Starfield PC specs: Recommended, Minimum, and Ultra system requirements (2024)

Starfield PC specs: Recommended, Minimum, and Ultra system requirements (1)

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  • System requirements
  • Can my PC run Starfield?
  • How to upgrade my computer's GPU

Team Windows Central has been blessed with the opportunity to play Starfield ahead of its release, and we've been absolutely blown away by the title's incredible scope and depth. As we said in our Starfield review, it's "a thought-provoking, daunting, and landmark experience," and undoubtedly "one of Microsoft's best exclusive games in over a decade."

Indeed, Starfield seems almost unfathomable, and if you're a PC gamer, you're probably wondering about the hardware you'll need to enjoy it all smoothly. Thankfully, Bethesda has shared Starfield's full PC system requirements, and we've got all that information for you right here.

Here's everything you need to know about these requirements, including what the minimum and recommended specs are and how you can check to see if your rig will be able to support your star-sailing adventures.

Starfield PC specs: System requirements

Starfield PC specs: Recommended, Minimum, and Ultra system requirements (2)

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Starfield PC specs: Recommended, Minimum, and Ultra system requirements (3)

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Now that Bethesda has officially shared Starfield's requirements, we've learned precisely what hardware you'll have to have in order to play the game. Notably, these specs include the processor, memory, graphics card, and storage hardware you'll need, as well as the operating system and DirectX version the game requires.

Overall, Starfield's requirements are very reasonable for a AAA 2023 release, especially when you consider just howbigit is in terms of scale. With that said, it's notable that 16GB of RAM is required, as is having an SSD (time to finally join the SSD gang, HDD users). Also, the game's large 139.84GB file size may force you to uninstall some games or add extra storage to your system.

Below, you'll find a complete list of Starfield's minimum and recommended specs, along with some predictions for the hardware you'll need for Ultra gameplay.

Starfield PC Minimum system requirements

With this hardware, you'll likely be able to play Starfield at 720p or 1080p with a solid frame rate of 30 FPS on Low settings.

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  • OS: Windows 10 version 22H2 (10.0.19045)
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel Core i7-6800K
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700, NVIDIA GeForce 1070 Ti
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 125 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: SSD Required

Starfield PC Recommended specs

In most cases, recommended specs will enable you to turn settings up to Medium or High and enjoy a decently high framerate while playing at 1080p or 1440p. The best gaming laptops should be able to handle this rather easily.

  • OS: Windows 10/11 with updates
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel i5-10600K
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 125 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: SSD Required

Starfield PC Ultra Requirements

While Bethesda hasn't given its own recommendations for specs that'll allow you to have a stellar experience at Ultra settings and at 4K resolution, AMD has made some suggestions for CPU and GPU hardware. These include the following:

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
  • GPU: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

You'd want to pair these specs with a good AM5 motherboard like an AMD X670, along with 32GB of DDR5 RAM. If you prefer Intel-based systems, you'll want to aim for something like the Core i9-12900K or the Core i7-13700K and a quality LGA1700 motherboard. If you'd prefer an alternative GPU, NVIDIA's high-endRTX 30 Series cardsand newer 40 Series cardswill give you all the performance you'll need.

Can my PC run Starfield?

Starfield PC specs: Recommended, Minimum, and Ultra system requirements (4)

Not sure if your current PC meets the requirements listed above? Fear not, as there's an easy way to check. All you need to do is perform a quick analysis with the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, a built-in piece of Windows software that allows you to identify all your components in seconds. Here's how to use it.

1.Click theWindowsbutton on your taskbar.
2.Typedxdiag.
3.Clickdxdiagin the search results. Windows will then show your PC specifications.
4.Navigate to theSystemtab for details on your processor, memory, and Windows version.
5.Navigate toDisplaytab for details on your graphics card hardware.

Note that checking your available hard drive space is even easier. All you have to do is open File Explorer, look for the drive you're planning to install the game on, and check to see that you have over 125 GB of free space.

How to upgrade my computer's GPU to play Starfield

Starfield is an incredible game with impressive graphics and a vast universe to explore. If you're looking to update your computer in order to play this sci-fi adventure better then you should check out our guide on how to upgrade your PC's graphics card.

Into the stars

With so many exciting possibilities made available to Starfield players, it's understandable that many people will want to get the most out of the game by making sure their computers can meet certain requirements. While it's perfectly fine to play a game at the minimum specs, the experience will be a whole lot smoother and more convenient if your gaming laptop or computer has a bit more oomph to it. This means having a powerful GPU and plenty of storage to make room for the game.

Whether you're looking into purchasing a new computer or laptop that can handle Starfield or you're trying to find out what processors you need to use in your existing rig, we at Windows Central wish you the very best of luck in your preparations.

Starfield is finally here, and it's undoubtedly one of thebest Xbox gamesandbest PC gamesfor lovers of space exploration, deep RPG gameplay, and the sci-fi genre as a whole.

Starfield PC specs: Recommended, Minimum, and Ultra system requirements (5)

Starfield Standard Edition

The Standard Edition of Starfield costs $70, and only includes the base game. Note that if desired, you can upgrade the game with the Premium Edition Upgrade later.

Buy at:Xbox|Steam (GMG)|Amazon (Xbox) | Best Buy (Xbox)|GameStop (Xbox)|Walmart (Xbox)|Walmart (PC) | GAME (UK, Xbox)

Starfield PC specs: Recommended, Minimum, and Ultra system requirements (6)

Starfield Premium Edition

The Premium Edition of Starfield includes bonuses alongside the main game, and you're guaranteed access to the first story expansion when it arrives. You can also start exploring vast planets five days early.

Buy at:Xbox | Amazon|Steam (GMG)

Starfield PC specs: Recommended, Minimum, and Ultra system requirements (7)

Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.

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  • Rebecca SpearEditor and Reviewer

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    Starfield PC specs: Recommended, Minimum, and Ultra system requirements (2024)

    FAQs

    Starfield PC specs: Recommended, Minimum, and Ultra system requirements? ›

    Ultra 4K Settings: It's a good job you can explore space in this game because these specs will power a spaceship (no not literally, no outer-space exploration possible in a Stormforce PC… yet). You're pushing the game to it's max to achieve Ultra 4k settings so you will want the latest hardware available.

    Can I run Starfield on Ultra? ›

    Ultra 4K Settings: It's a good job you can explore space in this game because these specs will power a spaceship (no not literally, no outer-space exploration possible in a Stormforce PC… yet). You're pushing the game to it's max to achieve Ultra 4k settings so you will want the latest hardware available.

    How much RAM is recommended for Starfield? ›

    Here are the official recommended specs for Starfield: OS: Windows 10/11 with updates. Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel i5-10600K. Memory: 16GB DRAM.

    Will RTX 3060 run Starfield? ›

    I have played 3 hours with it running totally fine. I am using a RTX 3060 with 12 GB VRAM and running Starfield on all high settings at 1080p with zero issues. It does not have DLSS it only has FSR which seems fine even with an NVidia card.

    Is my graphics card good enough for Starfield? ›

    To meet Starfield minimum requirements, Bethesda says you'll need a GPU on par with either the AMD Radeon RX 5700 or NVIDIA GeForce 1070 Ti.

    Will Starfield have 120 fps? ›

    Starfield can reach up to 120fps on Xbox Series S thanks to new mods | TechRadar.

    How demanding will Starfield be? ›

    To meet the Starfield minimum requirements, you will need an NVIDIA GeForce 1070Ti graphics card, an Intel Core i7-6800K processor, and 16GB of RAM. At this level of hardware, you will still encounter performance issues, particularly in larger locations such as New Atlantis (one of the game's capital cities).

    How to optimize PC for Starfield? ›

    Here are the best Starfield settings for PC:
    1. Dynamic Resolution: On.
    2. Render Resolution Scale: 75%
    3. Shadow Quality: High.
    4. Indirect Lighting: High.
    5. Reflections: Medium.
    6. Particle Quality: Medium.
    7. Volumetric Lighting: Medium.
    8. Crowd Density: Medium.
    Sep 22, 2023

    Is Starfield GPU or CPU heavy? ›

    But for all this adventure, you might be wondering: how well does it all run on modern PCs? I've spent the past week or so testing Starfield on a few different GPUs, and I've come to the conclusion that Starfield is actually very CPU heavy and will demand the most out of both your CPU and GPU.

    Is the Ryzen 5 5600X enough for Starfield? ›

    It depends, watch your GPU usage when you get FPS drops. If your GPU usage drops it likely a CPU limitation causing it then yes a 5600x will help.

    What is the best GPU for Starfield 4K? ›

    Starfield 4K High GPU Comparison

    The RTX 4090 leads the charts by a technicality, although in reality, it's tied with the 7900 XTX. They're within run-to-run variance of each other for average, 1%, and 0.1% lows. The 7900 XT manages 87% of the performance of the 7900 XTX, at 64FPS AVG.

    Is Starfield on Unreal engine? ›

    However, this massive open-world space RPG uses Bethesda's in-house Creation Engine 2. And with Unreal Engine having impressed gamers and developers across with the demonstrations of its capabilities, Starfield fans online have been debating about how things could have been different if Bethesda used it instead.

    Can I run Starfield at 60 fps? ›

    On Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) displays running at 120hz, Starfield will default to 40FPS while prioritizing Visuals. However, players can choose between 30, 40, 60, or an Uncapped frame rate, but Bethesda recommends changing to Performance mode when choosing a frame rate target of 60 or above.

    What is the cheapest laptop that can run Starfield? ›

    Best budget gaming laptop for Starfield

    If you're on a tight budget, though, the Dell G15 is the laptop to buy for Starfield.

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