15 Must-Play Titles Boasting Astounding Physics for Every Gamer

For many gamers, physics in games is like some strange little creature that everyone discusses—praising or criticizing—but can’t quite spot at first glance. So why is it needed at all? It’s simple: it makes you believe in the reality of the game world (at least partially).

In game development, physics is mostly represented by an object’s mass and speed. If it’s a living creature, then its skeleton and the behavior of soft tissues are detailed, which is especially appealing to fans of female characters. In this list, we’ll talk about the best PC games with physics and touch on not only simulators but also popular titles.

Red Dead Redemption 2

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A frequent guest in our game collections, this project has many advantages, one of which is its physics. Arthur Morgan’s adventures across an emerging America captivate not only thanks to the stunning atmosphere, story, and graphics, but also their realism.

Because of the “ragdoll” technology, the bodies of people and animals behave close to real life. If you make an awkward misstep, Arthur won’t just slip off a texture—he’ll tumble down head over heels. If you shoot a bandit in the leg, he won’t just lose some health, he’ll start limping or fall over. The same applies to animals, for example, horses.

War Thunder

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It’s not only single-player projects that can boast realistic physics. This online military vehicle action game can also surprise you with that mechanic. Unlike its main competitor, War Thunder conveys the feeling of controlling multi-ton machines. If there’s a tank on your screen, you feel that it’s a massive piece of hardware. Meanwhile, wheeled vehicles differ significantly from tracked ones because of the physics not only for the vehicles themselves but also for the materials under them.

Naturally, this affects the game’s pace. If you end up in snowy terrain with a weak vehicle, you’ll be cursing that hunk of metal. You’ll want to hop out and walk off into the sunset. The same goes for aviation. The game features air resistance, so if you make a sharp maneuver, you’ll be left without wings. Closer to the ground, your speed increases, while at higher altitudes, maneuverability goes up.

It’s the same situation with ships. If a free “saltwater pool” opens up on the lower decks, the vessel will start listing and taking on even more water. A tight turn will cause a multi-ton ship to tip to one side.

Hellish Quart

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The key feature of this project is the realistic behavior of the virtual body. You have a simplified fencing simulator focused on online duels. Two characters fight each other, and you show off your skills. Don’t expect the same kind of madness as in Mortal Kombat.

The human models here follow the laws of in-game physics. They have mass and inertia, as well as a normal skeleton instead of a set of blocks. As a result, every sword swing or step has inertia, and every hit or wound affects the character’s movement.

SnowRunner

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Developers really love adding advanced physics to car simulators. Although SnowRunner can’t be called a highly sophisticated driving simulator, its physics are excellent—and they apply not just to the vehicles. Because this game is about controlling heavy trucks in off-road conditions, the combination of mechanics is quite interesting. The vehicles have realistic weight and center of mass, and the terrain features different materials with unique properties.

Simply put, a heavy truck will literally sink into the mud. And the mud isn’t just a texture—its soil has its own physics: tire ruts remain, and the ground varies in softness and viscosity. The same goes for snow and water. A strong river current can flip you over or carry you away.

By the way, you’ll be flipping over quite often. Trucks and trailers have centers of mass, meaning their height and width play a crucial role. A truck with a huge crane will start tipping over on every bump, while low, wide vehicles will stay stable on the surface.

GTA IV

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Whenever game physics is mentioned, GTA IV immediately comes to mind. This Rockstar project caused a real sensation and set a new standard for realism in games. The developers achieved this thanks to the unique Euphoria technology, which was used by the BBC studio when creating documentary films.

In GTA IV, the physics were astonishing. People moved and were subject to the forces acting upon them. If you simply shoved a passerby, they might realistically fall over, or they might regain their balance, stay upright, and punch you in the face. Shootouts turned into spectacular action scenes.

These features also extended to vehicles. Cars crumpled realistically, a bent fender could block a wheel, and in a collision, the driver and passengers were thrown from the car and rolled along the asphalt. Everything was perfect except the optimization. Euphoria was so demanding on hardware that the project still isn’t fully optimized.

Euro Truck Simulator 2

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Returning to truck driving, you can’t ignore the Euro Truck Simulator 2. You won’t be slogging through the mud here, but you can definitely give yourself a heart attack while driving—especially if you tweak the settings or install a couple of mods.

Trucks and cargo have mass and speed, which means inertia is also at play. At high speeds, that inertia is like a train, so you won’t be able to stop such a behemoth quickly. On top of that, the models have centers of mass, so rollovers do happen. Now add wet roads in the rain, and you have a very realistic truck simulator.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

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Enough driving on the ground—time to take to the skies. Flight simulators can also boast advanced physics, and here the king is Microsoft Flight Simulator. Of course, you can disable all these complex features and just fly, but we’re not chicks—we’re proud swans. So let’s crank the physics up to the max.

Air resistance, mass, and speed are the basics that no longer surprise anyone. A light Cessna takes off and lands like a feather, but lifting a heavy Airbus is already more complicated. Landing is a challenging quest for players. Simulation of air flow plays a big role in this. If you don’t have enough speed, you’ll experience a “stall,” and the plane will drop like a rock and spin into a nose dive. On high difficulty settings, temperature also comes into play.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is the continuation of the epic open-world RPG that transports players to a harsh medieval era. Times of ruthless clashes, knightly valor, and intrigue demand not only strength and agility but also strategic thinking, diplomacy, and loyalty to one’s cause.

Take on the role of a brave hero whose fate is intertwined with the great events of the age. Players will have to fight for their place in this world, participate in large-scale battles, explore the vastness of historically accurate Europe, and make pivotal decisions.

The second installment brings many innovations: an improved combat system, an expanded world, an even more detailed storyline campaign, and numerous side quests. At the same time, the developers have preserved the realistic storytelling approach, adding new mechanics that make the game even deeper and more engaging.

Universe Sandbox

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Physics is at the core of the universe. Why don’t planets just fly away from the Sun in all directions? Because they’re held by the mass of our star. Why are black holes so dangerous and emit no light? Because they’re so massive that even light can’t escape their gravity. The Universe Sandbox simulator models the laws of physics and lets you run the wildest experiments.

For instance, take Jupiter. It’s a gas giant, and if you give it more mass, thermonuclear reactions will start, and the planet will turn into a dwarf star. Or you can skip the small stuff and add a black hole to our solar system. Or just bombard Earth with asteroids and see what happens. And it’s all done according to real physical laws.

Space Engineers

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Before leaving outer space entirely, let’s mention another sandbox with advanced physics. Space Engineers is a simulator of construction in space and on planets with survival elements. You can build anything here—from a base and mining factories to spaceships and ground vehicles. There’s complete freedom of creativity. Nothing limits you from building a giant space carrier or a factory on an asteroid—except physics and basic engineering principles.

Space itself greets you with zero gravity, so objects won’t encounter air resistance and will drift away. That’s why if you don’t install maneuvering and braking thrusters on your ship, you’ll only be able to fly forward without stopping. All equipment needs power sources.

Planets aren’t simple either. They have their own gravitational pull, and entering the atmosphere requires different engines. Plus, you’ll need powerful thrusters to leave a planet’s surface; otherwise, gravity won’t let you reach orbit.

WRC 10

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Let’s return to driving simulators. This time, it’s the real deal—WRC (World Rally Championship) 10. The game features actual rally championships with recreated tracks and teams. Besides having very beautiful graphics, this simulator can also boast excellent physics.

We won’t even talk about mass and speed—they’re spot-on. But in addition to these core mechanics, other factors also affect your driving. You can tweak all the car’s internals and its tire grip. This matters because each road surface has its own properties. Even different types of dirt have unique features, so you’ll have to adjust your car for each track individually.

Assetto Corsa

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This racing simulator is geared toward serious realism. Don’t expect an easy cruise like in NFS—here, everything is for real. To succeed in Assetto Corsa, you practically have to “eat a dog” in car settings. (Okay, let’s leave the dog out of it.) We’re talking about the game’s physics. Everything influences your vehicle—from friction to air resistance and downforce—and you need to adjust it.

Although races mainly occur on paved tracks, you constantly have to battle not only your opponents but also your own car. At best, a minor collision at high speed will cause you to lose speed; at worst, you’ll spin out and get thrown off the track. Even tire wear is implemented here, which is already a serious indicator for a video game.

Arma 3

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We can’t ignore the military simulator Arma 3. There’s no “ragdoll” technology here, but the game’s physics behave properly. Thanks to detailed skeletons, characters move realistically, with mass and inertia. You can’t instantly switch from a run to a walk, and the weight of your weapon makes aiming a challenge. Not to mention that characters have so many different stances relative to the ground that you wouldn’t use that many in real life.

Vehicles also have their own physics model. Depending on the chassis, ground vehicles differ in off-road capability and speed, and they have mass and suspension sway. Air vehicles are also handled very well. A key feature for a shooter, though, is ballistics. Every projectile isn’t just a bunch of numbers for speed and damage—bullets have penetrating power and mass, so they’re subject to gravity and won’t fly straight forever.

Death Stranding

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Not everyone understood the genius of this game by a genius developer, but we’ll leave that discussion for another time. We’re here for the physics. In Death Stranding, you’ll be doing a lot of walking. You’ll definitely hit your 10,000-step daily goal, but is it fun? Surprisingly, yes: delivering cargo in a post-apocalyptic world is genuinely enjoyable. Even if the plot seems too genius to grasp, the graphics and physics will certainly amaze you.

To keep players from getting bored trekking thousands of miles, the developers gave the main character physical attributes and an advanced skeleton. Cargo has weight and size, so you literally have to balance yourself to avoid falling. Even a short walk with containers on your back can be challenging, depending on the terrain. The landscape is diverse, and materials have distinct properties, making it a true walking simulator.

BeamNG.drive

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When it comes to physics, BeamNG.drive can safely be called the king among car simulators. This project is mind-blowing in its realism. If you’ve ever wanted to test a car’s durability, this is your place. Ever seen crash tests of cars? That’s exactly what happens here. Each vehicle has hundreds of parameters, including realistic material settings. The car body will crumple just like in real life, depending on the strength of the parts and the collision speed.

At the same time, BeamNG.drive is not a hardcore simulator. Anyone can jump in and drive around. It’s not just a game—it’s an entire playground. Enthusiasts host online races on specialized tracks and add new vehicles.

In this collection, we’ve listed 15 games of various genres with the best physics. Certainly, there are other worthy projects with realistic mechanics, character behavior, and vehicle dynamics. We’d love to hear about your favorite games in the comments!

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