To check whether your PC can run a particular open-world Steam game, compare your computer’s specs with that game’s System Requirements on its Steam store page. In Windows, find your basic specs under Settings > System > About and identify your graphics card in Task Manager > Performance. Meeting the minimum requirements is a useful compatibility baseline—not a promise of a specific frame rate or graphics quality.
Find the game’s exact requirements on Steam
Open the Steam store page for the game and edition you intend to play, then locate System Requirements. Compare your PC against both the minimum and recommended rows. Requirements are specific to each game; there is no single hardware standard for open-world games.
Check every listed category, not just the graphics card: operating-system version, processor, memory, graphics card and VRAM, available storage, and any stated SSD, DirectX, or internet requirement. If the page specifies a 64-bit operating system or another API requirement, include that in your comparison.
Collect your Windows PC’s specifications
Windows, processor, and memory
- Open Settings > System > About.
- Record the Windows edition and version, processor model, and installed RAM.
- Compare the processor model and RAM capacity with the game’s requirement rows. A matching brand or a higher clock speed alone does not establish that a different CPU is equivalent.
Graphics card
- Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
- Select Performance, then select GPU.
- Record the GPU model. If Windows lists more than one GPU, note each one and determine which is used for games before comparing it with the Steam listing.
Some PCs, particularly laptops, have both integrated graphics and a separate graphics card. Microsoft explains that Task Manager can show GPU performance data on systems with multiple GPUs. Do not assume the game is using the GPU with the most impressive-sounding name; the model used for the game is the one to compare.
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Storage and other requirements
Check the free space on the drive where you plan to install the game, rather than relying only on total capacity across all drives. Compare that free space with the listing’s requirement, and note whether the game specifically requires an SSD. Record any other listed conditions, such as a DirectX version or internet access.
Compare your PC with minimum and recommended requirements
Match each of your recorded specifications to the corresponding category on the Steam page. CPU and GPU model names matter: comparing only manufacturer, clock speed, or VRAM can lead to a misleading result. Then assess the two requirement tiers separately:
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- Below minimum: Compatibility is doubtful, especially if your PC misses a stated operating-system, graphics API, or SSD requirement. The listing does not establish whether the game will launch on hardware below its baseline.
- Meets minimum but not recommended: The PC may run the game, but the requirements page does not tell you what frame rate or image quality to expect.
- Meets recommended: This is a stronger sign that the PC matches the game’s target specifications, but it still does not guarantee a particular frame rate or visual quality on every system.
For example, the Steam listing for The Long Dark specifies 4 GB of RAM minimum and 8 GB recommended. Ghost Recon Wildlands lists 6 GB minimum and 8 GB recommended. By contrast, Nioh 3 specifies 16 GB of RAM and 125 GB of available storage at minimum, as well as an SSD. These are the games’ own listed specifications, not interchangeable benchmarks or general requirements for open-world titles.
Check the game’s Windows requirement separately from Steam’s client notice
A Steam listing can show an older Windows version in the game’s system requirements and also display Steam’s notice: “Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.” That statement concerns the Steam client, not a change to every game’s requirements. Read the game’s OS line and the client notice as separate information; neither one settles the other question.
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Use a game-specific benchmark to judge performance
A system-requirements list is not a benchmark. If your PC is close to the minimum or recommended tier—or you want to estimate performance at a particular resolution and graphics setting—look for results for the exact game on a comparable CPU and GPU. Check that the benchmark uses conditions relevant to you, including resolution, settings, and driver version. Steam notes that outdated drivers can reduce performance.
When published results do not answer the question, testing the game may help, but follow Steam’s current refund rules and eligibility conditions. A requirements comparison alone cannot predict the result for an untested game-and-PC pairing.
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