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 how YOUR specific CPU and GPU actually pair up, not just whether you clear the minimum?
Test Your ConfigurationLarge 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.
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.