Stalker 2 PC Specs: Bring A 160GB SSD And What Else You Need To Play At 4K
It's been a long wait for a new installment in the Stalker franchise, and after multiple delays—the most recent of which was to "fix more 'unexpected anomalies' (or simply 'bugs', as you call them)," we're finally just one week away from the release of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Now that we've entered the presumed homestretch (barring any last minute snags), you can check if your PC setup is up to snuff.
Developer GSC Game World posted an updated list of the upcoming game's final system requirements, which it breaks down into four tiers: Low (1080p, 30 FPS), Medium (1080p, 60 FPS), High (1440p, 60 FPS), and Epic (4K, 60+ FPS). While most of the core hardware requirements vary by tier, there's one constant among the bunch—you'll need a solid state drive (SSD) with around 160GB of available storage space.
Beyond that, the 'Low' system requirements call for an Intel Core i7-7700X or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X processor; a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB, or Intel Arc A750 graphics card; 16GB of RAM (dual channel), and Windows 11 or 10 in 64-bit form.
The 'Medium' requirements up the ante to a Core i7-9700K or Ryzen 7 3700X for the processor and leaves behind Intel's Arc graphics cards (we're slightly surprised it doesn't list an Arc A770), with the developer saying you'll need a GeForce RTX 2070 Super or GeForce RTX 4060 in NVIDIA's camp, or a Radeon RX 5700 XT in AMD territory. The RAM and OS requirements are the same.
Next up is the 'High' tier, or 'Recommended' tier, which requires a more modern system with a Core i7-11700 or Ryzen 7 5800X processor; GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, GeForce RTX 4070, or Radeom RX 6800 XT graphics card; and 32GB of RAM.
Finally, the 'Epic' tier to play at 4K and achieve 60 FPS or higher calls for a beefy setup with a Core i7-13700KF or Ryzen 7 7700X processor, paired with a GeForce RTX 4080 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card. And like the High tier, the Epic tier requires 32GB of RAM.
The reactions on X/Twitter to the spec requirements have been mixed, with some praising the powerful hardware needed (at the upper tiers) and others lamenting that their PC might not be fast enough.
Separately, NVIDIA confirmed in a blog post that Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl will launch with day-one support for DLSS 3 with Frame Generation and Super Resolution. NVIDIA also shared some internal benchmarks it ran, to give an idea of what kind of performance to expect.
"At 4K, with every setting maxed, DLSS 3 with Frame Generation and Super Resolution multiplied Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s frame rates on GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards by an average of 2.4X. GeForce RTX 4070 gamers leap from 30 FPS to 70 FPS, greatly increasing smoothness, game clarity, and animation fluidity, and as we go up the GPU stack the numbers only get higher," NVIDIA states.
You can check out NVIDIA's blog post for more benchmarks, including ones run at 2560x1440 and 1920x1080.
