If you are looking for an intensive CPU game to benchmark your processor, in this guide, we have compiled some of the top most cpu intensive games that monopolize the most resources on the market.
Currently, most modern games rely more on the graphics card (GPU) than on the CPU. However, some games and the scenarios of certain games can actually use the CPU very intensively.
For example, MMOs, in general, can be especially demanding for the processor during major battles where many characters are present. First-person shooters can also be especially demanding with your CPU in multiplayer mode, where there are many other players.
Strategy and Sim games can also push your processor to its limits. The more your sim grows, the more entities you have to consider, and the more the processor will be used.
In this article, we have put together a list of seven different heavy CPU games. You can use these games to analyze and check the CPU load (although, only for stress tests, a synthetic tool for CPU stress tests would be a better option ) to give you a better idea of what your system is capable of doing.
Before we start with the games, however, keep in mind that this is not a complete list of the most CPU intensive games. No doubt, there are more cpu intensive games, and as time passes, we are likely to update this list (in fact, if you have a game that should be included, let us know in the comments!).
But, in short, if you are looking to test your processor, these demanding CPU games will allow you to do so.
# Civilization 5 Or 6
Civilization is a 4x strategy game developed by Sid Meier. It is a game in which your goal is to guide your civilization from its dawn and through history. The game itself definitely departs from its predecessors by radically changing the gameplay in terms of fighting, cities and technology. Use a completely new engine based on hexagonal tiles instead of a square.
When you start playing Civilization, it may not seem like a big challenge to your CPU, but this changes the more you play. As the game progresses to more modern periods, AI has to make more and more decisions in the background. This is especially true on the Epic map, in which the latest game turns can last up to 10 minutes.
#Grand Theft Auto 5
Launched in 2013 by Rockstar, Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the most popular games ever released. Somehow, following the traditional formula of the previous games in the saga. One of the most significant differences in this fifth installment is that instead of a protagonist, there are three, and you can switch between them during free-form missions. Grand Theft Auto 5 also comes with a lot of secondary content to do everything from triathlon to exploring the ocean with a submarine.
That said, this huge open-world has its cost. This game can test your CPU depending on what actions you take in the game, and there will be a noticeable slowdown if the CPU is not within the recommended specifications. So, if you are looking for a fun, open world in which to test your processor, Grand Theft Auto 5 is an option worth considering.
# Stellaris
Stellaris came up a bit by surprise in 2016 and quickly became the new favorite massive 4x strategy game. Starting with a single planet, little by little, you build your empire and try to conquer the galaxy. The game itself relies heavily on customization, allowing you to design everything from your ships to your race. So, if you’ve ever wanted to take a race of humanoid snails to intergalactic conquest, Stellaris is your game.
That said, depending on the size of the map and how many other races are involved, you may get your CPU into trouble at some time. The more the game gets longer, the more fleets, planets, and so on have to handle the AI. Although Stellaris is a fairly well-optimized game, it becomes more CPU-intensive the more you dive into it.
# Total War: WARHAMMER 2
Total War: WARHAMMER 2 is one of the most recent editions of the long Total War series. The Total War: WARHAMMER 2 is a turn-based strategy game where you control an empire to try to conquer the world. The game is set in the Warhammer universe, which means there is a deeper background story than what you normally see in other Total War games.
Managing your empire is only one aspect of the game, and the real fun comes when it is time to take your armies to the battlefield. Each faction has entire armies composed of exclusive units, which means that a different style of play is required for each faction.
The battlefield is also where the CPU is most demanded. Depending on the size of the different armies involved and if there is a city nearby, you can expect a fairly heavy load on the CPU. It is highly recommended that you deactivate some of the most demanding settings if your PC is not up to par.
# Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Assassin’s Creed: Origins is the latest addition to Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series. This game is set in ancient Egypt, during the time of Cleopatra. The title continues in the wave of the previous games, being the main objectives of the murders, the secondary missions and the collections.
This game also introduces a sand system. The main character is a man named Medjay, and although you don’t have to be familiar with the stories from the previous games to understand the plot, it always helps.
We can say that Assassin’s Creed: Origins is a beautiful game, but it makes really intensive use of the CPU as one of the most cpu intensive games. Due to the open-world nature of the game, many different things are happening at the same time. This is especially true during the fighting sequences in the arenas, and it will be in them where you see more significant slowdowns.
# Far Cry 5
Far Cry 5 is a first-person shooter developed in an open world designed by Ubisoft. The game is set in Hope County, Montana, where a preacher named Joseph Seed has taken control of the county.
This title continues with the same format as the previous installments, with a series of points that you have to release to advance in the plot. Far Cry 5 also has the distinction of being the first Far Cry game in which you can customize the protagonist.
In Far Cry 5, the main test for your CPU will be the fighting. This is especially true when it comes to releasing one of the outposts. The greater the battle, the more load the computer will have. So it is advisable to have a powerful CPU before playing this game.
# Cities: Skylines
Published by Paradox in 2015, Cities: Skyline is a popular city building game in its most classic style. The gaming experience itself is quite simple: you have a plot of land, and you have to move on to design your perfect city. The game has an incredible amount of customization options, as well as a very active modding community.
Cities: Skyline has surpassed SimCity to become the new king of the city-building genre. While its initial release lacked some of SimCity’s most common features (catastrophes, for example), Paradox has accelerated and added more of those features through DLC and updates.
Save well, like other games on this list of most cpu intensive games, when you start playing, it does not seem to consume many CPU resources. Real problems begin to arise when your city begins to grow and expand. The larger your city, the greater the load the processor will support.
This especially notable in things like traffic. So, depending on the type of gaming computer you have, you may want to consider limiting the map size to reduce the CPU intensive nature of the final stages of the game.
