Planet Coaster PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum for Planet Coaster is an Intel i5-2300 or AMD FX-4300 processor, an NVIDIA GTX 560 (2GB) or AMD Radeon 7850 (2GB) graphics card, 8GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. The publisher does not require an SSD. In today's terms, the minimum GPU is roughly at the level of a GeForce GT 1030 or an old integrated graphics chip, and the minimum CPU is close to a Core i3-3220. The minimum is enough to launch and run the game on an older quad-core system, but it leaves little room once a park gets large.
The recommended level is an Intel i7-4770 or AMD FX-8350, an NVIDIA GTX 980 (4GB) or AMD R9 380 (4GB), 12GB of RAM and the same 8GB of storage. Today the recommended GPU sits around a GTX 1050 Ti, and the recommended CPU is roughly a Core i3-4130. The processor deserves more attention than the graphics card here. This is a CPU-heavy simulation, and the workload grows with guest and vehicle counts, so the recommended CPU tier matters more than the GPU tier for park size.
From a player's perspective, the gap between minimum and recommended shows up in two places: RAM rises from 8GB to 12GB, which helps large parks avoid memory pressure, and the CPU moves up from older i5 or FX-4300 parts to i7-4770 or FX-8350 class chips with more cores. The publisher does not list a higher tier. If you want a smoother large park, use the build suggestions below as a guide.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build suits players on a tight budget who mainly want to play the game and are not chasing high graphics settings. A GTX 1650 or RTX 3050 6GB paired with a Ryzen 3 3100 or Core i3-10100F and 16GB of RAM clears the official recommended level comfortably. The quad-core CPU is enough for small and medium parks, but a very large park with many guests can still be limited by the processor.
The mainstream build suits players who want long sessions and some headroom for both graphics and park size. You can choose anywhere from a GTX 1650 up to an RTX 3050 8GB, and step the CPU up to a Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i5-10400. Six cores handle the simulation load noticeably better, which matters once a map has been expanded. 16GB of RAM is the sensible target.
The high build suits players who want higher graphics settings, higher resolutions or very large parks. Options include an RTX 2070 Super, an RTX 4060 or a Radeon RX 7600, paired with a Ryzen 5 5600 or Core i5-12400 or a newer six-core or better CPU. Because this game leans on the processor, a stronger CPU usually brings a more noticeable improvement than a stronger GPU at this level. 16GB is again the baseline, with 32GB worth considering if you run other heavy applications.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In simulation and management games like this, the most expensive options are usually shadows, volumetric lighting and fog, and view distance with scene detail. Shadows and volumetrics are costly across large scenes, so they are the first things to lower. View distance controls how much distant geometry is drawn, and reducing it often has a small visual cost. If performance drops, start with these before dropping resolution.
Another group to watch is the simulation-related settings, such as crowd density, unit draw distance and physics detail. These directly affect processor workload, since every extra guest or vehicle adds logic work each frame. If the CPU is the bottleneck, lowering these is usually more effective than lowering graphics quality. Use the in-game options as the source of truth; we do not publish specific performance numbers.
Upscaling technologies such as DLSS, FSR and XeSS render at a lower internal resolution and reconstruct the image, trading some sharpness for higher frame rates. If your graphics card is close to the recommended tier, upscaling is a reasonable choice. If the game does not offer one on your platform, lowering the render resolution scale can achieve a similar effect.
Laptops and handheld PCs
A laptop GPU shares its name with a desktop card but often runs at a lower power limit (TGP) with less cooling space, so it performs noticeably worse. When comparing a laptop against the official requirements, check the exact power variant rather than just the model name. Poor cooling can also cause clock throttling during long sessions, so keep vents clear and clean the fans regularly.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally use integrated graphics and processors that roughly match entry-level or older desktop hardware. They work best with reduced settings and a lower resolution, and very large parks may struggle. We have no Steam Deck verification data, so we cannot give a compatibility rating for that device. Judge it against the official requirements and the device's own specifications.
Storage and memory
The official RAM minimum is 8GB and the recommended amount is 12GB. In practice 16GB is the safer choice because it leaves room for the operating system and background software. Dual-channel memory gives better bandwidth, which helps data-heavy simulations, so install matched pairs rather than a single large module.
The official storage figure is 8GB, but leave extra space for updates and save files; keeping a good margin of free space is wise. An SSD is not required, but it noticeably shortens loading times and makes switching maps and loading large saves quicker. If your budget allows, install the game on an SSD. Even a smaller SATA SSD is a clear improvement over a hard drive.