The Best Looking Games On High-End PCs

The release of the PS5 and Xbox One Series X|S has once again brought the conversation of consoles vs. PCs back to the forefront of the gaming industry. The pros and cons can be debated for hours, but there's one indisputable benefit of playing on PC. If someone has the funds to afford the high-end hardware, PC gaming provides the best visual and graphical performance around. Because the majority of gamers don't own high-end PCs, many developers aren't willing to spend too much time optimizing their games.

After all, the majority of players won't get the chance to see them performing at the top level. That's not to say that there's a shortage of games that will test the limits of even the best hardware though. Numerous games compensate players for the eye-watering investments that top builds require. It's worth pointing out that the best-looking PC games around are judged on the developer's intended product; adding mods into the equation would turn this into an entirely different list.

Updated September 18, 2025, by Hamza Haq: However much PC players wish it weren't so, most games are built with consoles in mind. As a result, most developers build entire games with modest systems in mind, leaving those with truly top-of-the-line PCs scrounging for scraps. Games that truly showcase the benefits of owning a high-end PC are worth their weight in gold for those looking to get use out of their systems.

Hellblade 2

A Visual Masterpiece Like No Other

If it's only visual fidelity one is after, there are very few games that can even hope to compete with Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, the direct successor to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Hellblade 2's gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. It's short, the story is not the most inspired, and in some ways, the overall atmosphere and sense of tension is a downgrade from the first game. But where Hellblade 2 does not fall short is in how downright gorgeous it looks when played on a powerful PC.

If hyper-realism were a competition, Hellblade 2 won, and it won it handily. From the environments to the textures to the combat effects, it's all incredibly striking. The crown jewel, though, has to be the character of Senua herself. The amount of detail and complexity in her expressions, the way her eyes move when she's scared, and how her face contracts when she's angry are all portrayed with such mastery that it's sometimes hard to remember that it's a video game at the end of the day and not a film.

Ghost Of Tsushima

Incredible Visual Design Helps Tsushima Island Look Wonderful

Ghost of Tsushima is one of the prettiest open-world games ever made, and it's easy to see why its launch on PC was celebrated by the masses. Players loved the idea of rendering the beautiful visuals of Tsushima Island on their high-end PCs, and the stable nature of the game's launch meant that players didn't have to struggle while running it.

The combination of technical excellence and a stunning art style ensures that Jin's adventures are easy on the eyes. Sony's exclusives are known for boasting state-of-the-art visuals, and Ghost of Tsushima doesn't disappoint in this regard.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

New York Looks Gorgeous As Players Swing Through The City In Style

Sony has released multiple PlayStation exclusives to PC over the years but few have achieved the same heights as Marvel's Spider-Man 2, the prettiest Peter Parker's New York City has ever looked.

With Ray Tracing turned all the way up, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is among the best games to showcase how absolutely gorgeous a video game can get with a sufficiently powerful rig on the back end. Combined with its deliciously addictive gameplay loop, it's easy to see why this Sony exclusive succeeded where many others fell short.

Cyberpunk 2077

Overdrive Mode Will Take Anyone's Breath Away

Ray-tracing is the biggest craze to hit PC gaming, and it's easy to see why players are going crazy about this new revolution in graphics. Lighting plays a huge role in deciding how a game looks, and ray-tracing aims to overhaul this aspect of a game's graphics to make things look more realistic than ever before.

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Ray-tracing made Cyberpunk 2077 look gorgeous once the game was stable enough. For players who have the hardware, Overdrive mode can be triggered to unlock a version of ray-tracing so complex that it's downright impossible to use this mode without DLSS, even on high-end graphic cards!

Forza Horizon 5

Looks And Feels Amazing In Every Way

Forza Horizon 5 is a beautiful open-world racing game that continues the series' esteemed legacy with another great entry, despite issues that fans may have stemming from the game's oddly-paced progression. Driving around Mexico's countryside is, as one might expect from the Forza franchise, an awful lot of fun.

Along with a beautiful rendition of Mexico, Forza Horizon 5 earns its spot among the best-looking PC games for adding changing seasons to the critically acclaimed Forza series. It's a fantastic addition and one that will test even the most expensive of rigs.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Turn-Based Combat With A French Flair

Sandfall Interactive's debut title, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wowed the world with its stylistic approach to visual design. While the turn-based combat that relied heavily on parrying and dodging was the main reason for the game's success, there is no denying the downright gorgeous visuals and stellar soundtracks did a lot of the heavy-lifting as well.

On PC, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a treat for the senses, every new area has a distinct look to it that looks like it just stepped out of a painting. Even the tilt-shift framing of the overworld sections is a treat to experience, with the zoom-out allowing players to appreciate the scale of the world the developers created.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Blows Away Everyone's Mental Image Of What The Original Game Looked Like In Their Heads

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a game that everyone was anticipating with bated breath. While the game's visuals were a cut above the rest, there was some poor texture work that prevented players from enjoying the full potential of this title's graphics. Thankfully, all of these complaints were squashed when players got their hands on the PC port.

Without any of the restrictions that hampered the PS4, Final Fantasy 7 Remake looked like a gem on the PC. While a PS5 port eventually fixed most of the complaints players had when it came to the console, Remake is still one of the best-looking PC games that players will love staring at as long as they have the hardware to support the visuals.

Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora

Pandora Looks Breathtaking When Players Step Into The World For The First Time

There's no denying that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora had some problems that stopped it from becoming a worthy movie tie-in that most people wanted it to be. The dated world design, an incessant focus on gathering, and a poor main story all stopped this game from reaching the glorious heights it could've achieved.

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However, one aspect of the game that has been universally lauded is its visuals, with the various biomes of Pandora looking downright breathtaking. The visual spectacle of this game will bombard players time and time again as they explore more and more of this gorgeous world. On a PC with the settings cranked up to the max, the sheer quality of the graphics is more than enough to make up for the game's drawbacks.

Horizon: Forbidden West

A Beautiful Game Done Justice To By A PC Port That Lets It Shine

Sony hasn't enjoyed the best success with its PC ports, with most games launching in a less-than-ideal state that always takes away something from what should otherwise have been an immaculate experience for players who were salivating to play these PlayStation exclusives for the longest time. So, when Horizon Forbidden West dropped, players were more than pleased to see the amazing quality of this PC port and how it elevated the quality of this game to new heights.

The game's visual quality was a step above in every way, making it one of the finest games players can check out on the PC in no time. The massive open world can be enjoyed in all its splendor, which more than makes this port worth the price of admission.

Alan Wake 2

Brings The Eerie Tale Of Alan Wake To Life

Alan Wake 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the cult-classic horror game that was first released in 2010, fulfilling Remedy's promise of a connected universe in the same world as Control. The game follows two protagonists, the lost writer, Alan Wake himself, and Saga Anderson, the detective investigating strange happenings in Bright Falls.

In terms of graphics, Alan Wake 2 knocks it out of the park, making excellent use of Ray Tracing and mood lighting to create an eerie atmosphere to aid the storytelling.