shapez 2 - Factory PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum CPU is the Intel Core i5-10400, which today corresponds roughly to the entry end of modern mainstream processors, closest to the Core i5-10400F. The minimum GPU is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti, an old budget card by today's standards, roughly in the GTX 660 class. The minimum asks for 8 GB of RAM and about 1.95 GB of storage.
The recommended level raises the bar to the Intel Core i5-12600, which sits around the level of the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS in the modern mainstream band. The recommended GPU is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, which corresponds to the entry gaming tier of the RTX 2060 6GB. Recommended RAM is 16 GB, and storage is again about 1.95 GB. The main gap between minimum and recommended lies in the processor generation and graphics performance, and RAM doubles from 8 GB to 16 GB. In practice, a machine at the recommended level has more headroom and can run the game at higher settings.
The publisher does not require an SSD and states this explicitly. Unless your PC has a specific shortfall elsewhere, the hardware bar for this game is fairly friendly.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry budget suits players who want to get in at lower cost and can live with low to medium settings. A GeForce GTX 1650 4GB paired with an Intel Core i5-10400F and 16 GB of RAM works here. This combination only meets the official minimum, so you will need to lower the graphics settings to keep the game running smoothly. Go with 16 GB rather than 8 GB, because 8 GB technically meets the minimum but gets tight once you run other programs.
The mainstream budget is the choice most players will be happiest with. Pair a GeForce RTX 3060 8GB with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and 16 GB of RAM. This setup meets the recommended level and can play at 1080p on medium to high settings, usually giving the best value for money.
The high budget clearly goes beyond the recommended level and suits players who want higher resolutions, more effects, or who stream while playing. A GeForce RTX 4070 with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and 32 GB of RAM fits here. This tier sits well above the recommended level, though it is not strictly necessary for this game, and the benefit of extra spending drops off quickly.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In factory-building simulations like this one, the settings that usually cost the most are global effects such as shadows, volumetric lighting and fog, along with view distance and the density of objects on screen. If performance feels unstable, lowering shadow quality and view distance is usually the most effective fix with the least visible loss. Dense layouts with many buildings and transport lines also add load, so keep an eye on that.
Ray tracing is generally not essential in this kind of game unless your graphics card has plenty of spare headroom. If you enable it, start with a low setting, confirm the controls still feel smooth, and raise it gradually. Anti-aliasing is a matter of taste, though crisper edges can make dense factory layouts easier to read.
If your graphics card supports upscaling technologies such as DLSS, FSR or XeSS, they let you render internally at a lower resolution and display a sharper image at a higher frame rate, usually with an acceptable loss in image quality. The results depend on your hardware and settings, so test them yourself before settling on one.
Laptops and handheld PCs
Laptop graphics chips often share names with desktop cards but deliver noticeably less performance. Laptops have lower power limits and tighter cooling, so a mobile card with the same name is usually slower than its desktop version. When shopping, check the power configuration (TGP) and the cooling design rather than just the model name. Keep vents clear and use the manufacturer's performance mode when needed to keep results steady.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally are portable devices with tight limits on power and performance. They work best with a lower resolution and reduced graphics settings, and it helps to use the built-in frame rate limiter. The publisher does not provide handheld verification data, so you will need to tune settings on each device yourself.
Overall, laptops and handhelds suit players who want to play anywhere, but a desktop remains the better choice for the most consistent experience.
Storage and memory
For memory, the official minimum is 8 GB and the recommended amount is 16 GB. Once the operating system and background programs take their share, 16 GB is a sensible starting point, and you should make sure it runs in dual-channel mode, since that gives better memory bandwidth. If your budget allows, 32 GB gives more room for multitasking or streaming.
For storage, the listed requirement is about 1.95 GB. That is small, but you should leave more room when installing to cover updates and growing save files. The publisher does not require an SSD, so a traditional hard drive can run the game. An SSD does noticeably shorten loading times, which helps a factory game that often loads large saves. If the budget allows, install the game on an SSD.