There’s been a quiet surge of players returning to GOTY 2023 and GOTY 2024 winners — partly because of Steam sales and DLC drops, but also because these games are becoming a kind of “performance checkpoint” for modern PCs.

What makes these two years interesting is how different they are technically:

So when players ask “Can my PC run these?” they’re really checking if their current hardware is still relevant for today’s AAA standards. To keep up with the rising hardware demands, our latest guide to the Best Gaming Laptops for Game Awards 2025 breaks down which machines can handle modern ray-tracing-first engines.

This guide summarizes the actual specs needed to run the GOTY winners from both years — which games are easy, which ones hit harder than expected, and what this trend means for PC performance heading into 2025.

GOTY 2023 & 2024 : Performance Snapshot

Here’s a quick look at what hardware you actually need to run the biggest GOTY winners from 2023 and 2024. These aren’t the “box label” specs — just the real-world GPU/CPU/RAM tiers that deliver smooth performance at 1080p or 1440p.

Why These Two Years Matter (2023 → 2024 Hardware Shift)

Looking at GOTY 2023 and 2024 side by side, you can see a clear pivot in how modern games use your hardware. These two years almost feel like a “before and after” snapshot of where AAA development is headed.

Even Baldur’s Gate 3, which is CPU-heavy, still performs beautifully on mid-range hardware because of how efficiently Larian tuned their systems.

Why It Matters

These two years sit right on the transition line.
2023 shows how well games can run when engines mature.
2024 shows where game development is actually heading.

Together, they form a perfect benchmark for players asking:

“Is my PC ready for the next wave of AAA games?”

Why People Are Revisiting TGA 2023 & 2024 Winners

It’s not unusual for older GOTY titles to surge in popularity again, but the recent spike around the 2023 and 2024 winners has a few very practical reasons behind it:

1. Steam Sales & Seasonal Discounts

Every major sale pushes players toward critically acclaimed titles — and GOTY winners are always the safest picks.
Baldur’s Gate 3, RE4 Remake, Lies of P, Tekken 8 — all regularly return to the front page during big promotions.

2. DLC & Major Updates

Games like Elden Ring, BG3, and Tekken 8 continue to receive updates, balance passes, and community content. When a patch lands, players return to “test” their builds or refresh their progress.

3. Sequel Announcements & Franchise Momentum

Whenever a studio teases a new entry, players naturally revisit the previous one.
This happened with RE4 → RE9 news, FFXVI PC release, and the continued interest in Remedy’s universe after Alan Wake 2.

4. New GPU Purchases

Many PC players treat GOTY winners as a “real benchmark” for a new graphics card.
If you bought an RTX 4060, 4070, or even a used 3060, the first thing you test isn’t a synthetic benchmark — it’s a GOTY-tier game.

5. Streamers & Content Creators Reviving Old Titles

A single Twitch or YouTube resurgence can drive tens of thousands of players back.
BG3 speedruns, RE4 challenges, and Lies of P no-hit videos keep these games alive far beyond their launch year.

6. Community Mods

Modding communities breathe extra life into titles like BG3, Elden Ring, RE4 Remake — and mod packs often require stronger hardware than the base game.

7. Nostalgia (Yes, Already)

Games move quickly now. A title from 2023 already feels “old,” and players revisit it the way they used to revisit 5-year-old games in the past. GOTY winners have that staying power.

In short:

People aren’t just replaying these games for fun — they’re using them as a checkpoint. These titles help players judge whether their current PC is still comfortable, or if the jump in hardware demand from 2023 → 2024 → 2025 is starting to catch up with them.

The 3 Most Demanding Games from TGA

Most GOTY titles from 2023 and 2024 run reasonably well on mid-range PCs, but a few stand out as genuine hardware stress tests. These games are the reason players upgrade GPUs, tweak settings, and question whether their PC is still “modern enough.” Here are the three biggest offenders — and what makes them so demanding.

Alan Wake 2 – The Ray-Tracing Benchmark of Its Generation

Alan Wake 2 isn’t just demanding — it’s the title people now use to measure RTX performance. Built on Remedy’s Northlight engine with a heavy focus on global illumination and cinematic lighting, the game leans aggressively into RT workloads.

Why it’s demanding:

• Designed around ray-traced lighting from the ground up
• High native resolution requirements
• UE5-level asset density
• Large streaming budget that punishes weak GPUs
• Heavy CPU-side RT data prep

Hardware impact:

• Non-RT mode: RTX 3060 is the minimum comfortable tier
• RT mode: RTX 4070 becomes the starting point
• VRAM: 8GB is tight — 12GB+ strongly preferred

Alan Wake 2 essentially previews where AAA lighting pipelines are heading.

Hogwarts Legacy – Big Open World, Bigger CPU Spikes

While technically not a pure “GOTY winner,” Hogwarts Legacy dominated awards and sits in the same performance conversation. It’s infamous for its inconsistent frametimes due to how the game loads assets, actors, and world chunks.

Why it’s demanding:

• Large streaming open world
• CPU-heavy city areas with many NPCs
• VRAM spikes on mid-range GPUs
• Shader compilation stutters on first loads

Hardware impact:

• GPU: GTX 1070 runs 1080p with compromises; RTX 3060 recommended
• CPU: 6-core minimum, 8-core ideal
• RAM: 16GB works, 32GB noticeably smoother

It’s a good example of how modern open-world titles stress every part of the system, not just the GPU.

Final Fantasy XVI (PC) – Smooth When It’s Smooth, Rough When It’s Not

The PC port of FFXVI can look stunning, but it struggles with shader compilation, particle density, and unoptimized frametime behavior between scenes.

Why it’s demanding:

• Shader compilation issues on mid-range CPUs
• Lots of real-time cinematic transitions
• High particle count in combat
• VRAM usage climbs at higher settings

Hardware impact:

• GPU: RTX 3070-class recommended for stable high settings
• CPU: Needs strong single-core clocks
• RAM: Benefits significantly from 32GB

It’s a reminder that even visually impressive titles can feel inconsistent if the CPU side isn’t well managed.

Together, these three games form the “hard limit” of GOTY-era performance.

If your PC can run them comfortably, you’re in great shape for almost every major release from the past two years—and likely for most of what’s coming in 2025.

Recommended PC Spec Tiers

You don’t need a high-end monster PC to enjoy most of the GOTY winners from the last two years — but there is a clear line between “can run everything with smart settings” and “effortlessly smooth.” Below are three realistic build tiers that match how these games behave in real-world testing, not theoretical benchmark conditions.

Conclusion

GOTY winners from 2023 and 2024 do more than showcase great games — they clearly mark how modern titles are shifting in hardware demand.
2023 showed how polished, scalable engines can still deliver top-tier experiences on mid-range PCs, while 2024 signaled the beginning of heavier rendering pipelines, higher VRAM expectations, and more CPU-intensive worlds.

For most players, this means your current PC is probably still capable — but the gap between “playable” and “smooth” has grown. If your system can handle the toughest titles from these two years, you’re set for what’s coming next. If not, even small upgrades (RAM, SSD, GPU tier bump) can dramatically improve your experience.

Think of GOTY 2023–2024 as a snapshot of where AAA performance is headed. If your PC holds up here, it’s ready for the near future. If it doesn’t, consider this a gentle heads-up before 2025’s demands fully land.