Best Games for GTX 970

The GeForce GTX 970 is over a decade old, but it is still in a lot of systems. With 4GB of VRAM (really 3.5GB fast + 0.5GB slow) and no DLSS or real ray tracing support, it cannot keep up with new RTX cards at 1440p. At 1080p with tuned settings, though, it still runs a huge library well. If you own one and are deciding what to buy next — games or a GPU — this is what actually works.

What the GTX 970 can still do in 2026

In practice, a GTX 970 is a 1080p medium card. Expect 60 fps in most pre-2019 AAA games at high settings, 45-60 fps in lighter post-2020 games at medium, and 100+ fps in competitive shooters if you turn things down. The main failure mode is VRAM. Once a game wants more than 3.5GB at 1080p — common with ultra textures, ray tracing, or unoptimized ports — you get stutter, not just lower fps. That stutter does not go away by lowering resolution alone; you have to drop texture quality and shadow quality first.

Do not buy new AAA games expecting high/ultra 1080p/60 on this card. Buy with the plan to run medium with a few tweaks. The cheaper option — keeping the 970 and buying older or well-optimized games — is fine if you play at 1080p/60Hz. If you bought a 1440p 144Hz monitor, the 970 is the bottleneck and no settings trick will fix that.

Best value picks that run great

These are the safest buys for a 970 owner. They are cheap now, they were tested heavily on Maxwell-era hardware, and they stay above 60 fps without looking bad.

Grand Theft Auto V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Fallout 4, and Doom (2016) are the core list. All four run at 1080p high with 60-75 fps on a stock 970. Witcher 3 needs HairWorks off and foliage distance on high, not ultra. Doom 2016 with Vulkan is especially smooth — often 70-90 fps — and is a better fit than Doom Eternal if you hate tweaking.

Elden Ring, Sekiro, Dark Souls III, and Monster Hunter: World also work, with a caveat. FromSoftware games are capped or CPU-sensitive. On a 970, run Elden Ring at 1080p medium with shadows on low and expect 45-55 fps in open areas, 60 in dungeons. It is playable, but not locked 60. Sekiro and Dark Souls III are easier: 1080p high, locked 60 for most players. Buy Elden Ring if you tolerate dips; buy Sekiro if you want perfect smoothness.

Competitive games: Valorant, CS2, Overwatch 2, Rocket League, Fortnite (Performance Mode). This is where the 970 still shines for 1080p high-refresh monitors. Valorant and CS2 will do 120-200 fps on low-medium competitive settings. Fortnite only works well in Performance Mode — DirectX 12 Epic settings will overwhelm the VRAM and stutter. If you mainly play these, keep the 970 and spend money on a better CPU or 16GB RAM first.

Game performance comparison on GTX 970 at 1080p

Numbers below are from real-world 970 systems with a decent quad-core or better and 16GB RAM. Your CPU, driver version, and background apps will shift results by 5-10 fps.

Demanding games: playable with trade-offs

Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, and Starfield will run, but you have to be honest about what you get. Red Dead 2 at medium-low still looks good because of its art, running 40-50 fps. Cyberpunk 2077 needs FSR set to Balanced or Auto and crowd density on low to stay near 40 fps, and Night City will still drop. Hogwarts Legacy and Starfield are worse — frequent VRAM-related hitches and 30-40 fps even on low. They are not good buys specifically for a 970 unless you plan to upgrade the GPU soon and want to start now.

The common failure with these ports is trying ultra textures to make them look better. On a 970 that does the opposite: it fills the 3.5GB fast segment, hits the slow 0.5GB partition, and you get 1-second freezes. Always set Textures to Medium, turn off ray tracing entirely, and use FSR or dynamic resolution where available. Shadows and volumetric fog cost more than they are worth on this card.

When to keep the 970 and when to move to RTX

Keep the GTX 970 if you play at 1080p/60Hz, mostly play esports, indie games, or 2015-2019 AAA titles, and your card runs cool and quiet. A repaste and cleaning can buy another year if temperatures are pushing 80C+ and fans are loud. Do not spend money on a used GTX 970 now — used prices make no sense when newer cards use less power.

Upgrade if you want 1080p ultra/100+ fps in new games, any 1440p gaming, ray tracing, or DLSS Frame Generation. For 1080p, an RTX 4060 graphics card is the logical step — roughly 2.5x the performance with 8GB VRAM and DLSS 3, without needing a huge PSU. For 1440p high-refresh, look at an RTX 4070 Super graphics card instead, since 8GB starts to feel tight at 1440p ultra.

Before you upgrade, check your power supply and CPU. The 970 uses two 6-pin connectors and draws ~145W. Most RTX 4060 models use a single 8-pin and draw less, so PSU is rarely an issue, but a 10-year-old 500W bronze unit should be replaced anyway. Pairing a new RTX card with an old i5-4460 or FX CPU will bottleneck it — in that case, buy a full platform upgrade or stick to cheap games for the 970. If you need a stopgap part like thermal paste, fans, or a DisplayPort cable for high-refresh, search for PC gaming upgrade kit basics rather than overpaying for “970-specific” accessories.

FAQ

Can a GTX 970 run Baldur’s Gate 3 or Elden Ring?

Yes, both run at 1080p medium. Baldur’s Gate 3 is CPU-heavy in Act 3, so expect 35-50 fps in the city even on low-medium. Elden Ring is 45-55 fps outdoors. Turn shadows down first; that helps more than lowering resolution.

How much VRAM does the GTX 970 really have?

4GB total, but only 3.5GB runs at full speed. Above that you get stutter. In new games, keep textures on medium and avoid HD texture packs to stay under that limit.

Is the GTX 970 good for 1440p?

No. Desktop use is fine, but gaming at 1440p forces low settings and still drops below 45 fps in most AAA games. It is a 1080p card. If you own a 1440p monitor, upgrade the GPU first.

Should I buy a used GTX 970 in 2026?

Usually no, unless it is under $50 and you just need a display output for an older system. A used GTX 1660 Super or RTX 2060 is faster, uses similar power, and supports newer drivers and features for not much more.