Skip to main content

How to check if your PC meets a game’s system requirements

Playing games with GeForce Now on a laptop.
Nvidia

Not everyone can upgrade their gaming stations with the latest GPUs and additional RAM to push game performance as far as it can go. You might just want to know if your current PC can handle the latest title you're excited to play.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • A PC or laptop

In that case, finding out such information usually isn't that hard. Games often have information on recommended specifications so that gamers can compare the specs to what they currently have and see if they are good to go or not. While recommended specs may not be able to max out resolution or show off a gaming PC, they should be good enough for gameplay and to allow you to have an enjoyable experience. Here’s how to find those system requirements and check your PC's specs.

How to check if your PC meets a game’s system requirements

Step 1: Google the game you want to play, along with a phrase like “PC specification recommendations.” Game publishers are very good at putting these recommendations on their own sites, Steam, and other places, so results should immediately appear.

For example, here are the Overwatch 2target="_blank"> system requirements published by Blizzard. Once you have found the official recommendations, save the webpage or take a screenshot for comparison.

Overwatch 2 System Requirements.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Note that many games, such as Overwatch 2, have both minimum requirements and recommended specifications. Minimum requirements will help you scrape by, although you may have to lower graphics settings and accept that performance won’t always be great. Recommended specs are a much better level to compare against for a good gaming experience – but you also have to work with what you have, so be prepared to make some changes to game settings if necessary.

Step 3: Now it’s time to find your current PC specifications. Log into your PC if necessary and press the Ctrl + Shift + Escape keys to bring up Task Manager. Or, you could just search for "task manager" in the search bar and select it.

Step 4: If necessary, select More details in the Task Manager.

Step 5: In the new window, select the Performance tab.

Task Manager CPU information.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 6: On the left of the performance window, you’ll see sections for CPU, Memory, Disk, GPU, and more. For each section, you can view current performance and – most importantly – the exact specification your PC is working with.

Step 7: Go through the sections one by one and compare your specs to the game’s requirements. Specs don’t always have to be one-to-one: When necessary, compare things like the number of cores, GPU memory, and similar important features. If your PC meets or exceeds these important details, then you don’t have to worry about playing the game. Remember to check disk space too, so you know you have enough room to download the game files.

Task Manager GPU section.
Digital Trends

Step 8: If Task Manager isn’t an option for you, search for the “about” section on your computer. This section typically provides information about the components that the PC came with, which may be enough to eyeball recommended specifications.

Step 9: If you have an aftermarket GPU, you may also want to check the GPU brand to see if it has its own recommendations for specific games. They often will, especially for AAA titles. Here’s Nvidia’s own page for Overwatchtarget="_blank"> recommendations, for example.

Nvidia Overwatch 2 recommendations page.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What about automatic checkers?

Some tools are designed to automatically check if the computer can handle a specific game. One example is System Requirements Lab, where you can search for the latest games. But these tools can often struggle to properly read the specs of the computer that they are running on. This leads to a lot of failed guesses on their part, which is why it’s always a good idea to manually check yourself. Plus, once you know, you can always reference back as needed.

Tyler Lacoma
Former Digital Trends Contributor
If it can be streamed, voice-activated, made better with an app, or beaten by mashing buttons, Tyler's into it. When he's not…
Upgrade your gaming rig with this $129 Acer 31-inch monitor
The Acer Nitro 31.5-inch monitor on a white background.

The Acer Nitro 31.5-inch curved full HD gaming monitor is on sale for just $129 at Walmart today. It normally costs $250, but right now gamers on a budget can enjoy a $121 discount. It’s sure to make your gaming more immersive thanks to its great features and curved display. Here’s what you need to know.

Why you should buy the Acer Nitro 31.5-inch curved full HD gaming monitor
If you own one of the best gaming desktops, you really need to make sure that it has a great monitor to ensure you get the best from your hardware. The Acer Nitro 31.5-inch curved full HD gaming monitor is a good option for anyone who doesn’t need 4K gaming. It offers a vibrant image with the sharpest picture quality and a broader view than most. Its zero frame design means freed up screen space and more to look at from edge to edge.

Read more
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a PC killer — in the best way
Indiana Jones standing in a forest with a whip.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has no business looking as good as it does. The game is demanding, and there are some minor issues, but the work of MachineGames and the id Tech 7 engine paint over the seams that have become all too obvious in modern PC releases. For the most part, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a seamless experience. For the first time in a long time, it's a game that feels held back by hardware of today more so than optimization.

It's a wonderful experience, and one that you can take part in even if you don't have the best graphics card in your gaming PC -- given a few key compromises. There are some problems I'd like to see addressed in future updates, some of which are already in the works.

Read more
This $20 accessory should be in the stocking of every PC gamer
8bitdo wireless usb adapter stocking stuffer adpater 1

I hate Bluetooth in Windows. Add it to the list of gripes I have, but no matter how many times I go through the process of pairing and re-pairing different controllers on my PC, I always seem to run into issues with dropped connections and pairing failures when I go to play games with a controller on my PC. This $20 accessory solves that issue.

I'm talking about the . It's a little $20 dongle that I've used for years at this point, and it's become such a staple of my PC setup that I rarely even think about it. If you're looking to pad the stocking of a PC gamer in your life, it's one of the most inexpensive accessories that can benefit nearly any PC gamer.
The Bluetooth battle
At a high level, the Wireless USB Adapter 2 is just a Bluetooth adapter. You plug it into your PC, hold down a tiny button until the light starts blinking rapidly, and pair your controller of choice, be it from Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, or even 8BitDo itself. I've gone through the pairing process literally hundreds of times with the adapter, and I've never once run into an issue. I can't say the same with Bluetooth in Windows.

Read more