According to the editorial team, an optimized game can scale well across multiple CPU cores and does not suffer from “console” side effects (low FOV, controller-only on-screen prompts, poor mouse and keyboard controls). This category also includes games that justify their high GPU requirements while still running on older graphics cards.
- 10 – F1 23. Features numerous ray tracing effects, as well as RTGI, RTAO, RT Reflections, and RT Shadows.
- 9 – System Shock Remake. Runs at 60 fps on many graphics cards and does not require a high-end CPU.
- 8 – Armored Core 6. Runs without issues, though it cannot be called visually impressive compared to other games.
- 7 – Atomic Heart. Powered by Unreal Engine 4 and does not suffer from shader compilation stutter. A game in such good condition from a relatively unknown studio was a big shock. Looks great and runs brilliantly.
- 6 – Resident Evil 4 Remake. Showcases the capabilities of the RE Engine. Runs smoothly and is one of the best-looking games of 2023.
- 5 – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Plenty of graphics settings and supports all available upscaling techniques on PC. Ray tracing effects are implemented.
- 4 – Diablo 4. Beautiful and ran well on PC, even at launch. Does not require a high-end CPU for high frame rates.
- 3 – Lies of P. One of the best-optimized PC games of 2023. Runs smoothly across various PC configurations and looks gorgeous. The game includes Denuvo protection, but it causes no issues.
- 2 – Dead Island 2. One of the best-looking games of 2023, running remarkably well across a wide range of PC configurations.
- 1 – Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – the most optimized PC game of 2023. Does not require a high-end CPU, but needs a good graphics card due to its stunning visuals. However, the game has a ton of PC settings, as well as support for DLSS 3.5 and FSR 3.0, which can provide a significant performance boost.