The Outer Worlds 2 system requirements say a lot about what kind of experience you can expect on PC, and the good news is that the information is clear enough to help you plan ahead.
Instead of guessing whether your machine can handle the sequel, you can look at the specs and understand what each part means for performance, visual quality and stability.
In this article, I unpack those requirements in a straightforward way so you know exactly where your PC stands before jumping into Halcyon again.
Official minimum and recommended specs (PC) for The Outer Worlds 2
These are the published system requirements from the game pages and developer support. I list the minimum first, then the recommended configuration.
Minimum (what Obsidian/Steam list as the lowest supported setup)
- OS: Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit, up to date.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel Core i5-8400.
- Memory: 16 GB RAM.
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5700, NVIDIA GTX 1070, or Intel Arc A580 (one of these required).
- DirectX: Version 12.
- Storage: ~110 GB free space. SSD required.
Recommended (what you should aim for to have a good experience at higher settings)
- OS: Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit, up to date.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or Intel Core i7-10700K.
- Memory: 16 GB RAM.
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT or NVIDIA RTX 3080 (recommended).
- DirectX: Version 12.
- Storage: ~110 GB free space. SSD required.
Those lists are the official guidance. Steam and Obsidian’s support page show the same baseline minimum CPU, RAM, GPU family, and storage recommendations.
Also read: How to Play The Outer Worlds 2 in Third Person?
What those numbers mean in practice
16 GB of RAM as the minimum
It is notable that 16 GB is listed as the minimum rather than 8 GB. Modern open world or large RPG games use a lot of memory for assets, draw distance, textures, and background systems. If you are still on 8 GB, you should plan to upgrade.
The game will likely be swapping to disk or stuttering if the system runs out of RAM.
CPU choices
The minimum CPUs are mid-range chips from a previous generation. They are quad to six core designs with decent single-core and modest multi-core performance.
They will run the game at low to medium settings, but if you want steadier framerates in crowded scenes or if you use a high refresh rate monitor, the recommended six to eight core chips will be noticeably better.
GPU gap between minimum and recommended
The minimum GPUs listed (RX 5700, GTX 1070, Arc A580) are mid-range cards from previous generations.
They will handle 1080p at lower settings but will struggle at higher resolutions or when advanced features like ray tracing are enabled. The recommended cards, such as the RX 6800 XT or RTX 3080, are high-end cards built for solid 1440p and 4K performance.
If you aim for high resolutions or higher frame rates, the recommended GPUs are the practical target.
Storage and SSD requirement
Obsidian and several reporting outlets call out an SSD as required and list roughly 110 GB of space.
That matters for both installation and streaming performance. Running the game on an HDD will increase load times and can cause streaming stutters when the engine needs to load textures or levels on the fly.
Also read: How to Increase FPS and Boost Your Gameplay
Ray tracing and performance problems in The Outer Worlds 2
At launch there have been multiple reports and tests showing severe performance problems when ray tracing is enabled.
Reviewers and hardware sites reported that even very powerful GPUs have difficulty maintaining smooth framerates with ray tracing on, and that the game is currently more demanding than expected in that mode.
If you care about framerate, you may need to keep ray tracing off until optimizations or driver updates improve performance.
A practical takeaway is: if you have an RTX 30-series card or a similarly powerful AMD card but you are not running one of the very top current-gen GPUs, start with ray tracing disabled and the native raster settings tuned for your resolution.
Once you have stable framerates, try enabling ray tracing and test the impact on the sections of the game you play most.
Tips by resolution and hardware tier
1080p, 60 FPS, mid to high settings
Aim for a GPU at least as powerful as an RTX 3060 Ti / RTX 3070 class or the AMD equivalents. The minimum GPUs might not hold 60 FPS at high presets.
A mid-range modern CPU and 16 GB RAM complete a solid 1080p setup.
1440p, 60 to 100+ FPS, higher settings
Target recommended GPUs like the RX 6800 XT or RTX 3080 for comfortable 1440p high/ultra settings.
A Ryzen 5 5600X or better and 16 GB RAM is the baseline here.
4K, 60 FPS, high settings
This will need top-tier GPUs and may still require compromises. Ray tracing at 4K looks likely to push even flagship GPUs very hard according to early performance testing.
Expect to use upscaling tech such as DLSS or FSR and to tune some settings down to maintain a steady framerate.
Settings advice and quality vs performance
- Turn off ray tracing by default until you confirm your GPU can handle it without dropping below your target framerate.
- Use an SSD. The game explicitly recommends an SSD and lists ~110 GB of install size. That reduces load times and prevents streaming stutter.
- Texture quality vs shadows and post-processing. Texture quality can be expensive on VRAM. If your GPU has limited VRAM, drop texture quality before reducing effects that impact clarity.
- Check driver updates. At launch some titles show improved performance after GPU driver updates from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. If you experience unexpected slowdowns, check for updated drivers.
- Try upscalers. DLSS, FSR or native upscaling options can preserve visual fidelity while boosting framerate. If the game exposes those options, they are worth testing. If not, lowering internal resolution and using post-processing upscaling can help.
The official requirements for The Outer Worlds 2 make it clear that the game expects modern hardware: 16 GB of RAM, an SSD, and mid-to-high range CPUs and GPUs to hit comfortable settings.
For players with older hardware the minimum listed components will get you into the game at lower settings, but for a smooth and visually rich experience you will want something closer to the recommended list. If you are on the fence about buying or upgrading, focus on the SSD and at least 16 GB of RAM first, then match your GPU to the resolution you play at.
Also be prepared to disable ray tracing at launch if framerate is a priority.
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