Top 7 Best PC Games Under 5GB

While mobile games are nice and all, nothing beats playing an actual video game on a PC. However, not all PC are equal - some are much weaker than others. In this article, we are going to list out the top 7 best PC games under 5GB that even a machine from the 2000s can play. To prevent repetition, this list will be genre-based, with one game from each.

1 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (RPG)

Size: 5 GB

If you want a small yet beefy RPG that you can play for hours on end, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion should be one of your top choices. The fourth entry of the Elder Scrolls series brings you to the central continent of Tamriel, Cyrodil. Your main character then gets tangled into a demonic plot of invasion. You need to find and protect the true king otherwise all is lost.

Gameplay-wise, TES IV is as loyal to the "sword & sorcery" RPG formula as they come, with your character having skill trees in weapons, bows and various schools of magic. The quests in IV are arguably best written amongst all TES games.

2 - Half-Life & Its expansion Blue Shift and Opposing Forces (Singleplayer FPS)

Size: 2GB

If you are looking for a story-based FPS to play, the Half-Life trilogy is pretty much the best you could find. In the main entry, you would control scientist Gordon Freeman, who causes an interdimensional catastrophe the first day he goes to work. Your task is to shoot your way out before the base is nuked.

Gameplay-wise, Half-Life is a combination of amazing level design, great atmosphere and voiceless storytelling. There are a lot of weapons for you to try, both mundane and alien... and they are all fun to use.

The two expansions are more or less the same as HL, with a different protagonist. The main character of Blue Shift is Gordon's friend Barney while the protagonist of Opposing Forces is a soldier named Adrian Shephard.

3 - Counter-Strike (Multiplayer FPS)

Size: Less than 1 GB

In 2020, the only multiplayer FPS that a 20 years old PC can play is Counter-Strike. It is a mod of Half Life that was turned into a real video game... and has been very popular ever since. The gameplay is rather simple - you join one of two squads, one attacks the bomb site and one defends it.

With the game being one of the first (if not the first Esports competitive shooters), the mechanics are more or less the same as any other FPS. Scope? Grenade? Weapon classes? All of them are familiar.

>>> Read more: Top 10 Best Open World Games For Low End PC

4 - Faster Than Light (Turn-Based Strategy)

Size: Less than 1 GB

This game would put you inside a starship and go on an adventure through a randomly generated galaxy. The best part of FTL is probably the gameplay. You would feel like an actual space captain, with an actual spaceship at your disposal.

Every encounter in the game presents a unique challenge with multiple solutions. What will you do if a heavy missile barrage shuts down your shields? You can either power up additional weapons to blow your enemy up, send crew members to patch up the engine, or even teleport over their ship to fight with a boarding party.

5 - Need For Speed (HP2, U, U2, MW, C) (Racing)

Size: 4 GB

If you are looking for a good, light racing game to play on your 2000s PC, the Need for Speed franchise is the top choice. 2002’s Hot Pursuit 2, 2003’s Underground, 2004’s Underground 2, 2005’s Most Wanted and 2006’s Carbon are about the same as each other - great racing experience under 5GB.

All the games mentioned above have great customizations and racing mechanics. But if you were to choose one, the Underground series is probably the best amongst them.

6 - GTA San Andreas (RPG)

Size: 4.5 GB

While GTA San Andreas is also the same genre as TES, its modern theme is very different. This is why it gets a slot on this list. The story puts you into the shoes of protagonist CJ, whose job is to bring his family back from the dumps and rise to the top of the city.

Gameplay-wise, GTA: SA is filled with third-person shooter combat, along with vehicle-based adventures. This is probably the best game in the 3D era, with the most engaging stories and the highest number of new mechanics and missions.

7 - Red Alert series (Real-Time Strategy)

Size: 2 GB

Red Alert 2 is one of the most played RTS in the 2000s. In this game, players are taken to an alternate timeline in which the Soviet Union never fails. This then leads to World War 3 with the Allied forces against the Red Menace.

The main objective of the game is to defeat enemy commanders, played by AI or human opponents, by destroying their bases to the point of enemy capitulation. Players need to work on their own base to collect resources and produce units, which are essential in completing the main objective. The winner is declared once all enemy commanders have been destroyed.

This is the end of our list for the Best PC Games Under 5GB. Interested in more of our posts related to video games? Please check out this article to find out more about the Top 8 Games For PC Like Clash of Clans.