Outer Wilds PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum for Outer Wilds lists an Intel Core i5-2300 or AMD FX-4350 CPU, a GeForce GTX 660 or Radeon HD 7870 with 2 GB of VRAM, 6 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage. The publisher does not require an SSD. By our tier mapping, the minimum GPU sits at roughly the Radeon HD 7850 generation, which is very old entry level, and the CPU is close to a Core i3-3220. In practice, the minimum is about getting the game to launch and run at low settings rather than a smooth experience.
The recommended tier asks for an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, a GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 580, 8 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage. The GPU corresponds to an older entry-level card such as the GTX 1060 3GB, and the CPU is roughly a Ryzen 3 3100 class processor. Eight gigabytes of RAM is the bare minimum here, and if you are running other applications, 16 GB will give you much more breathing room.
The gap between minimum and recommended mostly shows up as image quality and stability. Reaching the recommended tier means you have room to enable higher graphics options. The publisher does not list anything above the recommended tier, so any estimate of higher-end hardware is based on general performance scaling rather than an official figure.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build suits players on a tighter budget who play at 1080p and can accept conservative graphics. Pair a GeForce GTX 1650 4GB with an AMD Ryzen 3 3100 and 16 GB of RAM. Both the GPU and CPU are comfortably above the official recommended tier, so you should be able to run the game at low to medium settings without much compromise.
The mainstream build is the best value for most players. It fits anyone who wants medium to high settings at 1080p and does not want to upgrade for several years. A GeForce GTX 1660 Super or RTX 3050 8GB, an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and 16 GB of RAM give you a clear margin over the official recommendation, with better detail and steadier results.
The high-end build is for players who want higher settings or resolutions, or who stream and record on the same machine. A GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or Radeon RX 6700 XT, an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and 32 GB of RAM covers that well. For this particular game the extra headroom is generous, since the game itself does not demand much from modern hardware, so the benefit is mostly spare capacity.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
Outer Wilds is a game built around exploration and puzzle solving across an open solar system, so view distance, shadows and volumetric effects tend to cost the most. Shadow quality and volumetric fog are usually the first settings to lower if you need more headroom. View distance affects the cost of rendering distant bodies, so adjust it to your own preference for sharpness versus performance.
Ray tracing is generally not essential in this game. If your graphics card supports it, you can try it, but on entry and mainstream builds it is better to leave it off and keep resources for the core image. For resolution and anti-aliasing, staying at native 1080p is usually the most stable choice.
Upscaling technologies such as NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR and Intel XeSS work by rendering at a lower internal resolution and reconstructing the image to your target resolution, trading some fidelity for speed. If the game supports one of them and your graphics card is capable, it is a sensible option when the image is demanding, and you should pick the technology that matches your hardware.
Laptops and handheld PCs
Laptop graphics cards often share names with desktop parts, but their real performance depends heavily on the power limit (TGP) and cooling design. A laptop RTX 3060 can perform noticeably below its desktop namesake, so do not judge by the name alone. Check the specific model's power and cooling reviews before assuming it will run the game comfortably. Plugging in and using a high-performance power profile makes a large difference compared with running on battery.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally are general-purpose portable machines whose built-in hardware sits roughly in the low to mid range. They suit lower settings and lower resolutions. We do not have Steam Deck verification data for this game, so we cannot give a compatibility rating. Use the official requirements and the device's specifications to judge, and expect to lower settings to keep the experience stable.
Storage and memory
The official storage requirement is 8 GB, and the publisher states that an SSD is not required. A hard drive will run the game, but an SSD noticeably shortens loading when moving between areas, which is a real benefit in an exploration-driven game. If your budget allows, install it on an SSD.
For memory, the official minimum is 6 GB and the recommended is 8 GB. We still recommend 16 GB, because it leaves room for the system and background programs and reduces stutter when multitasking. Make sure the RAM runs in dual-channel mode by installing two matching modules in the correct slots, which helps CPU performance and overall smoothness. Finally, leave more free disk space than the listed requirement so there is room for future patches and mods.