For Gears of War: E-Day on PC, hardware ray tracing is mandatory. The Coalition’s published launch targets range from 1080p at 60 fps on Medium with an upscaler to 4K at 60+ fps on Ultra; the recommended target is 1440p at 60+ fps on High. All three tiers require an SSD with 115 GB of space. These are reference targets, not guarantees for every system.
Gears of War: E-Day PC requirements at a glance
The following figures are from The Coalition’s final PC specifications, published September 17, 2026. PC Gamer reproduced the developer’s table; each tier lists DLSS, FSR, TSR, or XeSS as an upscaling option for its performance target.
| Target | Resolution, preset and target | GPU examples | CPU examples | VRAM | System RAM | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1080p, Medium, 60 fps with an upscaler | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 or RTX 2060; AMD Radeon RX 6600 or RX 9060 | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X; Intel Core i7-6850K or Core i5-10400 | 6 GB | 12 GB | 115 GB SSD |
| Recommended | 1440p, High, 60+ fps with an upscaler | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 or RTX 3060 Ti; AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT or RX 9060 XT | AMD Ryzen 5 5600; Intel Core i5-11600K | 8 GB | 16 GB | 115 GB SSD |
| Ultra | 4K, Ultra, 60+ fps with an upscaler | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti; AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D; Intel Core i7-14700K | 12 GB | 16 GB | 115 GB SSD |
Source for tier values and examples: PC Gamer’s report of The Coalition’s final specifications. A component listed as an example is not a promise of identical performance across different PCs.
Does Gears of War: E-Day require ray tracing?
Yes. The Steam listing says a “Hardware Ray Tracing capable GPU is required” and that graphics cards without dedicated hardware ray-tracing support are not supported. Check that capability before comparing a card’s general gaming performance or considering an upgrade.
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Which hardware tier should you choose?
Minimum: 1080p on Medium
The minimum examples target 60 fps at 1080p on Medium, with one of the listed upscalers. This tier calls for 12 GB of system RAM and a GPU with 6 GB of VRAM. Meeting the listed examples does not establish that native 1080p rendering will reach the same frame rate.
Recommended: 1440p on High
The recommended tier pairs 1440p and High with a target of 60+ fps, using an upscaler. The listed memory figures are 16 GB of system RAM and 8 GB of VRAM. Among the GPU examples are the RTX 3060 Ti and Radeon RX 6700 XT.
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Ultra: 4K on Ultra
The Ultra tier targets 60+ fps at 4K on Ultra with an upscaler. Its examples include the RTX 5070 Ti and RX 7900 XT, with 12 GB of VRAM and 16 GB of system RAM listed.
What the performance targets do—and do not—tell you
Upscaling is part of every listed target. The specifications do not say that a system will achieve those frame rates while rendering natively at the named resolution, nor do they provide a guaranteed result for every combination of listed parts. Treat the tiers as the developer’s reference configurations, not as a universal benchmark.
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One review offers a real-world point of reference, but not a substitute for testing across the tiers: Tom’s Guide reported roughly 50 fps at 4K High on a Ryzen 7 9700X, GeForce RTX 5070, and 32 GB of RAM before frame generation, with higher observed frame rates after enabling DLSS 4.5 features. Those figures describe that reviewer’s system and settings, not expected performance for all PCs. Read the Tom’s Guide hands-on report.
Is an NVIDIA graphics card required?
No. The game has an NVIDIA PC partnership, but the published requirements list AMD Radeon cards as well as NVIDIA GeForce cards. The Coalition’s rendering lead, Mike Perzel, described the game as built on DirectX 12 and said the partnership would help enhance the PC experience; that statement is not a requirement to use NVIDIA hardware. Microsoft’s Windows Experience Blog announcement also identifies Windows 10/11 as PC platforms.
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Check your PC before upgrading
- Confirm dedicated hardware ray tracing. Check your GPU model’s specifications. A graphics card without dedicated hardware ray-tracing support is not supported, according to Steam.
- Choose a target resolution and preset. Compare your parts to the corresponding developer tier rather than treating the minimum GPU as a general performance guarantee.
- Check system memory and GPU memory separately. The minimum lists 12 GB of system RAM and 6 GB of VRAM; recommended and Ultra list 16 GB of system RAM, with 8 GB and 12 GB of VRAM respectively.
- Make room on an SSD. The listed storage requirement is 115 GB on an SSD. Check available SSD capacity before buying additional storage.
Can you play without upgrading your PC?
Gears of War: E-Day is also listed for Xbox Series X|S. The official game page says it is included at launch with PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate, subject to the relevant subscription and platform requirements. If your PC does not meet the hardware target you want, Xbox is another listed platform to consider. See the official game page.
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