Company of Heroes 2 PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum asks for a 2GHz Intel Core2 Duo or equivalent CPU, a 512MB Direct3D 10 capable video card such as a GeForce 8800 GT or Radeon HD 2900XT, 2GB of RAM and 30GB of storage. An SSD is not required. In our tier comparison, the minimum CPU sits roughly at the very old entry level (around an Athlon 64 X2 6000+), and the minimum GPU is around integrated or very old entry level (around an Intel UHD 730). The game will run at that level, but only just.
The recommended tier raises the bar to a 3GHz Intel quad-core i5 or equivalent, a 1024MB Direct3D 11 capable card such as a GeForce GTX 470 or Radeon HD 5850, and 4GB of RAM. Storage stays at 30GB. In our comparison the recommended CPU is about a Core i3-3220 class part, and the recommended GPU is about an Intel Iris Xe class part. The 4GB RAM figure is tight for a modern system once background software is counted.
The game leans heavily on the processor. Late-game unit counts and AI and simulation work are demanding, so core count and single-thread speed usually matter more to smoothness than the graphics card does. That is why the recommended CPU moves from dual-core to quad-core. The publisher did not list anything above the recommended tier, so any estimate beyond it comes from general hardware tiers rather than official figures.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build suits players who want to keep costs down. Pair a GeForce GTX 1650 4GB or GTX 1660, which clear the recommended tier with room to spare, with an AMD Ryzen 5 3500X or Intel Core i5-10400F and 16GB of RAM. It is a solid choice for long sessions with large battles.
The mainstream build suits most players. A GTX 1660 Super or RTX 3050 8GB paired with a Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i5-10400 and 16GB of RAM keeps the processor from becoming the bottleneck in late-game battles with many units, which is where smoothness is most likely to slip.
The high build suits players who want higher settings and spare capacity for other tasks such as streaming or running other apps. An RTX 2080 Super, RX 7600 or RTX 4060 with a Ryzen 5 5600X or Core i7-11700K and 16GB of RAM gives the most headroom. The game itself does not demand extreme hardware, so you do not need the top model in either category.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In real-time strategy games like this, the heaviest settings are usually the ones tied to units and simulation rather than a single visual option. If performance drops, lower unit draw distance, crowd density and physics simulation detail first. These are processor loads, and lowering them often helps more than dropping the resolution.
On the graphics side, volumetric effects, shadow quality and particle effects usually cost the most. Dropping shadows from high to medium often makes little visible difference while freeing a useful amount of resource. Ray tracing is generally not essential in this game and is best left off so resources go to unit calculations.
If your card supports DLSS, FSR or XeSS, upscaling renders at a lower internal resolution and scales the image up to your display. Used well, it can buy headroom with little loss in image quality. Support and results depend on your GPU and game version, so check the options menu before relying on it.
Laptops and handheld PCs
Laptop graphics chips often share a name with desktop parts, such as an RTX 4060 laptop version, but they run with lower power limits and usually weaker cooling, so real performance is noticeably below the desktop card. Judge laptops by their power specification and chassis cooling rather than the model name. If cooling is poor, sustained heavy load can trigger throttling and hurt consistency.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally are integrated platforms with limited power and cooling. They are best played at lower settings and resolutions, and their built-in performance and power profiles are worth using. We have no Steam Deck verification data for this game, so we cannot rate its compatibility or performance and recommend judging it on general principles.
If you plan to play on a laptop or handheld, first confirm the recommended requirements are met, then lower the unit and simulation settings described above. That is the most practical approach.
Storage and memory
The official figures list 2GB of RAM as the minimum and 4GB as recommended. Modern operating systems and background software take a good share of memory on their own, so 16GB is the practical target and the shared starting point for all three builds here. With 8GB, late-game battles with many units can start paging and cause stutter. Install memory as a matched pair for dual-channel operation, which gives better bandwidth and helps processor-heavy games in particular.
Storage is listed at 30GB. Leave extra room for updates and saves rather than filling the drive close to capacity. An SSD is not required, but installing the game on one noticeably shortens loading, especially when switching maps or loading saves often. A hard drive will still run the game, just with slower loads.