

Fair warning: lots of roguelikes on this list. Just seems like the devs of these games really like 2d non-demanding visuals. And I don’t know how low do you need to go, so check these individually.
Don’t even need a sale for Moonring, which is a retro turn-based RPG, completely free. Runs on a potato.
Original Monster Train should work decently well, it’s 90% off.
Shogun Showdown is really cool, 50% off. Necesse is a very fun Terraria-like, coming out of EA in like a week and on sale now.
Look into Reus 2, very fun, but it’s got some more visual effects so may be a bit too much. Same with Astral Ascent, one of my fave action roguelikes but, well, it’s action. Needs a decent framerate. Same with Dead Cells, Cult of the Lamb and Chronicon - great games, 2d, but may require a basic dedicated video card or a beefy integrated one.
Spellcaster University is not a forever game but it’ll be fun for a while.
Cook Serve Delicious series is really good. You can start with 1, they are each a bit different.
Cross Code if you want an RPG. Citizen Sleeper or Road Warden if you want an RPG that’s borderline a visual novel. Slay the Princess if you straight up want a visual novel.
Library of Ruina and Lobotomy Corporation if you’re a masochist who likes a good story.
Then there’s eternal classics like Stardew Valley, Balatro, Terraria,FTL, Into the Breach, Slay the Spire or Binding of Isaac: Rebirth.
And on the incredibly niche side of things, I recommend Intergalactic Fishing and Rings of Saturn.
Hopefully something from this list catches your fancy!



I use mine on a sofa (for gaming, even!), but I get around the issue a bit by having a pad under the laptop. It’s literally just a hard plastic board with a beanbag attached underneath, I think I got it from IKEA. It isolates the laptop a bit from dust and improves airflow + lets it heat up without burning my knees + the one I have is just large enough that I can also use my wireless mouse on it when I push my laptop to the left.