Summary
Every day, the ever-changing ways of the gaming world unveil something new and improved—be it a fresh device, a new game, or a long-awaited TV show adaptation. In essence, the gaming industry is changing drastically; it’s getting bigger and better. There’s superior technology, greater variety, and definitely much better graphics in the market now. But there’s a major downside to all of this, and it’s something that keeps getting “worse” by the minute: the ever-growing size of games.
Game sizes have always been a hot topic in the gamer part of the internet. 2020’sCyberpunk 2077, with its 70GB size, generated quite a buzz in the community before its release (although in retrospect, 70GB is relatively insignificant compared to some other games). The outrageousARK: Survival Evolvedalso demands over 250 GB of space with itsexpansion packs and maps. So yes,PC users tend to have it rough regarding storage problems. The good news is, there’s a flip side to the spectrum too. With games as big as the ones mentioned earlier comelow MB games for PC, and while they may not have the highest quality graphics or the most technical gameplay, they’re perfect for what they offer.
Updated June 06, 2025 by Fatima Naeem:Not every game has to take up most of the disk space to be able to be played properly. Sure, a heavy game naturally alludes to that particular title being good in terms of—well, pretty much everything—but, to think that that’s only where the fun lies, is completely wrong. Older games barely took up any space; they were small, simple, and dainty, yet they always packed a punch, and are still remembered fondly.
And maybe that’s exactly what keeps these smaller games so popular among players; it’s their unassuming simplicity and casualness (something that is often missing from AAA titles). Ultimately, not every small game is bad, and neither is every big game good. These new “small” games may be a bit over 100MB in total size, but each one has a download size under 100MB, which is still pretty minimal.
Peggle,a puzzle game released by PopCap in 2007, falls into the category of casual arcade games that might not appeal to everyone. However, for those players who do eventually get the hang of it, it becomes magnetizing.
Pegglehas fifty-five levels the player has to clear. Each level starts with blue pegs distinctly arranged on the screen. Twenty-five of these blue pegs change into orange once the game starts and the player’s goal is to get rid of all the orange pegs by launching a ball at them. Players are given a finite number of balls in each level, and they’re supposed to clear the level within that specified number. If they fail, well, they start again.
Downwellis a game that might not seem like much on the outside, but it manages to catch everyone off guard with how “powerful” it is. It’s a 2D-pixelatedshooter game that goes all outwith its shooting sequences. It was developed and released in 2015 by Devolver Digital for PC and iOS and was later released for other platforms.
The game’s idea is simple. Navigate Welltaro (the main character) through his descent into a nearby well, and make sure he survives the onslaught of aggressive enemy mobs. Survival is based on Welltaro shooting as many monsters as he can during his descent.
3AFTERBURN
For a game as small asAFTERBURNin terms of size, it hits particularly hard in terms of graphics. Frankly, it does not look like a game that’s only 13.6 MB in download size. It was developed by a small indie developer that goes by MorfeoDev and was released in 2019.
AFTERBURNhas bold—almost aggressive—mechanics. It’s sort of like athird-person shooter gameand does a great job of acting like one. Its gameplay is quite straightforward: lots of shooting and lots of moving, that’s all there is to it. This is precisely why players only require a mouse and a little bit of patience to get through the initial learning curve. The mini-campaign mode, featuring new missions daily, keeps the game from going stale and redundant. For someone who just wants to aimlessly play a game without having to worry about progress and missions, there’s the endless mode too, and it goes on for as long as the player can keep playing. To infinity and beyond, that sorta thing.
For a game that has a main character as cute as Isaac is, one would think it’s a casual, feel-good, adventure survival that offers gameplay exactly as advertised. Well, they’d be wrong becauseThe Binding of Isaacis anything but cute and feel-good.
It’s an indie-action roguelike that consists of one of the most bizarre and twisted storylines players would encounter in similar genres. The game thrives on its randomly generated levels, which infuse each map with a unique sense of originality since no dungeon is the same. Despite its 2D graphics, it’s pretty much a full-time RPG with over 20 bosses and more than 50 unique aggressive mob types. It also has multiple endings, depending on the path the player goes for during their playthrough, and even allows Isaac to be upgraded and progressed based on the loot and unlockables found throughout the game.
5And Yet It Moves
Total Size Disk Size: 67.4 MB
Games, especially of sizes as small as 67.4 MB, do not really invoke a sort of sentiment in their players. Small games are meant to be played, enjoyed, and forgotten. However,And Yet It Moves, with its very unconventional graphics akin to ripped paper, is among the most memorable.
It’s a puzzle platform game that employs simple physics for its mechanics. The game pretty much works like an average platform game—run forward, and jump over obstacles. However, what makes it stand out from other games of its kind is its very unique feature that lets players rotate the entire map at a 90-degree angle. The point? To solve especially difficult puzzles, and for fun, of course!
6OpenTTD
OpenTTDstands as a tycoon amidst a sea of basic games, no pun intended.OpenTTD,orOpen Transport Tycoon Deluxe,is a 2004 open-source business simulation game that serves as a remake of the widely acclaimed 1994 titleTransport Tycoon Deluxe. Even though the game is pretty old, its community and development remain considerably active; the developers recently launched a stable version of the game on June 14, 2025.
The game aims to have players build a decent business that generates maximum profit. While that sounds breezy and straightforward, there is a significant amount of micromanagement and strategy involved. Some may even consider the game areal-time strategy, albeit without all the wars and battles.
The simplest way of explaining the gameplay to a new player would be: build a transportation network to ship cargo from one area to another and in turn, receive a profit for it. Players can play against AI or other players.
SteamWorld Dig, as a loose analogy, would be like a side-scrolling 2DMinecraftwith metroidvania features included. It was released in 2013 by Image & Form and is the second installment in theSteamWorldseries.
The game features a main character who goes by the name of Rusty. Rusty is a robot who is tasked with exploring and digging through a mine left for him by his uncle in the town of Tumbleton. He initially uses a pickaxe to mine around for ores but can upgrade that to other kinds of equipment eventually. Rusty also has to face and defeat enemy mobs to advance through the game.
8The Two Of Us
In a world of mega-hit, record-breaking, blockbuster co-op games likeBaldur’s Gate 3,Phasmophobia, and well,Among Us, cute indie games likeThe Two of Usfrequently go unnoticed.The Two of Usis a 2021 2Dco-op side-scrolling gamethat’s as cute and fun as it looks.
The game places a strong emphasis on co-op and the concept of ‘working together.’ Each level functions as a miniature puzzle that can’t be solved without assistance from the second player. Consider it a much more storage-friendly version ofIt Takes Two.
Fans ofSpy x Familyrejoice!Papers, Pleaseis essentially Ostania and Westalis navigating their way out of the war. Okay, maybe not precisely that, but the game’s premise shares an uncanny similarity with the anime.Papers, Pleaseis an indie puzzle sim game that was released by 3909 LLC in 2013 for PC.
The game is extremely unique in terms of its gameplay. It features a fictional country, Arstotzka, that recently got out of a war with the neighboring country of Kolechia and now has to be careful with managing the flow of people across its borders (does no one see theresemblance toSpy x Family?!). The player role-plays as an immigration officer who now has to do all the work to make that happen.
They must bear in mind the specific criteria for allowing individuals into the country and verify everyone meets those. Every day, the criteria change. The difficulty of the instructions gets progressively harder, requiring the player to stay on top of them and apprehend anyone who appears suspicious.
An FPS game that doesn’t hog half the space on everyone’s PC? Who wouldn’t be up for that?Ion Furyis an indie first-person shooter with cyberpunk elements that was released by 3D Realms in 2019. The game was well-received and even managed to get the 2019 ‘Indie of The Year’ award at IndieDB.
Ion Furyis seen as a successor to classic shooter games such asDuke Nukem 3DandShadow Warrior. It even carries a strong resemblance toHouse of The Dead. Like every old-school shooting game, the premise of this one is straightforward: use massive firepower to shoot a path through the bad guys. Who are the bad guys? They’re a bunch of ‘cybernetically-enhanced’ cult followers wreaking havoc on the streets of a fantasy city called Neo D.C.
