No Man's Sky (Hello Games – PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, PC) ... Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED – PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Stadia, PC) ... Horizon Forbidden West (Guerilla Games – PS4, PS5) ... Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games – PS4, PS5) ... God of War (Santa Monica Studios – PS4, PC) More items...
First introduced in 2005 with Gran Turismo 4, photo mode has become a staple of gaming. Players spend countless hours getting the perfect Instagram-worthy shot of their characters, vehicles, or in-game environment and landscapes. Gamers are turned into photographers and are always eager to share their best shots on social media with other fans. In this article, we look at some of the most popular games for virtual photography, from the Wild West to the depths of space, understanding how technical and graphical advancements have made games prettier but more difficult to run. We’ll also have a look at some of the most demanding PC games to run and their system requirements.
Game Year released Total Number of Instagram Posts Number of Photography Posts Percentage of Game Photography Red Dead Redemption 2 2018 2186388 457005 20.90% Ghost of Tsushima 2020 380397 65990 17.35% No Man's Sky 2016 195557 27905 14.27% Cyberpunk 2077 2020 1051955 83145 7.90% Horizon Forbidden West 2022 148846 7824 5.26% Spider-Man: Miles Morales 2020 84283 2719 3.23% Death Stranding 2019 379743 9657 2.54% God of War 2018 1199637 24572 2.05% Grand Theft Auto V 2013 8216777 164451 2.00% Assassin's Creed Valhalla 2020 328597 6107 1.86%
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games - PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia)
Being one of the most realistic video games to date, Rockstar’s highly anticipated prequel tops our list as the most popular game for photography, with a fifth of user generated content on Instagram being in-game photography[JF([CTEUI1] . From the character and weapons models to the animations and lifelike environment, pictures from this game – especially with maxed-out graphics on PC – will sometimes have you second-guessing whether they’re real life or not.
Image Source: Jack Heisenburg https://jackheisenburg.co.uk/
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions – PS4, PS5)
Featuring an amazing open world, lighting, and attention to detail, Ghost of Tsushima makes being a samurai look so good.. The game has one of the most in-depth photo modes, allowing you to adjust focal length, aperture, and focus distance, just like on a real camera. Other adjustable elements include color grading, time of day, clouds and particles, and even the wind direction. It’s easy to get lost for hours in photo mode to get the perfect shot, so it’s no wonder there have been almost 66,000 photography posts on Instagram with game-specific photography hashtags.
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games – PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, PC)
An infinite universe calls for an infinite number of pictures. With its procedurally generated planets, environments, flora and fauna[JF([CTEUI1] , this open-world survival game screams creativity, allowing players to create the perfect picture on the perfect planet. Whether it's a rocky mountain or a lush underwater cave, dreamy landscapes that are perfect for in-game photography are in abundance in No Man’s Sky. To date, players have shared over 27,000 shots of their picture-perfect landscapes on Instagram.
Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED – PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Stadia, PC)
The world of Cyberpunk 2077 is like no other and looks incredible, especially at night where the lighting effects – enhanced with ray-tracing capable machines – really shine. Cyberpunk’s advanced photo mode allows the player to change the character’s pose, depth of field, or color adjustments to take amazing shots of the detailed dystopian world in which the game unfolds. A unique aesthetic combined with an elaborate photo mode makes it a perfect game for virtual photography –7.9% of posts related to the game are virtual photography posts.
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerilla Games – PS4, PS5)
The latest installment of the Horizon series already has players using its photographic potential. The release of the game on the next generation of consoles means the graphics have been improved from the first game. The vast post-apocalyptic open world is filled with jaw-dropping landscapes and creatures, making it a sci-fi heaven for gaming photographers. Even though the game was recently released, 8,000 virtual photography posts of the game have already been shared on Instagram.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games – PS4, PS5)
This game allows players to suit up as one of Marvel’s most beloved superheroes in an impressively realistic virtual New York City. The PS5 launch title really showcases the graphical advancements of next-gen consoles. With detailed textures and ray tracing technology, those pictures of Miles Morales swinging between buildings are more realistic than ever and guaranteed to please all photo mode adepts.
Death Stranding (Kojima Productions – PS4, PS5, PC)
From the first hours, Death Stranding establishes a detailed and somber scene in a world filled with striking landscapes that will captivate players. Landscapes are so realistic, it can feel like a movie. The game’s thorough photo mode lets the players make all the adjustments they want to the camera, along with a variety of poses and facial expressions to choose from, making for the perfect picture.
God of War (Santa Monica Studios – PS4, PC)
Winner of multiple awards, including visual achievements, God of War has showcased some of the best graphics on the PS4 version, but the PC release improves its visual fidelity even further. This stunning open world is filled with a variety of majestic locations that beg to be explored in photo mode. Players have already been using it to take shots of the characters during epic battles and relaxing landscapes.
Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games – PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC)
The second best-selling game of all time, GTA V, has been released on multiple platforms over the years, with each generation improving its graphics. This living open world has immersed players all over the world and the variety of locations and vehicles available make it picture worthy.
Image Source: Petri Levälahti www.berdu.org/
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Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft – PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC)
Ubisoft spent time researching and scouting real-life locations to build a believable world based on 9th century England for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. This has resulted in a believable open-world game with amazing graphics and details, which can be showcased in the game and be displayed in the dedicated photo mode.
Most Graphic Intensive Games
Having beautiful or almost photorealistic graphics comes at a cost, which means it can’t be achieved on just any system. To handle those graphics at high resolutions, computers often need to have top-notch components. We’ve compiled some of the most notoriously difficult-to-run PC games and ranked them by the performance of their recommended components.
Game Recommended CPU Recommended RAM** Recommended GPU Recommended Storage** PC Score* Red Dead Redemption 2 Intel Core i7-4770K / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X 12 GB RAM Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 480 4GB 150 GB 7.2/10 Cyberpunk 2077 Intel Core i7-4790 / AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 16 GB RAM Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super / AMD Radeon RX 590 70 GB 7.7/10 Forza Horizon 5 Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X 16 GB RAM Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 / AMD RX 590 110 GB 8.5/10 Metro Exodus Intel Core i7-4770k 8 GB RAM Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 / AMD RX VEGA 56 59 GB 8.8/10 Battlefield 2042 Intel Core i7-4790 / AMD Ryzen 7 2700X 16 GB RAM Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 / AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT 100 GB 8.9/10 Hitman 3 Intel Core i7-4790 16 GB RAM Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 / AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB 60 GB 9.2/10 Elden Ring Intel Core i5-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 16 GB RAM Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB / AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB 60 GB 9.4/10 Dying Light 2: Stay Human Intel Core i5-8600K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 16 GB RAM Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB / AMD RX Vega 56 8GB 60 GB 9.4/10 Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond Intel i7 9700K 16 GB RAM Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 180 GB 10/10
Survivalist Pro
Photo: Eren Li
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