Playing games is a lot of fun for the obvious reason – the escape it provides from a mundane life of routine & boredom. Other main reason for playing games is a ton of sensory fun that you get while racing, moving the main character, shooting the enemies or completing the difficult objectives. The last & final reason is “visual appeal” and it helps in making the most important decision i.e whether you find the game engaging or not. We bring you a list of 30 visually stunning pc games that’ll keep you glued to the screen for hours just because of their incredible visuals.
Top 30 Visually stunning games for the pc gamer
1. Returnal
Returnal is a rogue-like third person shooter game which released in 2023 for windows. The game takes place on a mysterious alien planet called Atropos. You play Selena, an astronaut who explores this planet in the search of a mysterious thing called White Shadow. You walk through the desolate ruins of a hauntingly beautiful planet. The dark fern covered caves, bright contrasting neon colors, an overpowered alien suit, scary villains that look better than most alienistic villains in science fiction movies. All these things add up to make Returnal a visual extravaganza for every gamer.
2. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is an action adventure game that released in 2023. You play Cal, a jedi whose aim is to fight & survive. The iconic light saber fight sequences with robots, creepy alien abominations in a variety of landscapes make the game a stunning exploratory delight. The game beautifully blends mythical elements to an alienistic world. Even though there are advanced gadgets & weapons, you constantly feel human & vulnerable while engaging in old fashioned one on one combats.
3. Uncharted 4
Uncharted is an action adventure game which released in 2016. You play Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter who is out on his latest expedition to attain the treasure buried somewhere in Madagascar. You get to break out of jail, scale ancient buildings & mountains, sneakingly enter into places & leap your way out to freedom, all of this makes Uncharted 4 a mad, chaotic and visually breathtaking experience for all the adrenaline junkie gamers sitting in front of a computer.
4. Dead Island 2
Dead Island 2 is a zombie survival & action role playing game which released in 2023. The objective is quiet simple, survive zombies and leave the zombie infested city. You get to craft your own weapons as you fight zombies in a gory, blood splashing and innovative fashion. The game constantly tests your nerves & gives you anxiety as you never know what’s hiding in the dark waiting to feast on you. This game is pure adrenaline rush, to say the least.
5. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is an action adventure game which released in 2018. You play Lara Croft, a fearless explorer who fights an evil organization alone in order to prevent an oncoming apocalypse. The game’s ultra realistic lighting, beautifully textured environmental ambience makes the game a visually exhilarating experience for the gamers. Apart from the visuals, the ancient puzzles, mythical elements and near death escape missions make for an extremely engaging gameplay.
6. Assassins Creed Valhalla
Assassins Creed Valhalla is a 2020 action role playing video game. You play Eivor, a british viking whose mission is to create a new clan. The game offers you a stunning ice-covered world as you walk through the snow, sail ships, jump from scary heights, fight wild animals, all while there’s a beautiful mild blizzard going on. Overall, Valhalla is like a satisfying meal for gamers who want to navigate through calm & scenic snow covered mountains.
7. Atlas Fallen
Atlas Fallen is a 2023 action adventure rpg game. You get a gauntlet from an alien hovering entity called the Voice. The gauntlet lets you transform your hand into whip or a hammer & it also helps you travel blazing fast through the sand in a gliding fashion. The game looks visually epic due to its starkly gorgeous neon colour elements that appear during combat scenes, which also adds a compelling visual contrast to the gameplay. Atlas Fallen is an exceptionally enthralling visual experience for every rpg geek gamer out there.
8. Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 is a 2023 survival horror game. It is a marvel in terms of gaming visuals and it just might melt your average graphics card if you try to run it on max settings. To fully experience Alan Wake 2’s iconic torch blurry visual effects, environmental realism and richly dense texture details, you should consider using a high end graphic card and turn on RTX. Alan Wake 2 looks unbelievably gorgeous like an IMAX movie does. The combat sequences look extremely gritty and disgustingly spectacular.
9. Armored Core 6
Armored Core 6 is a 2023 robotic combat game. You get to play as a futuristic war machine robot which has fire spitting flight thrusters, inbuilt military grade heat seeking missile weapons and an advanced laser emitting sword for close combat. The visuals of slash attack, metallic sparks flying after clash impact, fire emitting thrust effect and the rapid blur effect while dodging enemy missiles create an overload of breathtaking visuals quite often during the gameplay. Armored Core 6 is a beautiful depiction of a modern world that is crawling with machines. If you’re a transformers fan, then this game is for you.
10. Dead Space Remake
Dead Space is a 2023 survival horror game where you play as Isaac, a starship engineer who along with his team gets stuck in an old spaceship called Ishimura. While exploring the desolate ruins of Ishimura, you fight creepy human hybrid creatures in an advanced space suit which allows you to levitate, kinetically control objects and project 3-D holograms. The lighting visual effects & the tiny clouds of mists dispersed in a bare metal world makes Dead Space a visual spectacle.
11. NFS Unbound
Need for Speed Unbound is a 2022 racing game. Just like any other racing game, you get to race cars but what makes it special is the vivid & rich graphical elements it blurts out every now and then, like the animated cloud of graffiti during drifts, comic book elements and a stunning trail of light which follows you. NFS unbound makes your car feel like the main character of a superhero comic book. It’s simply stunning.
12. Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest is a 2024 survival horror game. You play the character of Jack, who is sent to rescue businessman Edward Puffton, his wife Barbara and their daughter Virginia. You get to explore caves, hidden worksites in a lush green island and fight mutant creatures in order to complete your objectives. The game gives you an instant off grid living experience.
13. Days Gone
Days Gone is a 2019 zombie action survival game. You play the main character Deacon, whose only objective is to survive the zombie apocalypse and find his lost wife. You get to live your dream of playing a protagonist in a post apocalyptic scenario. The rotting civilization, beautiful forest landscapes, stunning water reflections, dirt blowing visual effects while biking and heart palpitating encounters with hoardes of zombies adds to the intense cinematic appeal of this exciting gaming title. In simple words, Days Gone is an enjoyable testosterone fest with hauntingly peaceful visuals.
14. Fortnite
Fortnite is a 2017 battle royale game. The game comes with a bright & peppy colour scheme, cartoonish character costumes, elements of anime, modern & trivial weapons, saturated & comically cartoonish visuals , which makes it a visually disruptive & an incredibly zany gaming experience, to say the least.
15. Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy is a 2023 fantasy role playing action game. You solve magical puzzles, explore hidden chambers in the castle, combat intriguing creatures and cast magic spells while roaming around in the bewitching world of Hogwarts. Potterheads will jump out of their chairs after listening to the heartwarming background music and seeing movie references like Sir Nicholas, Quidditch and many more. Thanks to Unreal Engine 4, the game never ceases to take your breath away with its visuals.
16. God of War
God of War is a 2018 action adventure game where you play the lead character of Kratos who along with his Atreus, takes on a tough journey to fulfill his wife’s wish. The god like baritone voice of Kratos, the testosterone spiking gameplay, the old fashioned brawl in a magical world – all these elements make God of War, a pure masculine guilty pleasure for all gamers worldwide. Apart from its exceedingly picturesque world, the retracting luminescent axe of Kratos, enemies bursting into lava like mess, splashing effects during Kratos’s attack & axe’s trail visuals while retracting – all of these visual elements look truly stunning.
17. Resident Evil 4 Remake
Resident Evil 4 is a 2023 survival action horror game. You as the main character walk through the gloomy & lifeless ruins of a world with zombified humans, dogs and pus filled creatures with obnoxiously large teeth & tentacles coming out of their bodies. The zombies in the game are able to attack you with knives, hammers, chainsaws, abnormally enlarged wolverine like claws and much more. The gooey mess blasting visual effects when you shoot the zombie will give goosebumps to every zombie nerd out there.
18. Cyberpunk 2077
CyberPunk 2077 is a 2020 action role playing game where you get to explore a futuristic dystopian world made of vibrant colors. Walking through the asian markets in the night looks breathtaking with the glowing lamps, clouds of fog & realistic reflections will bowl you over. Roaming around the city in a car feels like exploring a tech style themed city in a hot wheels car. The semi glossy reflections on the back of the car look seriously insane. Turning on RTX will open several dimensions of your imagination while playing this visual beast of a game.
19. Lies of P
Lies of P is a 2023 action role playing game. It brings the effortlessly aesthetic victorian era back to life in colors. The old fashioned sword fights infused with a ton of magic, pictorial storytelling & villains who are a creepy amalgmation of magical & mechanical elements – all these things create an absurd visual appeal to this epic magical adventure. The slashing visual effects of the sword during impact, floating bundles of magic and the dreary world makes “Lies of P” a quite unique visual experience.
20. Remnant 2
Remnant 2 is a 2023 action role playing shooter game. A bloody red colored lit world full for spooky alien creatures, travel portals that open into various distorted worlds and the supernatural healing system does perfect justice to the “lone survivor in an alien world” theme. The bright red world of Remnant carries an alien mould covered eerie vibe with the most visually overwhelming graphics possible. If you love the dark aesthetic in underground upside down world of Stranger Things, then this game is a must play for you.
21. Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a 2021 action adventure game. Each frame of the game looks like a painting has come to live, the game literally spills a bucket full of colors in each frame and top of that, you get to fight in typical rpg fashion and travel with cute & helpful companions. The anime fashioned combat sequences lights up the frame – creating an energized & riveting gameplay.
22. Saints Row
Saints Row is a 2022 action adventure game. The zany & zippy visual elements, loud characters, over the top profane but hilarious dialogues and a ton of moments that you can’t digest seriously with a straight face – Saints Row offers you these things & much more. Saints Row is gaming absurdity at its very best, but in a hysterical manner.
23. Final Fantasy 15
Final Fantasy 15 is a 2016 action role playing game. The game looks like as if comic book characters jumped out of the pages & into real life. The majestic creatures & pure anime styled high octance combat sequences more than make up for its old age. Still in 2024, Final Fantasy 15 remains a good looking action game that will take you back to your childhood instantly.
24. Crysis 3
Crysis 3 is a first person shooter game that released in 2013 but it can still make the most expensive graphic cards radiate heat like the sun. You get to roam thorugh the moss & fern laden ruins of a post apocalyptic abandoned city that looks astonishingly close to reality. The epic background music builds up tension & adds a primal “hunt of get hunted” charm to its nerve wrackingly exciting gameplay. Shooting arrows while being invisible in a high tech exo suit creates a spellbinding contrast for the gamer. Overall, Crysis 3 is a stunning concoction of marvellous visual elements.
25. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a 2023 action adventure game. The very beginning shot with a cheery, tribalistic and subtly epic choir music will give you a stream of goosebumps running through your body. You get to ride ikrans, shoot arrows & fire weapons and explore the visually overwhelming world of Pandora. The game looks no less cinematic than the original movie “Avatar” that released in 2009.
26. Forspoken
Forspoken is a 2023 action role playing game. You play a typical teenage girl with angst who gets magical powers. The concept of a modern girl stuck in an ancient city lends a time-travel like feel to the game. You get to fight epic villains that are the definition of evil, glide through air and shoot magic through your hands. The magically spawned sword, the glowing boots that leave a trail of magical glitter behind and the lava blast visual effects – you wont be able to forget this enchanting world of magic for days.
27. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a 2021 third person shooter game. The lively, peppy color scheme & animated visuals makes sure that there’s no bland or dull moment in the game. The game looks like an animated action movie more than a game with its likeable characters, goofy villains and endearing, innocent dialogues. In simple words, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a treat for every animated movie lover out there.
28. Control
Control is a 2019 action adventure game. The object levitation effects, collision impact on objects that leaves behind a cloud of dust with a rainbow like effect, ultra-realistic lighting & gorgeous reflections, the blurry blast of speed while hovering – all these visual effects contribute to it’s jaw droppingly scenic world.
29. Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 is a 2019 first person shooter game. The events of the game takes place in a dystopian wasteland with obnoxiously hilarious characters. The comic book inspired color scheme of this game is ridiculously wacky & honestly not everyone’s cup of tea. Only few men & women of culture are going to enjoy the marriage of colors that this game has done. If you’re feeling a bit old & missing your inner child, then install this game to have a mad colorful experience.
30. Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal is a 2020 first person shooter game. The gameplay has no chill at all, zoop-zaap boom-baam at every other moment, something is always happening in this roller coaster ride of gory, goofy and fast paced alien shooting insanity. Doom Eternal is a pure heart pounding adrenaline-pump fest where you move rapidly, rip aliens apart with overpowered weapons. Basically, if you had a bad day at work/life, just play this game and you’ll feel like a goddamn rockstar !!
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