Step 2 of 5

Step 2 — Working out whether your computer can run it

This is the step people skip, and it is the one that prevents the most disappointment. You need four numbers from your own machine and a published list from the vendor.

The four figures that matter

A system requirements list can look like twenty lines of jargon. In practice four of them decide almost everything, and the rest follow.

The processor, often written CPU, is the general-purpose chip that runs the program. What you want is its full model name, not just the brand — something of the form "Intel Core i5-10400" or "AMD Ryzen 5 5600" or "Apple M2". The generation number embedded in that name matters more than the headline tier.

The memory, written RAM and measured in gigabytes, is the working space the program gets while it runs. This is the figure most often too small on an older machine, and it is also usually the cheapest to increase, although that is a decision for later and not a thing this course tells you to do.

The graphics hardware, often written GPU, draws the picture. It is either a separate card, which is normal in a desktop built for games, or built into the processor, which is normal in an ordinary laptop. Built-in graphics are not a disqualification in this category, but they are the figure most likely to put you below a recommended specification.

Free storage, in gigabytes, is simply room on the drive. Large online games are large, and they grow with every patch. A list that says a game needs a given amount is describing the day you install it, not the figure a year later.

How to read them off your own computer

Every operating system in scope here — Windows, macOS and Linux — can tell you these four figures with tools it already has. You do not need to install anything, and you should be sceptical of any website that offers to scan your computer for you.

1. Make the list first. On paper or in a text file, write four labels: processor, memory, graphics, free storage. Leave a blank after each. Filling in a prepared list is far less error-prone than reading a wall of system information and trying to remember what you saw.
2. On Windows, open Settings, then System, then About. The processor and installed memory are both listed there, along with the Windows edition and version, which you will also want for Step 3. For the graphics line, press the Windows key together with R, type dxdiag, press Enter, and look at the Display tab. Free storage is in Settings, then System, then Storage.
3. On macOS, open the Apple menu in the top-left corner and choose About This Mac. The chip or processor, the memory and the macOS version appear on that panel. On Apple silicon the graphics are part of the chip, so the chip name answers both questions. Free storage is on the Storage tab of the same area, or in Settings under General.
4. On Linux, most desktop environments have an About panel in Settings showing processor, memory and graphics. From a terminal, lscpu reports the processor, free -h reports memory, lspci | grep -i vga reports graphics and df -h reports free space. Note your distribution and version too.
5. Write the figures down exactly as shown, including model numbers and the amount of memory to the nearest gigabyte. Approximations are where comparison errors come from.

How to read a requirements list

A published requirements list normally has two columns. The minimum column is the publisher's statement of the configuration on which the game is expected to start and be playable, usually at low settings and a modest resolution. The recommended column describes a configuration on which the publisher expects a comfortable experience at higher settings.

Three cautions apply to both columns. They are the publisher's own estimates, not independently verified figures, so treat them as guidance rather than a guarantee. They usually assume a clean machine with little else running. And they age: a list written at launch may not describe the game after two years of patches.

Find the list on the vendor's own website rather than on a third-party page, because third-party copies go stale and this course has no way to verify them. That is also why this site does not reprint requirements for any specific product, including the one it is paid to link to.

Interpreting the comparison

Put your four figures beside the two columns and read the result as one of three outcomes.

One line below minimum is enough to put you in the first row. Requirements are not an average.

Why this course assumes a desktop or laptop

The category this course covers is desktop software: programs installed on a computer running Windows, macOS or Linux. The product this site is paid to link to is offered for those three systems and not for phones or tablets, so if your only device is a phone, this particular example is out of scope for you. The reasoning in Steps 1, 3 and 5 still applies to anything you play anywhere; only the hardware arithmetic in this step is specific to computers.

It also matters for a practical reason. On a desktop you can usually see and change the four figures above. On a phone you cannot, which is why phone games rarely publish requirements in this form.

The fifth thing: your connection

Hardware is only half the question for an online game, because the other half is the link between your machine and the publisher's server. Two different measures matter, and people routinely confuse them.

Bandwidth is how much data can move per second. It is the number internet plans advertise. Online games of this kind are surprisingly light on bandwidth once installed; the heavy part is the initial download and the patches.

Latency is how long a single message takes to make the round trip, measured in milliseconds. This is the number that decides whether an online game feels responsive, and it is largely set by physical distance and by the route your traffic takes. An Australian player connecting to a server in another hemisphere will see a higher figure than a player next door to the data centre, and no amount of bandwidth fixes it. Where a game offers a choice of server region, choosing the nearest one is usually the single biggest improvement available.

You do not need to measure either number before Step 4. You do need to know that they are different, so that you do not buy hardware to solve a latency problem.

A worked example

Take the hypothetical household from the course index: three adults, one five-year-old desktop, no budget for new parts. This is an invented example used to show the method, not a report about any real person or any real product.

They write their four labels. Settings, System, About gives them a processor model and 8 GB of memory. The dxdiag Display tab shows graphics built into the processor rather than a separate card. Storage shows 60 GB free.

They open a vendor's requirements page and find a minimum column asking for less memory than they have and a graphics line their built-in chip meets, and a recommended column naming a separate graphics card they do not have. That places them squarely in the middle row of the table above: it should run, at lower settings, and the sensible plan is to install, turn the settings down, and judge it from there.

What they deliberately do not do is conclude that they need to buy a graphics card. They have not yet played a single match. The comparison told them what to expect; it did not tell them to spend money, and neither does this course.