The Planet Crafter PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum CPU is listed as an Intel Core2 Duo 2.4GHz or equivalent. That roughly corresponds to very old entry-level processors such as the AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+. The minimum GPU is listed only as 3GB of VRAM, with no specific model given. Minimum RAM is 4GB, storage is 4GB, and an SSD is not required.
The recommended level lists Intel HD Graphics 5000 or better with OpenGL support. That entry describes graphics capability rather than a CPU, and no processor model is named. On our comparison scale, the recommended level sits around the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, which is also in the very old, entry-level band. The recommended GPU is 6GB of VRAM, recommended RAM is 8GB, and storage stays at 4GB.
For a player, the gap between minimum and recommended comes down mainly to memory: going from 3GB to 6GB of VRAM and from 4GB to 8GB of system RAM. Those two steps decide whether you can run higher textures and longer draw distances comfortably. Because no GPU model is named, the only practical comparison is by VRAM amount.
Overall, the hardware bar is low, and most PCs built in the last several years clear the recommended level with room to spare. The things worth checking are OpenGL support and enough memory capacity.
The publisher has not listed a higher tier, so any statement about performance well above the recommended level is an extrapolation rather than an official figure.
Recommended builds for three budgets
For an entry budget, pair an AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB with an AMD Ryzen 3 3100 or Intel Core i3-10100F and 16GB of RAM. This is well above the official recommended level and suits players who want a smooth, complete playthrough without spending much.
The mainstream build uses an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, paired with an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel Core i5-10400, again with 16GB of RAM. This tier leaves headroom for higher settings and for other demanding games you may play.
The high-end build is represented by an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D or Intel Core i9-14900K and at least 16GB of RAM. For this game, the main benefit is the ability to run higher settings and resolutions, not a necessary speed-up. If this is the only game you play, the mainstream build is already more than enough.
We recommend 16GB across all three tiers because modern Windows and background software use a fair amount of memory, and 8GB leaves little room once the game is running.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In survival and crafting games like this one, the settings that usually cost the most are shadows, volumetric lighting and fog, and the density of large scenes and objects. Shadow quality and view distance are typically the two most expensive, since they push more work onto both the GPU and CPU. If your graphics card sits near the recommended level, lowering these two is usually the most effective first step.
Ray tracing is generally not essential here, and the visual gain tends to be modest for the cost, so keeping it off is a sensible default. Reflections and post-processing can be adjusted to taste, as their visual differences are often small.
If your GPU supports DLSS, FSR, or XeSS, you can enable one when the game feels heavy. These upscalers render at a lower internal resolution and use an algorithm to scale the image up to your output resolution, which usually reduces GPU load with only a modest loss of fine detail. Results depend on your hardware and settings, so compare for yourself before settling.
Laptops and handheld PCs
A laptop GPU with the same name as a desktop card usually performs lower, because laptop versions run under tighter power limits and cooling constraints. When buying, check the listed TGP or power draw, since a higher figure generally means better sustained performance. Same-name parts with very different power limits are common, so do not compare by model name alone.
On a laptop, set the power mode to the high-performance option and keep the charger connected. Running on battery can cap performance heavily. If the cooling is weak, long sessions may trigger throttling, and cleaning the fans and vents can help.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally are low-power, all-in-one devices, so plan on lower graphics settings and a reduced resolution. We have no Steam Deck verification data for this game, so we cannot give a specific compatibility rating; judge that for yourself. It is also worth using the device's built-in performance mode and keeping an eye on battery life.
Storage and memory
The official storage requirement is only 4GB, but when installing, leave considerably more room than that. Updates and save files add to the total, so keeping at least a dozen gigabytes free helps prevent failed updates due to lack of space.
An SSD is not required, so the game will run from a hard drive. That said, an SSD noticeably shortens loading times, and for a game that reads scene and save data often, the difference is easy to feel. If you have room on an SSD, installing there is the more comfortable choice.
For memory, the official minimum is 4GB and the recommended amount is 8GB. Dual-channel configuration improves memory bandwidth, so make sure two sticks sit in the correct slots to run in dual-channel mode. Given current operating system and background usage, we suggest 16GB for real-world use.