Middle-earth: Shadow of War system requirements revealed

Sometimes, we have to put up with a long wait between the announcement of a new game and the release of its system requirements. And other times, they come at us like a one-two punch in the chops—but in a good way, with useful information rather than knuckles. In the case of Middle-earth: Shadow of War, it's definitely the latter, as just one day after its official confirmation (which itself came just a day after it was leaked), the numbers have turned up on Steam.

PC building guides

Need a new PC for Shadow of War? Check out our build guides:

Budget gaming PC
(~$750/£750) - A good entry-level system.
Mid-range gaming PC
(~$1,250/£1,250) - Our recommended build for most gamers.
High-end gaming PC
(~$2,000/£2,000) - Everything a gamer could want.
Extreme gaming PC
(>$3,000/£3,000) - You won the lotto and are going all-in on gaming.

Prefer to buy a prebuilt than building it yourself? Check out our guide to the Best Gaming PCs.

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7 SP1 with Platform Update for Windows 7
Processor: Intel i5-2550K, 3.4 GHz
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: GeForce GTX 670 | Radeon HD 7950
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 60 GB available space

Recommended:

OS: Windows 10 version 14393.102 or higher required
Processor: Intel Core i7-3770, 3.4 GHz
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: GeForce GTX 970 or GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 290X or Radeon RX 480
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 60 GB available space

The Steam listing doesn't have too much more to say about the game, although the way it promises to expand on the Nemesis system established in the very good Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is definitely intriguing.

"Go behind enemy lines to forge your army, conquer Fortresses and dominate Mordor from within. Experience how the award-winning Nemesis System creates unique personal stories with every enemy and follower, and confront the full power of the Dark Lord Sauron and his Ringwraiths in this epic new story of Middle-earth," it says. "In Middle-earth: Shadow of War, nothing will be forgotten."

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is scheduled to come out on August 25, and will set you back $60/£45/€60. A proper "gameplay reveal" is set for March 8.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.