Bethesda Game Studios · 2023 · Open-World RPG
Starfield is Bethesda Game Studios’ space-exploration RPG built on the Creation Engine 2, and one of the more CPU-demanding titles in this list because of its heavy simulation load across procedurally explored locations.
Its recommended specs lean noticeably higher than similarly-scoped RPGs, reflecting that CPU-bound design.
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-6800K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | Intel Core i5-10600K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1070 Ti / AMD RX 5700 | NVIDIA RTX 2080 / AMD RX 6800 XT |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | 125 GB | 125 GB |
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10/11 64-bit |
Source: the publisher's own officially listed system requirements (view source). Actual performance still depends on drivers, background load and in-game settings.
Want to know roughly what frame rate your own CPU and graphics card get in Starfield, not just whether you clear the minimum?
Check Your PC for StarfieldOr check every game in our list at once with Can I Run It?, or the balance of your CPU and graphics card with the Bottleneck Calculator.
Large open-world RPGs combine dense scenery with real-time lighting, physics and NPC simulation, so both the CPU (world logic) and the GPU (render detail) matter — a mismatched pairing usually shows up as stutter when entering a busy area, not just a lower average framerate.
Starfield lists 16GB of RAM as both the minimum and recommended figure, which usually means the engine itself has a fairly fixed memory footprint — extra RAM beyond that mostly helps your other background apps and browser tabs, not Starfield directly. At roughly 125GB, plan storage for Starfield the same way you would for any modern title: an NVMe SSD keeps load times and texture streaming noticeably smoother than a hard drive at the same free-space total.
At 16GB, Starfield asks for as much recommended RAM as any of the other 15 games we cover. 9 others ask for the same amount. Its 125GB install ranks #4 of 16 by size, so 3 of the games we cover need more free space.
Games with the closest published requirements (recommended RAM, install size and minimum RAM):
| Game | Recommended RAM | Install size | Recommended GPU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starfield (this page) | 16 GB | 125 GB | NVIDIA RTX 2080 / AMD RX 6800 XT |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 16 GB | 70 GB | NVIDIA RTX 2060 SUPER / AMD RX 5700 XT |
| Helldivers 2 | 16 GB | 135 GB | NVIDIA RTX 2060 / AMD RX 6600XT |
| Elden Ring | 16 GB | 60 GB | NVIDIA GTX 1070 8GB / AMD RX Vega 56 8GB |
The Bottleneck Calculator treats Starfield as one of the typical AAA games. Here is which part would set the frame rate on 6 pairings from budget to high-end at high settings; each pairing links to its full page.
| CPU + GPU | 1080p | 1440p |
|---|---|---|
| Core i5-12400F + RTX 3060 12GB | GPU-limited | GPU-limited |
| Core i5-12400F + RTX 5060 | Balanced | GPU-limited |
| Ryzen 5 7600 + RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | GPU-limited | GPU-limited |
| Ryzen 5 5600 + RTX 5070 | CPU ~32% | Balanced |
| Ryzen 7 7800X3D + RX 9070 XT | Balanced | GPU-limited |
| Ryzen 7 5800X3D + RTX 4090 | CPU ~41% | CPU ~13% |
Estimate Starfield FPS for your own CPU and GPU · Check every game against your PC · All CPU + GPU comparisons
What the parts in the table above do: CPU, GPU, RAM and SSD.
Yes — Starfield lists 16GB as both the minimum and recommended amount, so there is no extra headroom figure to chase; 16GB free (beyond what Windows and your other background apps already use) is the real target.
For Starfield specifically, the CPU tends to be the more common limiting part in practice, not just the GPU — check your exact pairing with our PC Bottleneck Calculator before assuming a GPU upgrade alone will fix low or inconsistent framerates.
Plan for at least 125GB free, not exactly 125GB — day-one patches, DLC and shader/texture caches routinely add several more gigabytes after install. Our Storage Calculator can help you plan an upgrade if you are close to full.
The publisher lists NVIDIA GTX 1070 Ti / AMD RX 5700 as the minimum and NVIDIA RTX 2080 / AMD RX 6800 XT as the recommended graphics card for Starfield. To see how your own card is likely to perform at your resolution, try our FPS Calculator, and check memory needs with the GPU VRAM Calculator.
The publisher lists Windows 10 64-bit for the minimum spec and Windows 10/11 64-bit for the recommended spec of Starfield.