The requirements assume upscaling
Both official targets are quoted with DLSS or FSR doing real work. That caveat is usually dropped when these numbers get repeated, and it is the difference between the specs being achievable and being optimistic. Treat native rendering as a step above whatever tier you are reading.
| Minimum — 1080p low, ~40 fps | Recommended — 1080p60 medium | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core i5-8400 / Ryzen 5 3600 | Core i7-12700K / Ryzen 7 5800X |
| GPU | GTX 1070 8 GB / RX 580 8 GB | RTX 3060 12 GB / RX 6700 XT 12 GB |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
CPU
- Minimum — 1080p low, ~40 fps
- Core i5-8400 / Ryzen 5 3600
- Recommended — 1080p60 medium
- Core i7-12700K / Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU
- Minimum — 1080p low, ~40 fps
- GTX 1070 8 GB / RX 580 8 GB
- Recommended — 1080p60 medium
- RTX 3060 12 GB / RX 6700 XT 12 GB
RAM
- Minimum — 1080p low, ~40 fps
- 16 GB
- Recommended — 1080p60 medium
- 16 GB
What each setting actually costs
Measured individually rather than as presets, which is what makes them usable — you can build your own budget instead of accepting someone else’s.
| Setting | Measured cost | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Ray tracing | 2% in a quiet scene, up to 7% elsewhere, for a barely visible difference | Off |
| Texture quality | Controls asset quality; little effect on VRAM | 3/3 |
| VRAM limit | This is what drives VRAM use. 2/2 pushed close to the 8 GB ceiling on a 3060 Ti | 1/2 on an 8 GB card |
| Mesh quality | Geometry LOD, mostly foliage. ~3% low to high, ~6% to highest | High |
| Shadow resolution | One of the most expensive: 8% at high, up to 14% in some scenes | Medium |
| Shadow quality | Shadow filtering. No significant cost | High or highest |
| Lighting | Volumetric lighting. Medium and above look the same; highest costs 17% | Medium |
Ray tracing
- Measured cost
- 2% in a quiet scene, up to 7% elsewhere, for a barely visible difference
- Recommended
- Off
Texture quality
- Measured cost
- Controls asset quality; little effect on VRAM
- Recommended
- 3/3
VRAM limit
- Measured cost
- This is what drives VRAM use. 2/2 pushed close to the 8 GB ceiling on a 3060 Ti
- Recommended
- 1/2 on an 8 GB card
Mesh quality
- Measured cost
- Geometry LOD, mostly foliage. ~3% low to high, ~6% to highest
- Recommended
- High
Shadow resolution
- Measured cost
- One of the most expensive: 8% at high, up to 14% in some scenes
- Recommended
- Medium
Shadow quality
- Measured cost
- Shadow filtering. No significant cost
- Recommended
- High or highest
Lighting
- Measured cost
- Volumetric lighting. Medium and above look the same; highest costs 17%
- Recommended
- Medium
What it adds up to
An optimized set ran roughly 27–30% faster than the highest preset at 1440p with upscaling on, for a picture most players would not be able to pick out in motion. The two settings doing most of that work are shadow resolution and lighting.
Texture quality and VRAM limit are not the same setting
This one is worth stating on its own because the names suggest otherwise. Texture quality controls how good the assets look and barely touches VRAM. VRAM limit sizes the texture streaming pool, and that is the one that will exhaust an 8 GB card. On 8 GB, turn textures up and the VRAM limit down.