Hello,
I am well aware that the Framework 12 is not designed for nor powerful enough to run most of the modern games. But just like any other computer, it can still be used for gaming. And frankly, I believe it should be used that way as well.
In this topic, I would like you to share your recommendations on which great games (probably mostly older ones) are playable on the Framework 12, including target resolution/FPS and the version of the FW12 machine (i3/i5).
Thank you.
Full disclosure I do not own a Framework Laptop 12, but I have gamed on worse devices than the lowest specced 12, so can confidently recommend Terraria, you should easily reach 1080p60 (effectively max resolution/refresh rate for the game anyways). Deltarune is also a really good game and would easily run on the 12. Also recommend Balatro which can run on anything with a cpu inside and is. Storage-wise youâd be fine as well, since they all total up to about 1.25GB (not each, all three combined). The indie scene is definitely a good place to look for games for the fw12, since (most) indie games do run well on lower spec devices.
Hollow knight
Iâve been playing Persona 5 on it. You can max out the settings on the i5 configuration of Framework Laptop 12.
If you stick with lightweight indie games, 15+ year old PC games, and retro game emulation, there should be plenty of games to play.
My FW12 i3 will hopefully be arriving within the next week. I plan on trying out Fallout New Vegas, Dark Souls remastered, and Majoraâs Mask (2ship2harkinian), all on Fedora 42.
I think Minecraft Java Edition with optimization mods like Sodium without shaders could run pretty okay. I will confirm whether this is true or not when I get my Batch 8 i5. Edit: It indeed does run acceptably, at about 40-60fps at native resolution with 16 chunks render distance.
I have played MCJE with OptiFine optimization mod long ago on a cheap HP laptop from 2018 with shaders, with much slower DDR4 memory hooked up to an 8th-gen Intel iGPU so I donât think Minecraft is a particularly demanding game if you set it up right.
Apparently Prototype works well on medium settings!
I guess it depends on what kinds of games you want to play. It wonât have a lot of GPU grunt for 3D games. But simpler indy games, older games, etc., are often going to run just fine.
On an i3 version with just 8GB of RAM I was able to get Skyrim running at around 60FPS at 1440x900 with some graphics settings turned down. I donât know if it would hold that when a lot is going on. Probably not, but thereâs also probably some tweaking that could be done. Half-Life 2 runs at a steady 60 at native resolution (1920x1200). As long as you arenât looking to run graphically intensive games, there are tons of games to play. Lots of strategy games, 2D platformers, etc. Stuff like Stardew Valley, Spelunky, Vampire Survivors, Untitled Goose Game.
Are there any specific types of games you like to play?
Iâve been having a lot of fun with Atari, NES, and SNES emulators (along with the many games available for them) on my FW12. Specific titles getting a lot of play lately include:
Kickle Cubicle (NES)
Fire N Ice (NES)
Warioâs Woods (SNES)
Bubble Bobble (NES)
Kirbyâs Adventure (NES)
Super Mario Brothers 1/2/3 (NES)
Tetris Attack (SNES)
There are also plenty of good Linux native games worth a mention. Here are a few I like:
SGT Puzzles (Simon G. Tathamâs puzzle collection)
Frozen Bubble
Fish Fillets
Ri-Li
Frogatto
PySol Fan Club Edition (community-maintained set of solitaire games)
Trans Lines (compare to Mini Metro)
And of course, web based things:
Dictum - Latin Wordle (Wordle, but in Latin)
havenât done much with gaming on it yet, but my i3 with 48gb of ram, running bazzite, runs guild wars 2 at 12-45 FPS(depending on whether I set the video to âsuper prettyâ or âfastâ and rimworld ran fine until I accidently started the âlog offâ process and killed it while I was doing something else.
itâs not amazing performance, but both games are totally(and comfortably) playable, and Iâm pretty sure theyâre in the âno, really, runs better on windowsâ category, and Iâm on linux and have no freaking clue what Iâm doing with linux. 
edit, forgot to mention, GW2 was also with the resolution copied from my desktop, about double what the screen is actually capable of(2560x1440) 
I could run TombRaider (2013) very well. If you like card-games, âMagic the Gathering Arenaâ is fun. And as always the DooM-classics up to DooM 3 (havenât tested newer ones, as I donât like them that much).
Donât own a Framework 12 yet, but any visual novels made in RenâPy will run perfectly fine on a majority computer hardware. I also know Hades 1 and 2 have ran pretty well on the Framework 12.
Once I get my unit, Iâm planning to try out a variety of low spec indie titles.
RenâPy stuff is basically modern day flash games, anything made with it will run on a potato from 1996 w/o gpu.
While I donât have a 12 I have done some gaming on an intel 8th gen thinkpad (which is much weaker).
I donât really use mine for gaming so havenât tried pushing it to see what it can handle, but I played Balatro and Slay the Spire a bit on the FW12 when I first got it; both were playable in tablet mode and ran full speed at the native screen resolution (i5, but Iâm certain the i3 would also not be under any pressure running them either).
Iâve tried Two Point Hospital on mine and was happy to see it run quite well and without much noise, but Iâve noticed that the screen size can be a limiting factor. Itâs hard to read text on a 12,2â screen in games that donât scale up their UI. Will retry with an external monitor when I have the chance.
Would a good general rule be any games that require no more than 1GB VRAM or less work fine, and sometimes can push for indie, cartoon-y or older shooters if they arenât too flashy and you turn the settings down? Single channel ram cuts your options down a lot too unfortunately. But maybe in a future upgrade we get a stronger igpu or even dual channel (the latter sounds unlikely given the space but who knows).
What controller would you guys recommend?
8BitDo Ultimate 2C works well and is inexpensive. We started stocking it in the Marketplace in the US/CA: https://frame.work/products/8bitdo-ultimate-2c-wireless-controller
I use one of the smaller 8bitdo controllers. The Ultimate 2C is great, but less than portable. Amazon stocks several different options.