One of the best things to do with a new gaming PC is benchmark it.
If you just spent hundreds or thousands on a new video card, processor, motherboard, RAM, and monitor, then you want to push that rig to the max and see exactly what it can do.
Want to make sure your PC is working perfectly? Want to show off beautiful graphics to all your friends? If so, then you’ll want to use some of the following top 5 best PC games for benchmarking:
5) Crysis 3
Crysis 3 uses the CryEngine to its full potential. The CryEngine is a beautiful engine no matter which game you’re playing or where you look, but it has some particularly beautiful moments that set it apart from other games on this list.
One of the most impressive parts about the engine is its facial details and animation. Characters are shown with a ridiculous amount of detail on their faces. It gives the entire game a more realistic, authentic look it truly brings characters to life.
4) Battlefield 4
Battlefield 4 may not have changed much from Battlefield 3, but that doesn’t make it any less visually impressive.
In Battlefield 4, players can knock down buildings and fly helicopters over dramatically detailed cityscapes like Shanghai.
It’s an amazing, beautiful game that’s brought to life using Frostbite 3. Crank this game up to max resolution and settings and walk around marveling its beauty – just don’t get shot while you’re walking around.
3) Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition
The Witcher 2 was released way back in 2011, but that hasn’t prevented it from earning a place on nearly every “Best PC games graphics list” over the past few years.
The Witcher 2 may be the most beautiful game I’ve ever played. It uses HDR rendering in the most amazing way I’ve ever seen and also involves a unique use of color and vibrancy.
The art direction and style is unmatched in any other RPG available today. And despite its 2011 release date, the Witcher 2 will still challenge top-tier rigs today – that’s how visually demanding it is.
2) ARMA 3
In terms of graphics quality, ARMA 3 isn’t the most impressive option on this list.
However, ARMA 3’s killer graphics feature on this list is its draw distance, which surpasses that of just about any PC game ever made.
In ARMA 3, draw distance is exceptionally important. ARMA 3 is a war simulator and it’s designed to show you exactly how far the human eye can see – and how much detail the human eye can see along that way.
Players are greeted with expansive environments that are filled with tactical opportunities. You’ll need to examine the full draw distance to take advantage of these opportunities – and you’ll need a beefy graphics card if you want to turn graphics all the way up.
1) Modded Skyrim
I turn to another 2011-releate date game for top spot on this list. Skyrim may be several years old and designed for last-gen consoles, but it’s still a visually impressive game.
On the PC, cranking Skyrim up to max is impressive. But compared to other games on this list, it looks like crap.
That’s why you need to download and install mods to make Skyrim look as visually impressive as possible. A modded Skyrim is an amazing experience:
In that video’s YouTube description, you’ll find links to all of the mods used. Downloading and installing those mods is relatively easy, although you will run into the occasional glitch, error, and crash.
Amazing new mods are being released for Skyrim every week. Some of those mods change the graphics, while others give you half-naked followers who will fight dragons with you.
Installing multiple graphics mods makes Skyrim a challenging graphics experience. I put this entry on the list because most of us have played Skyrim before: but you will enjoy a totally new experience when you try Skyrim maxed out on the PC with graphics mods installed.
