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For a low-end system, begin at 1920×1080 on Low, reduce shadows, volumetric effects, global lighting, reflections and post-processing, and use a frame cap the computer can hold consistently. For a system near the recommended specification, begin at native 1440p on High, keep textures high if video memory allows, and tune the same expensive effects before attempting 4K. Ashes of the Singularity II is still pre-release, so these are practical starting profiles rather than guaranteed frame-rate targets. The announced Windows PC release date is November 10, 2026; check the Steam listing again after launch for changed requirements or option names.
What you need to know before changing settings
Ashes of the Singularity II is being published by Stardock and developed by Oxide for Windows PC. The current Steam listing gives hardware requirements, not a per-setting performance chart. No authoritative final-build table maps each option to average FPS or 1% lows, so an exact number would be misleading before release. Use the profiles below as a repeatable way to find a stable image and frame time on your own system.
The release date currently announced by Stardock is November 10, 2026. Because that date is still in the future relative to this guide, the game, driver behavior and graphics menu may change. The Steam page is the right place to verify the final build and minimum requirements after launch: Ashes of the Singularity II on Steam.
Current PC requirements
The listed minimum and recommended configurations establish the sensible boundaries for the two profiles in this guide. They do not promise a particular resolution, battle size or FPS.
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| Tier | Processor | System memory | Graphics card | API | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | AMD Ryzen 5 2400G or Intel Core i5-8500 | 8GB | AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB | DirectX 12 | 50GB |
| Recommended | AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or Intel Core i5-11600K | 16GB | AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT 8GB or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB | DirectX 12 | 50GB |
The Steam listing recommends an SSD. That is especially useful for a large real-time strategy game that may stream substantial maps and unit data, but an SSD recommendation is not the same thing as an FPS guarantee. Leave additional free space for Windows, drivers and updates rather than filling a 50GB drive to its limit.
Low-end settings: GTX 1660, RX 580 and similar PCs
A computer close to the minimum specification should prioritize consistent frame time over a high peak number. Start with the following profile, then raise one setting at a time only after the largest battle you can reproduce remains smooth.
1. Set the display resolution first
- Open the game’s video or graphics menu and select 1920×1080 if your monitor supports it.
- Choose the Low preset as the initial baseline.
- Set resolution scaling or oversampling to a performance-oriented value offered by the build. Do not assume that a named percentage has the same internal resolution in every version.
- Play a long engagement, not just the opening minutes. If frame time is stable, increase scaling gradually; if it is not, lower scaling before removing every texture detail.
Lowering internal resolution reduces the work sent to the GPU. It cannot fix a simulation or processor bottleneck, so a large improvement that disappears when many units are present points to a different limit.
2. Reduce the effects that cost the most
Keep shadow quality, volumetric or atmospheric effects, global lighting, reflections and other post-processing on Low initially. These effects can create large frame-time spikes during busy scenes while contributing less to strategic readability than a stable camera and clear unit silhouettes.
Oxide’s earlier graphics technical notes identify temporal anti-aliasing, glare, bloom, shadows and shading as controls that can be reduced on slower systems. If the released build exposes those names, disable or lower them in that order when large battles remain slow. Temporal anti-aliasing can soften the image; disabling it may make edges shimmer, so compare a short tactical view and a zoomed-out battlefield before deciding.
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Do not automatically put textures on the lowest level. Texture quality primarily consumes video memory rather than shader time. Keep the highest texture setting that fits your card’s VRAM without stutter, flashing surfaces or out-of-memory behavior. On a 6GB card such as the listed GTX 1660 minimum, lowering textures becomes reasonable when memory symptoms appear; an 8GB card has more room, but the final build may use memory differently.
3. Cap a frame rate you can actually sustain
Use the in-game frame limiter if one exists, or the equivalent driver control, and choose a value the system holds through the largest engagements. A stable cap is preferable to a high menu FPS followed by erratic drops when the army grows. The correct cap depends on your monitor and test battle; the requirements do not establish a universal target.
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Large RTS battles can become CPU-limited. If lowering resolution scaling produces little change while the frame rate still falls as unit counts rise, stop sacrificing image quality and test any lower simulation-heavy options exposed by the game. A lower cap can also make frame delivery feel steadier. Monitor GPU utilization if your overlay provides it: a busy GPU suggests a rendering limit, while a low-utilization GPU during a slowdown suggests that the processor or simulation is holding the frame.
5. Remove avoidable background load
- Update the graphics driver before comparing settings.
- Close browser tabs, overlays and background recording tools while testing.
- Install the game on an SSD when possible, as the Steam listing recommends.
- Restart after a driver update so shader caches and game processes are in a clean state.
These are general PC troubleshooting steps, not measured Ashes of the Singularity II benchmarks. They help ensure that a settings comparison reflects the game rather than an overlay or background task.
High-end settings: RTX 3070, RX 6750 XT and faster PCs
A system around the recommended specification has enough GPU headroom to start with image quality rather than minimum settings. The practical starting point is native 2560×1440 on High, or Ultra if the released build offers it and your sustained battle test remains comfortable.
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1. Begin at native 1440p
- Select the monitor’s native 2560×1440 resolution.
- Choose High; select Ultra only when it is available and the largest engagements remain consistent.
- Keep textures and anisotropic detail high while VRAM use is healthy.
- Run a representative large battle before changing individual options.
Native rendering preserves the fine unit, terrain and interface detail that is easy to lose with aggressive scaling. If the GPU is short of the desired frame rate, lower resolution scaling or use an upscaler supplied by the game, then inspect text and distant formations for clarity and any added input-latency feel.
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When frame time spikes, lower shadows, volumetric effects, reflections and global illumination first. Anti-aliasing and other post-processing are the next logical adjustments. This approach keeps textures and core scene detail intact while targeting effects that can consume substantial GPU time.
Keep anisotropic detail high when available and when video memory permits; it improves the clarity of surfaces viewed at an angle and normally has a smaller visual cost than dropping the entire texture tier. If stutter or visual corruption appears, reduce textures and retest rather than assuming the GPU is too slow.
3. Treat 4K as a deliberate trade-off
Move to 3840×2160 only after checking sustained performance in the largest battles at 1440p. The developer told Wccftech that running at 4K with many graphics settings enabled will push almost any modern hardware. That is a workload warning, not a guaranteed 4K preset or frame rate. At 4K, lower resolution scaling, shadows, volumetrics, reflections and global illumination before abandoning all texture quality.
4. Use a cap even with a fast GPU
A fast graphics card does not remove the CPU cost of commanding many units. A cap that the processor and GPU can hold through a prolonged engagement prevents the presentation from oscillating between high peaks and deep dips. Test the cap in a battle with the largest forces you normally play, not in an empty skirmish.
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Which setting should you change first?
Use this order when you need more consistent frame time. It separates GPU-heavy controls from memory and simulation issues so that one change does not hide the real bottleneck.
- Confirm resolution scaling and, on a low-end machine, lower it before making broad image-quality sacrifices.
- Reduce shadows.
- Reduce volumetric or atmospheric effects.
- Reduce reflections and global illumination.
- Lower anti-aliasing, temporal effects and post-processing such as glare or bloom if the build exposes them.
- Reduce texture quality only when VRAM pressure causes stutter, missing assets or out-of-memory symptoms.
- If resolution changes barely help during mass battles, test lower simulation-related controls and use a sustainable frame cap.
Change one group at a time and replay the same section of a battle. Otherwise, you will not know which adjustment solved a spike or which one caused an unwanted loss of clarity.
Low-end and high-end profiles at a glance
| Decision | Near minimum specification | Recommended-class specification |
|---|---|---|
| Starting resolution | 1920×1080 | Native 2560×1440 |
| Starting preset | Low | High; Ultra when sustained performance allows |
| Resolution scaling | Performance-oriented value, then raise gradually | Native first; use scaling or upscaling only when needed |
| Shadows, volumetrics, lighting and reflections | Low | High initially; reduce these first when battles spike |
| Textures | Highest level that fits VRAM; lower if memory symptoms appear | High when VRAM permits |
| 4K | Not a sensible first target | Attempt only after testing the largest battles at 1440p |
| Frame-rate strategy | Cap at a value held consistently | Cap if CPU or battle-scale dips make frame time uneven |
How battle size changes the answer
Ashes of the Singularity is built around large-scale engagements, so a settings test that looks smooth with a few units can be unrepresentative. Create or load a scenario that reflects your normal late-game army size, zoom out to the view you use for command, and observe several minutes of movement, effects and combat. Record frame-time behavior rather than a single peak FPS reading.
If the GPU is fully occupied and lowering effects improves frame time, continue tuning resolution, shadows, volumetrics, reflections and lighting. If the GPU has spare capacity but the frame rate falls as unit counts and decisions increase, the processor or simulation is more likely to be limiting. In that case, lower any exposed simulation-heavy options, close background work and choose a cap that avoids constant oscillation. Lowering texture resolution will not solve a CPU-bound battle.
Can a GTX 1660 or RX 580 run the game?
Both are explicitly listed as minimum graphics cards: the GTX 1660 has 6GB of VRAM and the RX 580 listed has 8GB. Pairing either with 8GB of system memory meets the current minimum specification on paper, along with a Ryzen 5 2400G or Core i5-8500-class processor, DirectX 12 and 50GB of storage. That statement describes eligibility against the current listing; it does not promise a particular FPS, resolution beyond the 1080p starting point, or performance in the heaviest battle.
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Use the low-end profile, keep an eye on VRAM and system-memory pressure, and revisit the Steam requirements after the November 10, 2026 release because pre-release specifications can change.
What about Steam Deck?
In a Wccftech interview, the developer said, “we will be able to support hardware as low-end as the Steam Deck, for example.” That expresses an intended hardware range, not a guaranteed Steam Deck frame rate, preset, battery life or verified status. The same interview warns that 4K with many graphics settings enabled will push almost any modern hardware, which is consistent with expecting a substantially lighter handheld profile.
When the game is available, start with the handheld’s native display resolution, the Low preset, reduced shadows and volumetric effects, conservative scaling and a sustainable frame cap. Recheck after launch because the final shader compilation behavior, menu labels and compatibility status are not established by the pre-release statement.
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The game stutters after changing settings
- Restart the game after a driver update or major graphics change.
- Check whether the stutter coincides with VRAM use; lower textures one step if it does.
- Move the installation to an SSD if it is on a hard drive and the system has one available.
- Disable overlays and recording software, then repeat the same battle test.
Lowering resolution does almost nothing
- Watch GPU utilization during a large engagement.
- If the GPU is not busy while the frame rate falls, test lower simulation-related options exposed by the build.
- Use a lower, consistent frame cap instead of continuing to degrade image quality.
The image is blurry or shimmering
- Raise resolution scaling before raising every individual effect.
- Review temporal anti-aliasing or other temporal options; disabling them can improve performance but may increase shimmer.
- Restore textures and anisotropic detail if they were lowered unnecessarily for a CPU-bound problem.
The game will not start or reports an API problem
The current listing requires DirectX 12. Confirm that Windows 10 or Windows 11 64-bit is installed, the graphics driver supports DirectX 12, and the game files are current. If the final release changes those requirements, use the post-launch Steam listing as the authority.
What is known, and what is not yet measurable
The published facts are the 8GB minimum and 16GB recommended system memory, the GTX 1660 6GB or RX 580 8GB minimum graphics tier, the RTX 3070 8GB or RX 6750 XT 8GB recommended tier, DirectX 12, 50GB of storage and the SSD recommendation. Stardock’s announced date is November 10, 2026. The developer has also described support as low as Steam Deck hardware and warned that feature-rich 4K will stress modern hardware.
There is no authoritative final-build, per-option FPS table supporting claims such as “this setting gives 20 FPS” or “that card guarantees 60 FPS.” Treat any such number as a test of a particular build, map, battle size and driver unless it is documented with those conditions. For official context, see Oxide’s earlier graphics technical notes, the original official system specifications and the official FAQ and benchmark description. The developer interview is available at Wccftech; Stardock’s announcements are the game announcement and the release-date announcement.
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