We’re a month away from the release of Hogwarts Legacy, and recently the PC requirements to play the game have been released. Whenever there’s a significant PC release, I like to list them and let the world know what I think of them. That said, I’m in a bit of a shock with the Hogwarts Legacy PC specs.
MINIMUM
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i5-6600 (3.3 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 5 1400 (3.2 GHz)
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB or AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: 85 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD (Preferred), HDD (Supported), 720p/30 fps, Low-Quality Settings
RECOMMENDED
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i7-8700 (3.2 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (3.6 GHz)
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 1080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT or Intel Arc A770
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: 85 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD, 1080p/60 fps, High Quality Settings
ULTRA
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i7-10700K (3.8 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 7 5800x (3.8 GHz)
Memory: 32 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: 85 GB SSD
Additional Notes: SSD, 1440p/60 fps, Ultra Quality Settings
ULTRA 4K
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i7-10700K (3.8 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 7 5800x (3.8 GHz)
Memory: 32 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090Ti or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: 85 GB SSD
Additional Notes: SSD, 2160p/60 fps, Ultra Quality Settings
Alright, for the most part, things are tame. The minimum and recommended requirements shouldn’t pose any concerns for a PC that’s been built or upgraded over the past 6-7 years. The 16GB may cause some people to do a double-take.
When things start to cause concern is when we get to the ultra and ultra 4K requirements, as both require 32GB of RAM, and a GPU that has at least 10GB of VRAM. For many, 16 GB is still considered more than enough for PC gaming, unless you’re a PC enthusiast. I have 64 GB installed, but I also do a lot of video editing, and Adobe Premiere Pro loves memory.
To put things into perspective, the last few major PC releases, The Callisto Protocol, Elden Ring, Need for Speed Unbound, and even Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, only required 16 GB or less. There aren’t many, if any PC games available now that require 32 GB. Yes, I’m aware that Returnal for the PC will also require 32 GB of RAM. I really hope that the requirement of 32 GB of RAM isn’t a sign that this game isn’t optimized.
Outside of speculating, we’ll have to wait until Hogwarts Legacy is released on February 10, 2023. We will be playing the game? Yes, we will. So be sure to check back to find out what we think about the game.
