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More games that will run an (almost) any nongaming laptop

No graphics card, no problem. These games work great on a typical middle-of-the-road laptop.

Dan Ackerman
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Joseph Kaminski Senior Associate Technology Editor / Reviews
During my almost twenty years at CNET, I handled benchmark testing/methodologies for both Mac and PC systems and, sometime after, integrated testing for micro-mobility (e-bikes, electric scooters and EUCs), which is a passion of mine. Transitioning from a BMX background to this field was seamless. Despite testing numerous products, each new one brings the same excitement as my first.
Dan Ackerman
Joseph Kaminski
gaming-on-thinkpad02
1 of 25 Sarah Tew/CNET

There's never been a better time to be a PC gamer. Tons of great games. Amazing graphics hardware. Virtual reality. Thinner and fancier gaming laptop designs. But if you're stuck using a standard laptop (or desktop) with only Intel's built-in integrated graphics instead of a dedicated GPU from Nvidia or AMD, finding games that will work well is a little tougher. 

We tested a wide range of PC games for this updated list, using a few different laptops with seventh- and eighth-gen Intel Core i5 CPUs and Intel HD 620 graphics. These weren't especially high-end configurations, but they weren't bottom-of-the-barrel either. Your mileage will vary depending on your PC setup, so use this list as a general guide. 

The standard here is that the game installs without errors, and runs smoothly enough for a satisfactory casual gaming experience. My strong preference is for that to happen at full 1080p resolution, but in a couple of cases, I dropped the resolution for better performance. Either low, medium or high in-game graphics settings are acceptable. 

For our latest suggestions, see our new top five game picks for for nongaming laptops list.

Disclaimer: CNET may get a share of revenue from the games featured in this guide. 

outcast-second-contact
2 of 25 Giant Bomb

Outcast: Second Contact

A remade version of the near-forgotten 1999 cult classic that was one of the very first "open world" games. It still has a pretty retro, low-res look, so it worked fairly well on our Core i5 laptop when set to "normal" graphics options and knocking the resolution down one step from full HD, with frame rates in the low 20s most of the time.    

Get it on Amazon

rebel
3 of 25 LucasArts

Star Wars: Rebel Assault I and II

Have these Star Wars classics from 1993 and 1995 aged gracefully? No, not really. But thanks to a recent rerelease, you can now play them on modern PCs. It'll be a real nostalgia shot for gamers of a certain age, and the digitized live-action footage is a blast. The best thing about playing 25-year-old games is that they run great on even modest hardware. 

Get it on Steam

unreal
4 of 25 Epic Games

Unreal Gold

The Unreal Engine from Epic powers many of the games made today, but the original game from 1998 still has its charms as a more sophisticated brother to the better-known Doom. The Gold edition, usually available for somewhere between free and $10, works great. But depending on your PC, it might need an Epic-approved patch found at oldunreal.com.  

Get it on GOG

distrust
5 of 25 GameSpot

Distrust

A cool little survival strategy game that looks and feels a lot like the isolated arctic horror of The Thing. This time it's more glowy alien things than shape-changing monsters, but there's still a lot of crafting, surviving and sneaking for your small band of survivors. It ran great at medium detail settings.   

Get it on Steam.

spaceport
6 of 25 TinyBuild

Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor

This deliberately lo-fi game takes place in an open-world-style spaceport, with shades of Blade Runner and Luc Besson. Yes, much of the game is literally picking up trash (you are a janitor, after all), but there are countless people to talk to and mysteries to explore. There's also an existential feeling that you're at the mercy of an essentially random universe.   

Get it on Steam.

fortnite-19x10
7 of 25 Epic Games

Fortnite

Part of the reason this 100-person online shooter has become so popular is that you can play it on almost any device, including the iPhone and iPad, and lower-power, nongaming laptops.

Get it for free from Epic.

amesia-the-dark-descent
8 of 25 GameSpot

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

This creepy 2010 game still holds up in the scare department and is more about walking slowly through a spooky castle than fast-paced action. As this is one of the older games on our list, it ran great, even with all the graphics options set to high. Fortunately, it's been updated many times over the years to include features such as Xbox controller support. 

Get it on Steam.

bioshock-infinite
9 of 25 2K

Bioshock: Infinite

A true modern classic, and still one of our favorite games. The PC version is just old enough to run, and look really good on basic hardware like this, as long as you turn the detail settings down to low (medium still felt a bit choppy). 

Get it on Steam

broken-age-wide
10 of 25 Double Fine

Broken Age

A 2014 adventure game that takes its cues from the classic adventures of earlier decades. That makes sense since this Kickstarter sensation comes from the mind of designer Tim Schafer (Psychonauts, Grim Fandango). Aside from the screen resolution, there are no graphics settings to mess with, and no problems running the game. 

Get it on Steam.

skyrim
11 of 25 Bethesda

Skyrim

It's hard to believe this open-world RPG was released in 2011. It still feels fresh and exciting, and fans are still building new add-on levels and mods for it. It also runs great at medium settings and 1080p resolution on our test laptop. 

Get it on Amazon

fallout-4
12 of 25 Bethesda

Fallout 4

This post-apocalyptic adventure works on a wide range of PCs and also has a near-endless supply of fan-made mods you can download. At 1080p and "low" graphics settings, it's a little choppier than Skyrim, but the slowed-down combat system means you should be able to get away with it. I'd say this one is on the borderline, but playable. Trade up to a gaming PC and VR headset for the cool (and sold-separately) VR version.

Get it on Steam

firewatch-wide
13 of 25 Campo Santo

Firewatch

A moody mystery-adventure-exploration game that takes place in the Wyoming wilderness. To say more would be too spoiler-ish, but I get a bit of a Twin Peaks vibe from it. For such a simple-looking indie game, it's not especially well optimized for low-end PCs, and I found it choppy but playable with graphics options set to low. Dropping the resolution to 1,600x900 helped a lot. 

Get it on Steam

gods-will-be-watching
14 of 25 Devolver Digital

Gods Will Be Watching

Gods Will Be Watching is a retro-style point-and-click adventure-puzzle game with a sci-fi setting. It tackles big philosophical topics and ethical quandaries. It's also pretty funny. 

Get it on Steam

grim-fandango-remastered-wide
15 of 25 Double Fine

Grim Fandango Remastered

It took 17 years for this 1998 LucasArts classic to get a (slightly) modernized rerelease in a special remastered version. It recounts a film-noir-style mystery involving a skeletal detective solving a case in an underworld universe inspired by the Dia de Muertos.  

Get it on Steam.

left-4-dead-2
16 of 25 Valve

Left 4 Dead 2

The go-to game when you've got a bunch of PC gamers looking for some co-op action, this zombie classic is still a fast-paced fun time. It's often on sale, so pick up four copies and share with your friends. L4D2 (as it's sometimes called) runs great at full resolution and high settings. 

Get it on Steam

life-is-strange
17 of 25 Square Enix

Life is Strange

An inventive episodic adventure game telling a high-school-set story that incorporates influences from superhero movies. Great voice acting and writing, and it plays well at low or medium settings and full HD resolution. 

Try the first episode for free on Steam

little-nightmares-2
18 of 25 Bandai Namco

Little Nightmares

A creepy side-scrolling walk through a small child's nightmares, with a lot of the same spooky feeling as the acclaimed Limbo. Runs decently at 1080p and medium detail settings.

Get it on Steam.

lucius-wide
19 of 25 Shiver Games

Lucius

A quirky, love-it-or-hate-it puzzle game in which a demonic child causes the death of several snooping adults. It's a low-budget game, and not terribly well optimized, so I had to drop it to medium settings at full HD to run smoothly.   

Get it on Steam.

observer-wide
20 of 25 Bloober Team SA

Observer

This indie sci-fi game gets its Blade Runner feel not only from its dystopian urban futurism, but also from lead voice actor Rutger Hauer. Its performance on our casual laptop is just on the borderline of acceptable, but it ran mostly fine at low detail settings and FHD resolution. Fortunately, it's a slow-paced exploration game, so a little lag creeping in isn't a big deal.   

Get it on Steam.

oxenfree-wide
21 of 25 Night School Studio

Oxenfree

One of my favorite game experiences from the past several years, this talky 2D adventure takes a boatload of teens to a deserted island. Think less horror film, more David Lynch. With almost no visual settings to mess with, just run the game at full HD resolution and you'll be fine.   

Get it on Steam

payday-2-wide
22 of 25 Starbreeze

Payday 2

This co-op crime caper is essentially the same as Left 4 Dead, with bank robbers and cops replacing zombies and survivors. Even though it's a few years old, there's a nearly nonstop flood of content updates and the game plays great on medium-to-high settings.

Get it on Steam.

portal-2
23 of 25 Valve

Portal 2

Even though this mind-bending puzzle game has been out since 2012, it still feels fresh and inventive. Fans keep making amazing new levels and posting them online, so the game literally never ends. Runs like a dream, even at high detail settings. 

Get it on Steam

scanner-sombre
24 of 25 Steam

Scanner Sombre

This game's highly unusual presentation is both deeply weird and refreshing. Using only a sonar gun, paint the walls of a deep, dark cave with tiny points of light, while exploring ancient mysteries. Because the visuals are so limited, it runs great at FHD and high detail settings. It also works in VR (but you'll need a real gaming PC for that).

Get it on Steam.

gaming-on-thinkpad01
25 of 25 Sarah Tew/CNET

Stay tuned for more great games

We'll keep this list updated as we discover more games that work on laptops with basic integrated graphics. Got a favorite to add? Let us know!

For a more high-end PC game experience, check out this updated list of the best performing gaming laptops, as tested by the CNET Labs team.    

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