6 best open-world games for low-end PCs in 2022

Open-world game(s) is one of the most popular genres right now. Spanning from fantasy RPGs like Skyrim and Witcher 3 to post-apocalyptic shooters like Fallout 4, the open-world genre has a lot to offer to players of all playstyles and tastes.

From Sega's Jet Rocket (1970) and Senmue (1999) to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto (1997) and Red Dead Redemption II (2018), open-world games have sure come a long way.

But as games have become more complex, they have become more demanding too and are only playable on higher-end hardware, which a lot of people don't have access to.

Hence today, we will be listing some of the best open-world games that can be enjoyed on lower-end PCs of yesteryears.

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Best open-world games playable on low-end PCs

6) Just Cause 2

Just Cause 2 (Image via Wallpaper Access)

With over 1000 sq. km of freedom, this over-the-top, chaotic open-world provides enough frills and thrills. Players control a field operative, Rico Rodriguez, whose aim is to overthrow the dictatorship on the island of Panau.

Release Date: March 2010

Publisher: Eidos Interactive

Metacritic Rating: 84/100

Get it here.

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5) Far Cry 2

Far Cry 2 (Image via Wallpaper Access)

With an engaging plot and a beautifully crafted world, Far Cry 2 is probably one of the best in the series story-wise. Players control a mercenary in a fictional East African country in the midst of a civil war.

Release Date: October 2008

Publisher: Ubisoft

Metacritic Rating: 85/100

Get it here.

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4) Saints Row 2

Saints Row 2 (Image via Wallpaper Access)

Although this ridiculously outrageous game plays out like a B movie, it's the craziest kind of a fun one can have in an open-world. This game is a direct continuation of Saints Row, where players control their custom character in the fictional open-world of Stillwater, trying to rise through the criminal underworld.

Release Date: October 2008

Publisher: THQ

Metacritic Rating: 82/100

Get it here.

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3) Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed (Image via Amazon)

The birth of a franchise, the first game in the Assassin's Creed series, is still one of the most fun. Players control the assassin Altair Ibn La'Ahad, carrying out a series of assassinations ordered by his mentor Al Mualim across historically accurate Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus.

Release Date: November 2007

Publisher: Ubisoft

Metacritic Rating: 81/100

Get it here.

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2) Minecraft

Minecraft's Steve Fighting a Skeleton (Image via Wallpaper Access)

This multiplatform sandbox adventure has been one of the most popular games for the last ten years and continues to do so. With no set goals, players control Steve (the default character, although there are many more) in a procedurally generated world. The game can be enjoyed from both the first and third-person perspectives. There are over 60 biomes across five basic categories.

Release Date: May 2009, November 2011(Full Release)

Publisher: Mojang Studios

Metacritic Rating: 93/100

Get it here.

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1) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Image via Wallpaper Access)

Over ten years and thousands of mods later, millions of players worldwide still play and enjoy this masterpiece of an RPG. Players control their custom character, "Dragonborn", which can be male or female and belong to any of the ten races. The detailed open-world of Skyrim consists of vast wilderness, snowy mountains, shantytowns, villages, medieval cities, dungeons, caves and ruins.

Release Date: November 2011

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Metacritic Rating: 94/100

Get it here.