Ultrawide gaming monitors can seem excessive compared to regular 16:9 gaming screens, especially when their demanding resolutions often require powerful and expensive graphics cards to make the most of them. Once you try one, though, there's no going back. I've been a big fan of ultrawide gaming monitors for years now, as their extra screen space not only makes them great for juggling multiple desktop windows, but supported PC games also look uttery fantastic on them - and to prove it, I've put together this list of the best ultrawide games on PC.
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Below you'll find over 30 of my favourite ultrawide PC games, complete with GIFs and photos of them running in ultrawide so you can see exactly what they look like in the flesh. Not all PC games support ultrawide resolutions, I should point out, and those that don't will leave you with unsightly black bars down either side of the screen. The good news is that more and more PC games are getting ultrawide support these days, and for a full list of games that support 21:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios, check out the list compiled by the good folks over at PC Gaming Wiki. Here, though, I've focused on games that absolutely demand to be played in ultrawide because they're so gosh darn gorgeous.
In no particular order, here are the best ultrawide PC games that should be your first port of call for playing on a new ultrawide gaming monitor. They range from big blockbusters to stunning indie classics, and cover a huge range of genres, from action adventure games and first person shooters to real time strategy titles and intense simulation games. There's truly something for everyone here. We also answer your burning questions about what the best ultrawide gaming monitor is and what kind of graphics card you need to play ultrawide games in our FAQ section right at the bottom of this article. For now, though, here are the 35 best PC games that demand to be played in ultrawide.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best-looking PC games of all time, and it looks even more sumptuous in ultrawide. I played a good chunk of Rockstar's epic wild west rustle 'em up on the 32:9 Samsung CRG9 when it came in for testing, and you can read more about my ultrawide cowboy experience here. Of course, Red Dead 2 is an impressive technical showcase regardless of whether you're playing in ultrawide or 16:9, but stretching out that horizon feels like it was meant to be on PC. Plus, that increased draw distance really does lend itself to some really quite lovely panoramic views.
I have never been very good at driving games. Braking is not a thing I comprehend when sitting behind the wheels of virtual cars (I blame too many years of pedal-to-the-metal Mario Kart racing), so I often spend a lot of time crashing instead of crossing the finishing line. I also have a bad habit of spending too much time gawping at the scenery, which is a very easy thing to do in Forza Horizon 4, especially when there's so damn much of it.
Back when I was a wee lass who spent most of her early PC gaming years playing endless amounts of Warcraft II on our family computer because it was precisely one of three PC games we actually owned, the one thing I would have given an arm or leg for was just more map space to see ever-growing settlement in all its glory. In ultrawide, Age of Empires II, that dream has finally become a reality.
As I said earlier, space games are 100% more epic when played in ultrawide, and for me, No Man's Sky is the ultimate kind of space game (sorry Elite Dangerous fans). I just love the feeling of touching down on a brand-new planet and hopping out of my space ship to go and explore. There's no telling what's out there, but in ultrawide, you know it's going to be infinitely more epic than regular old 16:9.
With so much of the screen occupying your field of view, you quickly enter the same kind of trance when playing in ultrawide, where the void bleeds into your peripheral vision and all that matters is the glowing beetle in front of you. Everything else becomes irrelevant. You are the beetle now, and the glowing track your bid for freedom.
Speaking of trance-like rhythm games, Rez Infinite is another one that really benefits from having an ultrawide screen at your disposal. Like Thumper, I've only ever played Rez Infinite in VR, but by golly does playing it in ultrawide come a very close second.
Yes, Yakuza 0 can sometimes feel like it's just a bunch of mini-games masquerading as a walking-talking gangster suit, but as anyone who's spent a day in Kiryu Kazuma's shoes will know, it's the bustling city of Kamurocho that really brings this game to life. So what better way to experience its crowded streets and neon-coloured nightlife than by opening up the edges of your screen and taking in the sights ultrawide-style?
Now, I'll be upfront. This is the first game on this list where its 'native' ultrawide support can feel a bit half-hearted at times. It's ultrawide for the most part, but cutscenes and those sweet, sweet finishing moves Kiryu doles out in his many bust-ups all cut back to 16:9. It's a shame, as I would really like to see Kiryu smash a bicycle over a delinquent's head without the screen suddenly cutting inwards and diminishing the sheer silliness of it all.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that all space games look better in ultrawide, and Warframe is no exception. Whether you're just chilling out on your ship or dashing across its plentiful hub worlds, the game's sense of scale increases dramatically when you're able to soak in more of the sights.
If you weren't already convinced that Sea of Thieves has the best water in all video games, playing it in ultrawide is all the proof you need. There's simply no beating it, whether you're gazing down at your ship from the top of a nearby island or you've just come ashore and you're taking it all in from the beach. It truly does not get any better than this.
FAR: Lone Sails was one of my favourite games of 2018, and it is absolutely made to be played on an ultrawide monitor. After all, this is about a long, winding journey from west to east, so why not reflect that with an extra-long monitor?
Metro Exodus is one of the most impressive looking games of 2019, and so naturally it looks even more glorious when played in ultrawide. I mean, when even the menu screen looks this good, you know you're in for a real treat.
Of course, previous Metro games have all taken place underground for the most part, so playing those earlier entries in ultrawide doesn't look nearly as spectacular. Metro Exodus, on the other hand, finally moves the action above ground, making it a prime candidate for lots of ultrawide loveliness.
Like a lot of the games I've talked about so far, the best thing about playing Metro Exodus in ultrawide is how it emphasises the sheer vastness of the world around you. You really get the sense that this is a huge, barren wasteland you're dealing with here, and that you could probably walk for miles and miles into the distance and still not get very far. Of course, a lot of Metro Exodus' environments aren't nearly as large as they might first appear, but the important thing is that they look massive.
Ubisoft are pretty good at including ultrawide support in their games, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey is no different. Not only is this one of the best looking Assassin's Creed games, but it's also one of the most colourful, with loads of islands appearing in their full autumnal glory - which naturally makes for quite a sight when played in ultrawide.
Of all the games on this list, Everybody's Gone To The Rapture definitely makes for the best GIFs. I just love gawping at Yaughton's country lanes and village greens, especially when those playful beams of memory light zig and zag across the horizon. It's a beautiful thing to watch, and it's made all the more lovely by watching it in ultrawide. Truthfully, though, it was that very first scene that sold me on Everybody's Gone To The Rapture's ultrawide promise, as watching its 16:9 illustration window fade into its much larger game world sent proper shivers down my spine.
Heaven's Vault almost didn't make this list, if only because I had a bit of trouble getting its ultrawide support to play nicely with the CRG9's mad aspect ratio. Menu text kept getting cut off the top and bottom, and I fear its 'native' ultrawide support may still need a little work on regular 21:9 screen as well. Still, I kept it in simply because a) it still looks lovely in ultrawide, and b) ermagerd so much space for those very long translations!
You know the drill by now. Space games = great ultrawide fodder, and Destiny 2 is arguably the most epic one of the lot. Even its loading screens look incredible with its big planets hanging across the entire screen and your zippy little space ship going pew pew as it finally corrects course and heads down to the action.
Dishonored 2 is one of the best games of the last ten years, and it only gets better when played in ultrawide. Whether it's your first time breaking out of Dunwall or your fifteenth attempt at skulking through the hazy streets of Karnaca's Dust District, Dishonored 2 is a real ultrawide delight.
Perhaps the ultimate game for playing on a ludicrous ultrawide monitor, I would be completely remiss if I didn't have American Truck Simulator on here somewhere. Indeed, look up 'freedom' in the dictionary and you'll see something that looks a lot like this.
Finally, we come to the last game on my list of best ultrawide games, Batman Arkham Knight. Technically, all three of the Arkham games have ultrawide support, but Knight is arguably the one that makes the biggest and boldest impression, if only because you've got the whole of Gotham City to coo over instead of just tiny sections of it. Just look at that moody night sky! 2ff7e9595c
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