks fantastic running in UHD at 60 frames per second. The character models and hair have a plastic sheen that has been improved upon in more recent games, but overall it keeps up with more contemporary titles. 

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Far Cry 4 (Our Review)
Release Date: November 18, 2014

Synopsis: The latest in the series of Ubisoft's open world, edge of civilization action games runs on the Dunia 2 engine. With Far Cry Primal right around the corner (and looking great on console), Far Cry 4 is a great game to put your system through its paces. The varied terrain, intense action, and still fantastic effects (like fire spreading across a wide swath of forest) look great in ultra HD.

Technical Details: A number of Far Cry 4's graphics options are straightforward. You can easily guess what the settings for vegetation, terrain, and water do. However, you may be puzzled by the different ambient occlusion and anti-aliasing settings.

Ambient occlusion is all about using lighting to create more realistic images. There are three options available: Screen space ambient occlusion (SSAO), SSBC (Ubisoft's in-house version of SSAO), and horizon-based ambient occlusion (HBAO+ - Nvidia only) or high definition ambient occlusion (HDAO - ATI only).

I can't speak for the ATI selection, but HBAO+ results in a frame rate hit that doesn't seem worthwhile. I recommend tinkering. If, like me, you can't see a noticeable difference between SSBC and HBAO+, choose the former and improve your frame rate. HBAO+ gave me 40 - 55 frames per second. SSBC yields 48 - 60 frames per second.

As for anti-aliasing, I'm using TXAA2, which is an Nvidia-specific option. I tinkered around with SSAA and Multi-sample anti-aliasing and found that TXAA2 (there's also an option for TXAA4) provides the right balance of visual and performance benefits (with significant improvements over other anti-aliasing formats). I couldn't perceive a difference between TXAA2 and TXAA4. Again, you might choose to reduce anti-aliasing to prioritize frame rate over anti-aliasing (particularly if you aren't someone who notices hard edges). Play around and find the right balance for you.

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Dying Light (Our Review)
Release Date: January 27, 2015

Synopsis: Dying Light combines Techland's history of melee-focused zombie slaughter with parkour. The day-night cycle creates tense moments, especially as players are forced to run from intensely powerful super-zombies.

Technical Details: I'm impressed by how well optimized Dying Light is. I have it cranked up to the maximum settings, with V-sync on, with shadows, foliage, textures, and view distance all on the highest settings. There aren't many options for ambient occlusion or anti-aliasing, other than to toggle them on. You can also choose to use HBAO+ on Nvidia GPUs.

Given that there aren't options that indicate what kind of anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion are being used by default, it's hard to know whether Dying Light is simply a technical marvel or uses options that have a lesser performance impact. Regardless, it looks fantastic and can be run at full ultra options with my configuration.

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Our Review)
Release Date: May 18, 2015

Synopsis: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, based on the stories written by Andrzej Sapkowski, is an open-world RPG. The choices are never black and white, and the consequences are often unexpected. The action is challenging, giving players weapons, mystical signs, potions, and poisons to use in their hunts for monsters large and small. We also happened to award The Witcher 3 our game of the year for 2015.

Technical Details: Of all the games on this list, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the one most obsessed with hair (and for good reason). Using Nvidia's Hairworks does wonders for Geralt, animals, and monsters with fur. It seems like a strange thing to obsess over, but realistic hair goes a long way to making characters feel more lifelike.

While I was able to max out just about everything, a couple of elements didn't seem worth the performance hit. I have the Nividia Hairworks anti-aliasing setting set at 4X instead of the maximum 8X. If you're looking to pick up five to ten frames at 2560x1440, play around with the foliage visibility range. I have mine set at high instead of ultra. The difference is imperceptible, so if you are looking for a place to min-max, start there.

As you can see in the image above, the water looks fantastic, the light shafts and bloom make a noticeable difference, and the ultra level of detail makes the world pop. All of the games on this list look fantastic, but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes the prize as my favorite (at least in terms of visuals).

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Just Cause 3 (Our Review)
Release Date: November 30, 2015

Synopsis: Rico Rodriguez returns to his homeland to overthrow a dictator. There's a story there, but you'll likely be too busy blowing things up to care. Just Cause 3 is one of the most cathartic games I've played, and there's nothing like unwinding by attaching an enemy soldier to an exploding barrel and then detonating them both, sending the debris (human and otherwise) into the stratosphere.

Technical Details: When I first previewed Just Cause 3 prior to its release, I was terrible at using the game's wingsuit. The happy resulting accident was diving into the clear, blue water in one of the most stunning transitions I've experienced in open world gaming.

Just Cause 3 is on the list for its massive explosions, gorgeous crumbling architectural details (go blow up a bridge and I promise you won't be disappointed), and its gorgeous water. I have my anisotropic level maxed out at 16x, improving the texture sharpness to its best output. My rig also supports bokeh depth of field, which uses out of focus visual effects and blurred details to help add texture, especially amidst explosions. These are places you can save on performance, but they certainly add to the spectacle.

As for the water, if you can support the highest detail and toggle the tessellation on, you won't be disappointed. The former adds foam crests to waves and enhances detail. The latter adds geometric detail and texture to the surface, that makes it look more realistic.

At my current settings, I rarely waver from 60 frames per second. Just Cause 3 is extremely well optimized, and even the busiest of scenes, with destruction raining down remain smooth.

If you're a PC gamer and push your polygons hard, let us know in the comments which games you'd recommend to those new to the platform.