Minimum System Requirements for a PC Game Prototype

There's no universal spec—it depends entirely on your prototype's scope. Here's a framework to define yours:

Determine Your Baseline

Factor	Low (2D/Pixel)	Medium (3D Stylized)	High (Realistic/Simulation)
CPU	Dual-core 2.5 GHz (i3-6100 / Ryzen 3 1200)	Quad-core 3.0 GHz (i5-8400 / Ryzen 5 2600)	6-core 3.5 GHz (i5-12400 / Ryzen 5 5600X)
GPU	Integrated (UHD 630 / Vega 7) or GT 1030	GTX 1050 Ti / RX 570 / GTX 1650	RTX 3060 / RX 6700 XT / RTX 4070
RAM	8 GB DDR4	16 GB DDR4	32 GB DDR4/DDR5
Storage	2 GB HDD	10 GB SSD	50 GB NVMe
OS	Win 10 64-bit	Win 10/11 64-bit	Win 11 64-bit

Engine-Specific Baselines

Unity (URP/2D): Runs on almost anything (even Intel UHD 620).
Unreal Engine 5: Needs DX12/Vulkan GPU, 16 GB RAM, SSD for Nanite/Lumen.
Godot 4: Lightweight; 3D needs Vulkan 1.1+ GPU.
Custom C++/DirectX/Vulkan: You define the floor.

Prototyping Strategy

Target Low End First: Develop on a 5-year-old laptop. If it runs there, it runs everywhere.
Profile Early: Use Unity Profiler, Unreal Insights, RenderDoc, Tracy, Superluminal.
Scalable Settings: Implement quality presets (Low/Med/High) from day one.
Test on Target Hardware: If shipping on Steam Deck, test on Deck. If mobile, test on Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 / A15.

Document Your Min Spec

When ready, publish a README.md with:

## Minimum Requirements (Prototype v0.x)
OS: Windows 10 64-bit 21H2+
CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 950 / AMD RX 560 / Intel UHD 630 (Low preset)
VRAM: 2 GB
Storage: 2 GB SSD
DirectX: 11 / Vulkan 1.1
Notes: Integrated graphics supported at 720p/Low 30 FPS.

Update as you optimize.

Computer Games