Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on PC is an Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 3100 processor, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT graphics card, 16GB of RAM, and 140GB of storage, with an SSD required. In our tier reference, the GTX 1650 is an older entry-level card and the RX 5500 XT sits in the same generation, so the minimum is the bar for the game to launch and run at low settings.
The recommended tier lists an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 5700, the same 16GB of RAM and 140GB of storage, and again an SSD. The RTX 3060 and RX 5700 are mainstream 1080p-class cards in our reference, so the recommended tier means a steady mainstream experience. Going from minimum to recommended is roughly a step from entry-level to mainstream on the GPU side, with the CPU moving from an older mainstream part to something closer to current mainstream.
RAM and storage are identical across both tiers, so the real difference is the graphics card and processor. The publisher does not list a separate 4K or ray tracing tier, so if you want higher resolutions or heavier settings you will need to judge that yourself.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build pairs an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB with an AMD Ryzen 3 3100 and 16GB of RAM. It suits players on a tight budget who are happy to play at lower settings and resolution. It meets the official minimum, so plan on low to medium settings and treat it as a starting point for later upgrades.
The mainstream build uses an AMD Radeon RX 5700 with an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and 16GB of RAM. This is the closest match to the official recommended tier and suits anyone aiming for a stable 1080p experience at medium-high settings. In our reference the RX 5700 is a mainstream 1080p card, which lines up with the recommended spec and makes it the choice most players will consider first.
The high-end build uses an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and 32GB of RAM. It suits players who want higher resolution, higher settings, or who stream and multitask while playing. It clearly exceeds the recommended tier, leaving room to enable the more demanding options and to use upscaling comfortably.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In open-world action adventure games like this one, the settings that usually cost the most are shadow quality, volumetric lighting and fog, ray tracing, crowd and simulation density, and view distance. Shadows and volumetric effects are numerous and expensive across large scenes, and lowering them often gives a noticeable load reduction with a fairly small loss in visual quality. If ray tracing is offered, it is one of the heaviest options for the GPU, so it is worth keeping off on entry and mainstream builds and only considering on higher-end cards.
Crowd and simulation density control how many pedestrians and vehicles appear in the city, and reducing them helps the processor, which is especially useful on weaker CPUs. View distance decides how far objects are drawn and is another common source of cost. Texture quality usually has a small performance effect as long as the card has enough VRAM, but it affects image quality visibly, so raise it according to your card's memory capacity.
Upscaling technologies such as DLSS, FSR, and XeSS are a general option: the game renders at a lower internal resolution and reconstructs a higher-resolution image. If your card supports one of them, enabling it can make the game run noticeably easier with little visible loss, which is a practical tool for lower-mid builds. Results vary with hardware, settings, and scene, so test for yourself.
Laptops and handheld PCs
Laptop GPUs often share names with desktop cards, such as an RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, but real performance depends on power limits, cooling, and the vendor's configuration, and it is usually below the desktop version. When checking whether a laptop meets the requirements, do not rely on the name alone; look at the model's cooling design and power settings. Running on mains power with a performance profile enabled usually lets the machine get closer to its rated performance, and you should watch temperatures and fan behaviour during long sessions.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally run at lower power and have a different design from desktops or laptops. They generally need lower settings and resolution, and it helps to use built-in performance controls and upscaling where available. We have no verification data for Steam Deck, so we cannot give a compatibility rating for that platform; check community reports and platform information before buying.
Whether you use a laptop or a handheld, confirm that storage and RAM meet the official requirements, especially 16GB of RAM and an SSD. Some handhelds and laptops allow extra storage or memory upgrades, and you should set aside the roughly 140GB the game needs.
Storage and memory
The official requirement is 16GB of RAM, and dual-channel configuration is recommended, meaning two modules installed together for better memory bandwidth, which helps the processor and overall smoothness. A single 16GB stick can hurt performance in some situations, so dual-channel is the safer choice. If you plan to run many background programs or stream while playing, 32GB gives more headroom.
The game itself needs about 140GB of storage, and the official requirement calls for an SSD. An SSD greatly shortens load times and reduces read delays when moving through the city, which matters a lot in a large open-world game. A mechanical hard drive does not meet the official requirement and is not a suitable main location for the game.
Leave more than 140GB free before installing, because updates, caches, and save data all take extra room. Keeping the drive with plenty of free space helps the system and game run smoothly and makes future updates install more reliably.