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20 Legendary Games That PUSHED GRAPHICS TO THE LIMIT

IbizaPocholo

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Video game graphics have come a long way. These are the games that broke the mold.

0:00 Intro
0:22 Number 20
2:32 Number 19
5:06 Number 18
7:03 Number 17
8:36 Number 16
10:21 Number 15
12:04 Number 14
13:24 Number 13
14:49 Number 12
16:23 Number 11
18:18 Number 10
19:31 Number 9
21:03 Number 8
22:36 Number 7
24:15 Number 6
25:39 Number 5
28:32 Number 4
30:28 Number 3
32:36 Number 2
34:42 Number 1
Click to expand...
  • (00:02–00:24) The video opens by exploring how certain games pushed graphical technology far beyond what contemporary hardware was expected to handle, from retro consoles to modern path tracing.
  • (00:24–02:02) – Cyberpunk 2077: The game is highlighted as a showcase for path tracing, described as the next evolution of ray tracing. The narrator praises its improved optimization since launch and explains how realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections create one of the best-looking gaming experiences of 2026, though it requires extremely powerful GPUs.
  • (02:30–05:16) – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Rockstar is praised for squeezing a massive open world into the PS2's tiny 32 MB memory limit. The game used heavy fog and constant asset streaming tricks to maintain performance, demonstrating how technical compromises enabled ambitious scale on weak hardware.
  • (05:16–07:09) – Crysis: Presented as the legendary "Can it run Crysis?" benchmark, the game pushed 2007 PCs beyond their limits with advanced jungle rendering, physics, and lighting. CryEngine's visuals were years ahead of available hardware, making it the defining PC stress test of its era.
  • (07:09–08:26) – Perfect Dark: Rare pushed the Nintendo 64 so hard that players needed the Expansion Pak accessory for certain modes. Features like co-op gameplay, detailed environments, and visible reload animations made it one of the most technically advanced N64 games ever made.
  • (10:36–11:58) – Doom 3: The game revolutionized real-time lighting and shadow technology with the ID Tech 4 engine. Dynamic shadows and atmospheric lighting made it visually groundbreaking in 2004, although the graphical demands forced later versions to simplify the effects.
  • (13:20–14:54) – The Last of Us Part II: Naughty Dog's extreme attention to detail is emphasized, from realistic rope physics to uniquely modeled NPCs with individual names, faces, and dialogue interactions. The video argues the PS4 hardware struggled to fully realize the game's ambitions until the PS5 remaster.
  • (22:41–24:13) – Microsoft Flight Simulator: The simulator is praised for recreating the entire Earth using satellite data and procedural generation. Streaming petabytes of terrain data allowed players to fly anywhere on the planet, making it one of the most technically ambitious games ever created.
  • (25:46–27:51) – L.A. Noire: The game pushed facial capture technology with highly detailed scanned performances from actors. Its interrogation system depended heavily on subtle facial expressions, creating an uncanny but groundbreaking realism for Xbox 360-era gaming.
  • (34:05–36:23) – Red Dead Redemption 2: Ranked number one, the game is described as an unmatched technical masterpiece filled with obsessive detail — from animal behaviors to realistic weapon mechanics and interconnected environmental systems. The narrator argues its sheer level of simulation and fidelity still surpasses many modern releases.
Click to expand...
 
Hellblade 2 is # 1 right now



ZpEjvC1tGKScZXuX.jpg
 
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I dont agree with San Andreas, or any of the PS2 GTA's. Even back then they werent great looking, with sparse detail, N64 level terxtures (when there is textures), fog, pop in right in front of you, etc.

There were open world games at the time which looked way better graphically, Scarface a prime example.
 
Killzone: Mercenary
Gears of War

Couple that immediately come to mind.
 
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Shadow of the Beast on the Amiga deserves a mention in any discussion on limit pushing games.



The Adventures of Batman & Robin on the Megadrive.



Actual legends.
 
Virtua Racing on the Sega Genesis. A port of an arcade powerhouse 3D racing game on 16 bit hardware. It was mind blowing back in the day. The 32X version was a system seller as well.

 
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Stuart360 said:
I dont agree with San Andreas, or any of the PS2 GTA's. Even back then they werent great looking, with sparse detail, N64 level terxtures (when there is textures), fog, pop in right in front of you, etc.

There were open world games at the time which looked way better graphically, Scarface a prime example.
Click to expand...
San Andreas is an odd choice. This was at a time when GTA games definitely didn't lead the charge visually. Rockstar becoming known for impressive graphics only started with GTA IV and onwards. IV and V have a much bigger claim than SA.
 
Gaiff said:
San Andreas is an odd choice. This was at a time when GTA games definitely didn't lead the charge visually. Rockstar becoming known for impressive graphics only started with GTA IV and onwards. IV and V have a much bigger claim than SA.
Click to expand...
Yeah for sure, Rockstar became amazing at grphics. It still blows me away that there is only 1 generation between the PS2 GTA's, and GTA5.

But the PS2 games were hardly lookers, even at the time.
 
Full list:

20. Cyberpunk 2077
19. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
18. Crysis
17. Perfect Dark
16. Super Mario RPG
15. Doom 3
14. Vagrant Story
13. The Last of Us: Part II
12. The Order 1886
11. Xenoblade Chronicles
10. Crash Bandicoot
9. The Calisto Protocol
8. The Chronicles of Riddick
7. Microsoft Flight Simulator
6. Metro Exodus
5. L.A. Noire
4. Rogue Squadron II
3. Hellblade II
2. Myst
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
 
kpopSuperstar said:
Full list:

20. Cyberpunk 2077
19. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
18. Crysis
17. Perfect Dark
16. Super Mario RPG
15. Doom 3
14. Vagrant Story
13. The Last of Us: Part II
12. The Order 1886
11. Xenoblade Chronicles
10. Crash Bandicoot
9. The Calisto Protocol
8. The Chronicles of Riddick
7. Microsoft Flight Simulator
6. Metro Exodus
5. L.A. Noire
4. Rogue Squadron II
3. Hellblade II
2. Myst
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
Click to expand...

This list surely has more holes in it than a Swiss cheese….
 
Lol at RDR2 number 1.

That game had nothing on what Crysis did in 2007.

These guys mst be born in the 2000's

And on the PS4 console, TLOU 2 was more impressive than RDR2. Not even close.
 
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Stuart360 said:
I dont agree with San Andreas, or any of the PS2 GTA's. Even back then they werent great looking, with sparse detail, N64 level terxtures (when there is textures), fog, pop in right in front of you, etc.

There were open world games at the time which looked way better graphically, Scarface a prime example.
Click to expand...
Yeah. In terms of graphics those games got blown away by The Getaway 1/2.
 
I don't have too much of an issue with that list. There are a few I'd personally swap out. I'd choose Mario 64 over Perfect Dark, only because it pretty much revolutionised 3D platformers, whereas PD was an evolution of Goldeneye.

I'd put HL2 in my top 10 as well. Perhaps GT7 for its lighting and car models.
 
Crysis was a benchmark for at least a good 4-5 years after launch. It's peak hardware pushing for me.

No shadow of the colossus?
The game that made the PS2 shit on the floor to run it?

Doom and Quake 1?
 
There are a lot of fairly modern titles here. There should be far more titles from 1993 to about 2005 here.
This list is bullshit
 
IbizaPocholo said:
Click to expand...

This list is missing a lot of PC games from like the late 90s to the 00s that are important in terms of 3D rendered games. During this time with titles like UT and Quake you seen the emergence of extremely skilled level artists (the real stuff) that trickled into other PC games. Gameplay rendering is everything for me and this is why you need level artists who know what they are doing particularly with PC development backgrounds.

I think 2013-2015 (Crysis 3, Arkham Knight) were the last few years I seen the skills I grew up seeing working on video game titles. The titles today look like they were made by gamers who grew up exclusively playing console games man.



This was published in 2012..
 
kpopSuperstar said:
Full list:

20. Cyberpunk 2077
19. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
18. Crysis
17. Perfect Dark
16. Super Mario RPG
15. Doom 3
14. Vagrant Story
13. The Last of Us: Part II
12. The Order 1886
11. Xenoblade Chronicles
10. Crash Bandicoot
9. The Calisto Protocol
8. The Chronicles of Riddick
7. Microsoft Flight Simulator
6. Metro Exodus
5. L.A. Noire
4. Rogue Squadron II
3. Hellblade II
2. Myst
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
Click to expand...
No half life 2??????
Whoever made this list needs to get slapped
dave chappelle slap GIF
 
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The absence of Gears of War, Driveclub, Resident Evil 4 (GameCube) and plenty of other games invalidates this list.

Nice to see at least Crysis mentioned, even though it should be WAY higher, and The Order: 1886, which should also be way higher not only for how it manages to hold up to this day, but for how pivotal the game and the studio have been in making PBR a standard for the industry and a defining characteristic of that generation.
 
Ultima Underworld games from the early 90s.

- 3D gaming in an RPG
- Textures
- Some basic shading and lighting
- Different terrain and grading
- Look 360 degrees
- Point and click inventory
- Map let you type in notes
- Different animations like swing, stab and chop

Incredible RPG from 1992. Never beat it though. I beat UU 2 though.

 
The immortal on NES was a graphical marvel.

Smb3 should be on that list

Mario 64 should be there.
 
i think it's clickbait, many of them just because buzz words and popularity today, not for achievement within limitation
 
I agree with RDR2 being number 1. Game still looks better than 90% of what'sreleased today, its physics engine, the level of detail and thus the immersion the player had with the game is unmatched. Cyberpunk released a few years later and was supposed to be the next big thing in open world games, to set the bar even higher than what RDR2 did, and then you go to a vendor and buy the items you want with a list, I mean it's not even close which game is the better open world.

That said, there's still a lot of games missing that could've replaced some others. Where's Killzone 2 or Black? Where's Uncharted? Gears of War 3? Horizon? What about Handheld systems? Tears of the Kingdom shouldn't be possible on the Switch, Golden Sun looked jaw droppingly good on the GBA. The Order should also be way higher, that game still looks like a current gen game if you ignore the blurr.

In the end, it's just another clickbait video, completely subjective witout any metric whatsoever.
 
kpopSuperstar said:
Full list:

20. Cyberpunk 2077
19. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
18. Crysis
17. Perfect Dark
16. Super Mario RPG
15. Doom 3
14. Vagrant Story
13. The Last of Us: Part II
12. The Order 1886
11. Xenoblade Chronicles
10. Crash Bandicoot
9. The Calisto Protocol
8. The Chronicles of Riddick
7. Microsoft Flight Simulator
6. Metro Exodus
5. L.A. Noire
4. Rogue Squadron II
3. Hellblade II
2. Myst
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
Click to expand...
I think back on the ps2, and still think MGS2 is the best game of that console with timeless visuals, art direction, and gameplay to boot.

Metro Exodus, Vagrant Story, and Mario RPG really aren't the best of their respective console or time. Why have any of those?

Chrono cross is a better looking ps1 game. Chrono Trigger dumps on Mario rpg. Exodus loses to things like Killzone 2 or last of us.
 
No love for Aladdin on Genesis, Metal Slug, Mark of the Wolves or Street Fighter 3.

Let's not forget Donkey Kong Country series.
 
I wouldn't even consider games with poor performance for the ranking. A game has to remain playable first and foremost.
 
Not a legendary game, but I'll always support the original F1 game on PS1 being fantastic looking. I wasnt even an F1 fan. I just took whichever driver had the red cars.

 
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I feel like there should be something using the RE Engine here. Capcom's been really front of the pack on experimenting with new lighting tech, like Path Tracing.
 
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