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How to read this list
A GPU workload is a combination of a game and its settings. Running at 4K with path tracing is a different task from playing at 1080p with standard rasterized graphics. The same title can also become CPU-limited at one configuration and GPU-limited at another.
Game publishers’ system requirements describe targets for specified settings; they are not independent tests that let you compare every game directly. To compare performance, use the same resolution and clearly defined settings, and account for the graphics card, driver, game build, CPU, and benchmark configuration. AMD’s published 2025 test methodology, for example, identifies these controls and says its game builds were current as of May 8, 2025: AMD’s 2025 test materials.
The ten entries are a curated selection of graphically demanding PC games, not an ordered ranking. UL’s tested-games index includes many of these titles and tracks settings and graphics features, but it does not rank them by GPU intensity: UL’s tested-games index.
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10 GPU-intensive PC games to consider
1. Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 is an especially clear example of how settings affect GPU demand. Remedy describes full ray tracing, also called path tracing in this context, as “a very GPU-intensive form of ray tracing.” The developer recommends a GeForce RTX 40-series GPU and NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 for that mode, while noting that different quality settings suit different hardware. That is a recommendation for the full ray-tracing workload, not a universal minimum for playing the game. The game also requires an SSD. Remedy’s Alan Wake 2 FAQ
2. Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong is among the current PC games tracked in UL’s tested-games index. The index is useful for checking supported features and test settings, but it does not establish a comparable GPU-demand ranking or a single hardware target across configurations. UL’s tested-games index
3. Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 can be demanding on both graphics and processor resources. CD PROJEKT RED explicitly warns that the game is “both graphics- and processor-intensive,” so a slow frame rate is not necessarily a GPU problem alone. Its published requirements apply to the base game and Phantom Liberty starting with Update 2.0.
The publisher’s targets illustrate why settings must travel with hardware figures: its 2160p/60 Ultra target lists a GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX, 12 GB of VRAM, and 20 GB of system RAM. Its ray-tracing recommended target instead describes 1080p/60 and lists an RTX 3080 Ti or RX 7900 XTX. The Overdrive target’s measurement used DLSS Frame Generation. These are distinct publisher targets, not one GPU requirement for all play. CD PROJEKT RED’s Cyberpunk 2077 system requirements
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4. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle appears in UL’s current tested-games index, which records test settings and graphics-feature support. That makes it a useful candidate when assembling a demanding-games list, but the index does not provide a cross-game GPU-intensity score. UL’s tested-games index
5. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s official requirements show how dramatically the target changes with quality and resolution. Its Low target is 1080p/30 and names an RX 580 8 GB, GTX 1060 6 GB, or Intel Arc A750, with 16 GB of RAM. The Epic target is 2160p/60+ and names an RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX, with 32 GB of RAM. GSC says its listed specifications were evaluated using TSR and comparable technologies. The RTX 4080 is therefore an example for the specific Epic target—not a requirement for every player. GSC Game World’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 requirements guide
6. Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlaws is included in both UL’s tested-games index and AMD’s 2025 test materials. Those sources identify it as a title with published test settings, not as a proven top-ten GPU workload. Results depend on the selected settings and the test system. UL’s tested-games index AMD’s 2025 test materials
7. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 appears in UL’s tested-games index. It belongs on a curated list of demanding PC titles, but the index does not establish that it is more GPU-intensive than the other entries; resolution, graphics settings, and the particular workload matter. UL’s tested-games index
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8. Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds is also present in UL’s tested-games index, which records games and relevant test features rather than publishing a definitive GPU-demand order. Treat it as a demanding candidate whose load should be evaluated at the settings and resolution you intend to use. UL’s tested-games index
9. Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is among the titles tracked by UL’s tested-games index. The index supports including it in a current selection, but it does not supply a shared benchmark result that would justify placing it above or below the other games by GPU load. UL’s tested-games index
10. DOOM: The Dark Ages
DOOM: The Dark Ages is listed in UL’s tested-games index. As with the other candidates in that index, the listing is not itself evidence of a measured ranking; actual GPU demand depends on the chosen graphics settings and benchmark conditions. UL’s tested-games index
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare GPU demand for your PC
- Choose a resolution. Compare games at the resolution you actually play, such as 1080p, 1440p, or 2160p (4K). A GPU target quoted for 4K should not be compared as if it were a 1080p target.
- Set the graphics workload. Record the preset and whether ray tracing or path tracing is enabled. Those effects can change the workload substantially.
- Note upscaling and frame generation. State whether technologies such as DLSS or TSR are enabled, and whether frame generation is used. A target measured with those features is not directly equivalent to native rendering without them.
- Include the rest of the system. Check CPU, memory, storage, driver, and game build as well as the GPU. Cyberpunk 2077’s publisher specifically flags processor load, while Alan Wake 2 requires an SSD.
- Use like-for-like benchmark results. Prefer results taken with the same game build, resolution, settings, and comparable hardware and test methods. Manufacturer-published testing can explain its methodology, but it is not a neutral universal leaderboard.
Requirements help answer whether a system is intended to meet a particular target; controlled benchmarks help compare performance. Neither justifies declaring one game the most GPU-intensive without matching the workload and test conditions.
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