Hearthstone

Hearthstone is the most polished client on this list, and that counts for something on weak hardware where clunky interfaces cause more friction than people admit. The Battlegrounds auto-battler mode is free, quick to learn, and genuinely engaging without needing a deep card collection. Standard constructed is where the economy starts to pinch. Building a competitive deck as a free player takes real time, and the card set rotations mean your collection depreciates on a schedule Blizzard controls. I placed it tenth not because it is a bad game but because the free-to-play value trails the best alternatives for anyone planning to play long-term. As a casual drop-in option on an old laptop, though, it is hard to argue with how well it runs.

Hearthstone's turn-based design and mobile-first optimization make it forgiving on low-end PCs. It runs smoothly with a small install and minimal data use—polished online play and instant queues on hardware that would choke on most shooters. Battlegrounds is the real entry point these days: it sidesteps the card collection grind entirely and offers a competitive 8-player format that doesn't require spending anything. The standard ranked mode is another matter; building a competitive deck without paying takes months of grinding, and the frequent rotation cycles can make your hard-earned cards obsolete. Good for casual sessions, frustrating if you want to compete at the top without opening your wallet.