ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum CPU is an Intel Core i5-10600 or an AMD Ryzen 5 5500. Today the Ryzen 5 5500 sits in the modern mainstream entry band, not far below the Ryzen 5 5600, so the minimum CPU bar is not especially high. The minimum GPU is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB or an AMD Radeon RX 580 4GB. Both are older entry-level cards that are dated by current standards, but they meet the minimum tier. The minimum RAM is 12GB, with 16GB recommended. Storage requires 30GB, and the publisher does not require an SSD.
The official recommended CPU is an Intel Core i5-11500 or an AMD Ryzen 5 5600. The recommended GPU is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB or an AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB. The GTX 1070 is a 1080p-class mainstream card from an earlier generation, and the step up from the minimum GPU is clear, with VRAM rising from 3GB to 8GB. Recommended RAM is 16GB, which gives comfortable headroom for multitasking.
In practice, the gap between minimum and recommended shows up mostly in the GPU and memory. Hardware that only just reaches the minimum can usually start the game, but has less room for higher settings and stability. Hardware at the recommended level gives you more freedom to run the game at higher settings. The publisher does not list any tier above recommended, so the two levels are the only reference points available.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build suits players who want to get the game running on a limited budget. Pair a GeForce GTX 1660 Super or RTX 3050 8GB with a processor in the Ryzen 5 5600G or Ryzen 5 5500 class, and 16GB of RAM. This should meet the official recommended requirements, but a graphics card at this level will limit how high you can push the settings.
The mainstream build is the choice most players will be happiest with. Consider a GeForce RTX 3060 8GB, Radeon RX 6600, or RTX 2060 12GB, paired with a Ryzen 5 5600 or Ryzen 5 8600G class CPU. This tier is clearly above the official recommended level and gives a comfortable margin at 1080p. Sixteen gigabytes of RAM is the baseline, and 32GB is worth considering if you keep many other programs open.
The high-end build is for players who want high settings, higher resolutions, or more headroom for the future. Options include a GeForce RTX 3070, Radeon RX 6700 XT, or RTX 4060 Ti 16GB, with a high-efficiency CPU such as the Ryzen 7 7800X3D or Core i7-14700K. Pair it with 32GB of RAM. This is well beyond the recommended requirements and suits anyone who wants to enable more lighting effects or plans to keep the system for longer.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In an action RPG like this, the settings that usually cost the most are shadows, volumetric lighting and fog, dense vegetation and crowd detail, and view distance. Raising shadow resolution and draw distance adds a lot of GPU load. Volumetric effects look striking but can slow things down during busy combat. A high view distance means the engine renders distant objects and detail as well, which costs resources. It is usually sensible to set these to medium first and adjust from there.
Ray tracing is typically one of the most demanding options. If your graphics card is not a recent generation, turning it off leaves more headroom for steady performance. Texture quality and material detail generally cost less, so as long as your GPU has enough VRAM you can usually keep those high.
Upscaling technologies such as NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR and Intel XeSS work by rendering at a lower internal resolution and reconstructing the image at your target resolution, which reduces GPU load. Which option you can use depends on your graphics card, so choose from what the game's menu offers. In general, upscaling helps most on mid-range and higher cards, while entry cards can use it as a supporting tool for smoother play.
Laptops and handheld PCs
Laptop GPUs often share a name with desktop cards, such as an RTX 3060 laptop version, but the power limits and cooling differ a lot. Laptop versions usually run at lower power, so the same model can perform noticeably below its desktop counterpart under sustained load. When choosing a laptop, check the GPU's power rating (TGP) and cooling design, and watch for thermal throttling after long sessions.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally are portable computers with limited performance and cooling headroom. They are best played at lower settings and resolutions, and their built-in power and frame-limit options are worth using. We have no verified data for how this game runs on handhelds, so we cannot give a specific compatibility rating. Use the official requirements and your device's specifications as your guide.
If you plan to play on a laptop or handheld, keep the device well ventilated, use mains power to avoid power limits, and start with low settings before gradually finding a stable balance.
Storage and memory
The official minimum RAM is 12GB and 16GB is recommended. Dual-channel configuration improves memory bandwidth, which matters more when the system relies on shared memory, so make sure your two sticks sit in the correct dual-channel slots. If you run other programs at the same time, 32GB gives a more stable experience.
The game requires 30GB of storage, and the publisher does not require an SSD. In general, an SSD noticeably shortens load times and area transitions, so if your budget allows, we recommend one. A hard drive can run the game, but loading will be slower.
Leave extra free space when installing, since updates and future content can grow the install size. Keeping more room than the listed 30GB helps avoid failed updates caused by a full drive.