Games are always evolving; destruction physics, audio effects, and cutting-edge visual flourishes become more sophisticated every year. Without the right hardware, it’s possible to miss out on these enhancements.

Below, we’ve collected the recommended specifications for a number of the year’s biggest games. These recommendations should provide insight into the hardware required to have an enhanced gameplay experience.

Built from the ground up for VR, Half-Life: Alyx makes creative use of lighting, perspective, and environmental effects to construct thought-provoking puzzles and cultivate tense encounters with enemies. Using Alyx’s gravity gloves to grasp objects from a distance is a revelatory experience enhanced by the sophistication of modern processors.

The first thing you’ll likely notice about the Resident Evil 3 remake is how detailed Raccoon City is, even in its state of ruin and disrepair. Swaths of neon light descend on heaps of wreckage while shadowed alleyways conceal pockets of horror. Giving in to the allure of Raccoon City’s beauty is the best way to set yourself up for the scares that lie ahead.

DOOM has always been about speed and movement, and that’s true for DOOM Eternal as well. Between dispatching your demonic foes in visceral combat and the new traversal mechanics, DOOM Eternal emphasizes the importance of precision and speed more than ever. Getting the most out of DOOM Eternal means mastering those quick movement mechanics — and having a higher frame rate certainly won’t hurt.

Call of Duty: Warzone, the free-to-play battle royale addition to last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, is well-equipped to foster once-in-a-lifetime feats of FPS acumen. With up to 150 players on a map at once, the possibilities for combat encounters are endless, but can also be hardware-intensive. Between the high-quality textures and effects and the importance of draw distances, having the recommended components can help ensure the best possible play experience.

The designers behind Ori and the Will of the Wisps built on the signature, hand-painted look of its predecessor, Ori and the Blind Forest, by adding dizzying amounts of depth to every scene. Levels expand with layers of visual detail, while a new dynamic lighting system fills tranquil groves and desert caverns with color.

Gears Tactics, the first-ever turn-based tactics entry in the Gears franchise, offers a robust suite of in-game settings that allow the player comprehensive control of even the most granular of the game’s features. The game’s minimum frame rate setting dynamically adjusts the game’s resolution to maintain a stable rate of choice, while other settings manage sophisticated shadows and reflections.

Unlike the massive, open worlds offered by many modern games, Journey to the Savage Planet’s AR-Y 26 was intended to be a bespoke, more intimate environment full of hand-crafted detail. Weather effects demarcate different biomes while explosive fauna light up AR-Y 26 with flares of light and gloop.

Destroy All Humans! is at its most gratifying when its destruction physics and particle effects are on full display. Buildings and vehicles erupt in shimmering explosions when targeted with a laser, and several pieces of the environment can be lifted, thrown, and manipulated at will with the use of Crypto’s telekinetic powers.

Phantom Brigade’s “hybrid” twist on the tactical RPG genre is full of surprises. Gameplay elements like high-intensity firefights, sophisticated collision mechanics, and destructible environments always ensure a measure of unpredictability. Success hinges on the player’s ability to anticipate the enemy’s movements and prepare for possible outcomes, out-maneuvering the enemy’s AI and preserving your own mech units.

Staying Up-to-Date

Remember: the specs included above are recommendations. Every person has a different set of preferences when it comes to components and the fidelity of their gaming experiences.

Credit to Intel for this informative piece to gamers.