Can You Run Elden Ring on Your PC? The honest answer, with official specs and the 12GB RAM surprise.

Can You Run Elden Ring on Your PC? The honest answer, with official specs and the 12GB RAM surprise.

Can You Run Elden Ring on Your PC? (Honest Answer for 2026)

Elden Ring is a rare case in the "can you run it" world: a game whose official requirements shocked everyone on announcement day and have not changed since. Four years, one massive expansion, and dozens of patches later, FromSoftware still asks for the same hardware. And the minimum spec has a line that catches more people than anything else in this series: 12GB of RAM.

Yes, you read that right. Not 8, not 16. Twelve.

Quick Answer

If your PC was built or bought for gaming any time in the last six years, you can probably run Elden Ring. The official minimum asks for an Intel i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, a GTX 1060 3GB or Radeon RX 580, and that unusual 12GB of RAM. The recommended tier wants an i7-8700K or Ryzen 5 3600X, a GTX 1070 or RX Vega 56, and 16GB of RAM.

The honest version: those specs target 30fps on low settings. If you want a smooth 60fps through Shadow of the Erdtree, especially in the big open areas, plan a bit above the official recommended tier.

The Official Specs (FromSoftware Has Not Changed Them Since 2022)

FromSoftware published these before launch, briefly deleted them, then re-confirmed them. They are still the official numbers:

Minimum

• CPU: Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB / AMD Radeon RX 580 4GB
• RAM: 12GB
• OS: Windows 10, 64-bit
• Storage: 60GB
• DirectX 12

Recommended

• CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB / AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB
• RAM: 16GB
• OS: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
• Storage: 60GB
• DirectX 12

With Shadow of the Erdtree installed, budget closer to 60GB total, and put it on an SSD. The base game launched at around 45 to 49GB, and the expansion plus patches pushed the full install to about 61GB.

The Catch: That 12GB RAM Minimum, and the 2026 Reality

The 12GB minimum is the thing that blocks the most people. RAM comes in 8GB or 16GB sticks for most buyers, so a PC with exactly 8GB fails the official minimum on paper. This is the single most common "can my PC run Elden Ring" surprise, and it was true at launch and it is true now.

Two more honest notes for 2026:

The game is capped at 60fps. This is by design, not a limitation of your hardware. A 144Hz monitor and a modern GPU will not take Elden Ring past 60. Buy for stable 60, not for high refresh.

Shadow of the Erdtree is heavier than the base game. The expansion's areas, especially Scadu Altus, push both CPU and GPU harder than Limgrave ever did. If you are right on the official recommended line, the expansion is where you will feel it. In 2026, the practical smooth-60 target is closer to an RTX 2060 or RX 5700 XT with an 8-core CPU, above what FromSoftware lists.

What Each Tier Feels Like

Minimum: The game opens and is playable at 1080p, low to medium settings, around 30fps. Frame pacing was rough at launch and patches helped, but this is still a "play it, don't expect silk" tier. The open world will feel heavier than the legacy dungeons.

Recommended: 60fps at 1080p on high settings is realistic in most areas. This is the tier where Elden Ring feels like it should. A GTX 1070 is a 2016 card, which says something good about how well the game scales.

Above recommended (the 2026 sweet spot): Any modern mid-range card with 8GB of VRAM, 16GB of RAM, and a six-core or better CPU holds 60fps through the DLC. Match your texture quality to your VRAM: 4GB is fine for 1080p medium, 8GB is the comfortable pick for 1440p high, and 12GB or more only matters at 4K.

The realistic sweet spot: 16GB of RAM, an NVMe SSD, and any mid-range GPU from the last five years. That combination runs the full game plus DLC at 1080p/1440p high settings at a stable 60fps. No need for a flagship card.

The Honest Verdict

Elden Ring is demanding on paper and fair in practice. Check two things: do you clear the 12GB RAM minimum (8GB PCs fail on paper), and is the game on an SSD. If both are yes and your GPU is from the last several years, you are in.

Run your specs through the free Can You Run It checker to get a straight answer on where your PC lands against Elden Ring and the other games in your library. Free, no signup.

Check if your PC can run it. Free, no signup.

For the full breakdown of how the checker scores your hardware, read our guide on how the Can You Run It checker works.

FAQ

Will my PC run Elden Ring?
If you have a gaming PC from the last six years with at least 12GB of RAM and the game installed on an SSD, very likely. Check the official tiers above, then verify with our free checker.

Can I run Elden Ring with 8GB of RAM?
You are below the official minimum of 12GB. Some players do it with reduced settings and background apps closed, but stutter is common. A RAM upgrade to 16GB is the cheapest meaningful fix.

Does Elden Ring need an SSD?
Strongly recommended, yes. The full install with Shadow of the Erdtree is about 61GB, and HDD load times in the open world are noticeably worse. An NVMe SSD is the ideal, any SSD is fine.

Why is Elden Ring capped at 60fps?
FromSoftware capped the frame rate at 60 by design, and it has never been raised. Your monitor refresh rate and GPU headroom will not push it higher in the official build.

Can my laptop run Elden Ring?
If it has a discrete GPU from the last five years, 16GB of RAM, and an SSD, yes, at 1080p. Integrated graphics will struggle; this is one game where the GPU floor is real.

Is Elden Ring harder to run with Shadow of the Erdtree?
Yes, noticeably in the expansion's larger areas. The official specs still apply, but the practical hardware for smooth 60fps in the DLC is a step above FromSoftware's recommended tier.