I don't know, they just keep pushing out free updates like there is no tomorrow. I like it when this happens to the games i buy. More power to them. If they make a big expansion and make it something like Surviving Venus(with the crazy conditions there that could be fun) or Surviving Moon..or even Surviving Asteroid Belt :P

I dunno.
I'm playing it just fine on a pretty old laptop. Admittedly, I did go high end on the CPU 7 years ago when I bought it, but it's nothing to shake a stick at now, and the GPU was always just a "good, not crazy good" chip. It was never a "gaming" laptop, just optimized a bit on the order. Never updated except software.

Intel Core i7-2630QM @ 2.00 GHz
Nvidia GForce GT 555M

Unless you are on a pre-Core class GPU, you should try it.

Hmm. Well, that IS quite old stuff. (I thought I was laggin'.

Just from some recent angst with my drivers, I'm guessing that the reliance on integrated graphics will be more of an issue than the processor.

What recent games DO run for you? My bet is that if you have gotten anything released in the last 2 years to run, then Surviving Mars will run, if you have all the latest drivers.

You know, it's complicated.

I bought that laptop 4 years ago and paid below $300. I was switching from something much older (and even bought as second-hand) and it was far more then I expected. I'm using lightweight Linux distros and for office apps, simple scripts development, education, text writing, even working on photos in Darktable it was perfectly fine.

The problem is that I didn't realized it is possible to play games easily with Linux. I discovered that later and was extremely surprised. Now I'd rather buy something with graphic card on board, but I like classics, still have huge backlog so no hurry for me ;)

As I have 10-15 years gap in gaming (and from before that period I have also many titles I couldn't afford before), "new releases" has quite specific meaning for me. E.g. I considered Bloodlines or Witcher quite modern and pretty games for my own standards :D

I play some games released in a last few years (as Vaporum, Tacoma, Virginia recently), there is a lot of nicely optimized indie titles, so it's not always obvious for me, if a particular game is available for me or am I kidding... ;)

I have more 20 yr old games loaded for launch than I do 5 yr old games. I never worry about game prices...because by the time I get around to DL most, their price has dropped by at least 70%.
Recent (quasi-) exceptions: Surviving Mars, Pillars, and I guess you could say Torchlight (it was only 6 mo old when I DL; what, almost 10 yrs old now, still a go to.)
;)