Games with Built-In Benchmarks Introduction
We like numbers, especially when the FPS is high up and the resolution comes with a K. What we probably love even more is comparing numbers and see who scores higher. Now, there’s plenty of ways to do that if you’re gaming on PC, and with games nowadays becoming quite taxing, being able to run them can also be a badge of honor or bragging rights. So, if you want to test out your PC’s performance and compare notes with your friends, or you just want to optimize your in-game settings, here are 7 games with built-in benchmarks to make things easier for you.
Forspoken
Forspoken probably isn’t everyone’s game. It sure as hell wasn’t mine. But never let it be said that the game isn’t one of the best looking ones out there available now. You play as Frey Holland, an angry and angsty heroine isekai’d to a fantasy world full of magic and explosive combat. But $70 for a glorified tech demo? Ridiculous! The demo unfortunately doesn’t have the built-in benchmark available, so you’ll have to purchase the full version in order to test it out. You can run the benchmark tool straight from the main menu. Can’t miss it.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
As tradition with modern Assassin’s Creed titles, Assassin’s Creed Mirage also comes staple with the built-in benchmark tool to help you test out your system’s performance. The game doesn’t have Ray Tracing even for an AAA game in 2023, but you can run it on 8K if your system can handle it. Probably with the help of DLSS or FSR. But yeah, you can also run the benchmark tool straight from the settings.
Cyberpunk 2077
Back when Cyberpunk 2077 was first released, it didn’t have a built-in benchmark tool. It’s a shame, really. Definitely a missed opportunity for testing Ray Tracing with the neon sprawled Night City. As busy as busy gets. Thankfully with the 1.5 update, things have gotten a lot easier now as you can simply crank everything to Ultra and see how far your PC’s performance can go. Just go to Settings, then to Graphics, and press B or click RUN BENCHMARK to run the benchmark. The process, easy enough. Getting a high framerate on RTX Psycho? Not so much.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Not as recent as the other titles in the list. But hey, you’re not stuck with running Shadow of the Tomb Raider for god knows how many times already. It’s a surprise hit back in 2017 as a PS4 exclusive, and three years after we get a decent port that’s more of an upgrade. Plenty of fun to be had here besides having to benchmark your PC if that was your intention.
No demos here to give you a built-in benchmark tool for free, but the game gets cheap from time to time if you’re on the lookout during a seasonal steam sale. To run the benchmark, just go to Settings, then go to the Graphics tab, and press X to run the benchmark. And fun fact, it runs on the same engine Death Stranding does.
Red Dead Redemption II
Red Dead Redemption II is probably one of the oldest games in this list, but to this date, it’s still one of the most graphically gorgeous games you can get for your money. And that’s despite the fact that it doesn’t even have Ray Tracing, not officially. Still a demanding game nonetheless, so it’s definitely one to push your hardware to its limits. To run the benchmark tool, go to Settings, then Graphics, then press Run Benchmark.
The Callisto Protocol
Striking Distance Studios/KRAFTON
The Callisto Protocol is still on the expensive side of things, but if you’re a fan of horror titles, getting this title on sale can be a good decision you make. You get a good enough modern survival horror game, and you get an easy-to-run benchmark tool. But yeah, between you and me, just get Dead Space Remake. If you do decide on this, you can run the benchmark from the Graphics Settings. You can choose graphics preset or go crazy on cranking everything to Ultra, including Ray Tracing options.
Forza Horizon 5
If you already have Game Pass and you love racing sims, why not try and have a little bit of fun with Forza Horizon 5? It’s an enjoyable racing title, and it does get the adrenaline pumping. And it looks damn great especially with Ray Tracing set to the Extreme. To get started on benchmarking, go to Settings, then to the Graphics tab, and click on Start Benchmark Mode.
Closing Thoughts
For our benchmarks (CPU/GPU), we try to use actual in-game scenes to produce results but we also do use canned benchmarks for some games especially if they use scenes that tax the system far more than a regular gaming session would. If you want to compare performance in forums or social media, any of the benchmarks above will provide a uniform test scene making it easy to compare with other people.
These 7 games with built-in benchmark tools can help you get a good measure on your system’s performance. They can definitely push your gaming setup to the extreme, and it can also help you fine tune the settings to see what works and what doesn’t.
