Bethesda's highly anticipated RPG, Starfield, has garnered substantial excitement from PC and Xbox gamers for several years. However, as more details about the game emerge, players are growing increasingly worried about the minimum system requirements. Todd Howard, for instance, recently confirmed that Starfield would feature over 1,000 planets, hinting at a vast universe that could strain CPUs.
Consequently, fans are now questioning whether their PCs will be capable of running this epic AAA title or if they will need to upgrade. To address these concerns, this guide offers comprehensive information on the minimum specifications required to run Starfield and encompasses all aspects of its PC requirements.
Lowest System Requirements for Starfield
To experience Starfield at its minimum requirements, players should have an AMD Radeon RX 5700 or NVIDIA GeForce 1070 Ti graphics card, along with an AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i7-6800K CPU. Additionally, 16 GB of RAM and an SSD with a minimum of 125 GB of storage space are necessary.
Here is the comprehensive list of the minimum PC specifications for Starfield:
System | Requirement | Price Estimation |
CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel Core i7-6800K | $185–$215 |
Graphics | AMD Radeon RX 5700, NVIDIA GeForce 1070 Ti | $350–$400 |
Memory | 16 GB RAM | $80–$150 |
Storage | 125 GB (SSD) | $150–$290 |
OS | Windows 10 (21H1) | N/A |
DirectX | Version 12 | N/A |
Starfield requires an SSD with at least 125 GB of free storage; players will not be able to run the game on HDDs.
Recommended System Specs for Starfield
To ensure a seamless Starfield experience on PC, you will need the following top-notch specifications:
- Graphics Card: Either an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
- Processor: An AMD Ryzen 5 3600X or Intel i5-10600K
- RAM: A minimum of 16 GB
- Storage: SSD
- Operating System: Upgraded Windows 10 or 11
System | Requirement | Price Estimation |
CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel i5-10600K | $150–$210 |
Graphics | AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 | $500–$800 |
Memory | 16 GB | $80–$150 |
Storage | 125 GB (SSD) | $150–$290 |
OS | The latest version of Windows 10 or 11 | N/A |
DirectX | Version 12 | N/A |
AMD Starfield Requirements, Explained
AMD, the official PC partner of Starfield, has unveiled a comprehensive list of minimum and recommended system requirements for the highly anticipated game. To fully immerse in the stunning 4K resolution of Starfield, PC gamers will need top-of-the-line hardware, including an AMD Ryzen™ 7 7800X3D processor, an AMD Radeon™ RX 7900 XT graphics card, and an AMD X670 motherboard. Prepare to experience the vastness of space like never before.
AMD’s system requirements come in three tiers: Legendary, Epic, and Heroic, with each offering a different performance.
Specs | Legendary | Epic Spec | Heroic |
Resolution | 4K (best performance) | 1440p (high FPS) | 1080p (base performance) |
CPU | AMD Ryzen™ 7 7800X3D | AMD Ryzen™ 7 7700X | AMD Ryzen™ 5 7600 |
GPU | AMD Radeon™ RX 7900 XT | AMD Radeon™ RX 6800 Series | AMD Radeon™ RX 7600 |
Motherboard | AMD X670 | AMD B650 | AMD A620 |
The Controversies Around Starfield Specs
Starfield’s collaboration with AMD has sparked numerous controversies, with players perceiving the suggested bundle as a marketing ploy rather than a genuine specification recommendation. Critics argue that AMD’s system requirements feature recently launched components that, although powerful, come with a hefty price tag.
In addition to the partnership disputes, Bethesda's enigmatic approach and lack of clarity regarding the game's 60FPS performance have triggered grievances. Even in AMD’s game specifications, the Epic setting promises "higher FPS" without specifying the exact frame rate.
Starfield will be available on September 6, 2023, for PC and Xbox Series X/S.