I Tried 21:9 Ultrawide Gaming (Again) in 2022!

Stardew Valley

This is one of the best indie games ever made, but while I may have put in hundreds of hours on a 16:9 display, I’ve clearly been missing out. Farm management is so much easier on the ultrawide display, as you can see a much larger portion of it. It actually makes having longer runs of things growing easier, because it’s all in view! This is also cool for when you’re exploring, but it’s most certainly a bigger advantage for managing the land around your house.

Cities Skylines

Just like Stardew Valley, Cities Skylines benefits in much the same way. Sure, it’s nice to have a vista overview of your city. However, when it comes to planning longer and more complex road systems, being able to see more of it at a time is a distinct advantage. Sure you can zoom in and out to do the same, but that’s not always practical for construction. I’m sure other sim style games will have the same advantages too.

Mortal Kombat 11

Beating the crap out of your friends is always fun in Mortal Kombat 11, and while the game has perfect ultrawide support right out the gate, it certainly isn’t something that makes the game much easier. The main difference here is how far apart you and your fellow combatant can stand without the camera having to pull further away to accommodate. This can lead to some stunning long-range combat as you watch chains and fireballs rip from one side to the other of the wider display. It’s extremely satisfying to watch, that’s for sure. The game even supports 32:9 if you want to get super-wide.

The Elder Scrolls Online

I spend more time than I would like to admit playing the Elder Scrolls Online. Over the years, add-ons have been creeping more and more into my daily usage. Guild into, sales data tracking for my trading, gold farming calculators, map overlays, combat timers for trials and more, it all adds up and frankly, they can start to take over the screen, but are certainly essential for a lot of the end-game content I do. Moving to ultrawide means I can still keep all those add-ons on screen, but also give myself a plentiful and clear gameplay area to focus on. That and I love the landscapes in this game, so seeing the sunset in Vaardenfeld on ultrawide was most pleasing.