BioShock: The Collection system requirements and upgrade details revealed

BioShock: The Collection is less than a week away, and with that in mind 2K has revealed everything you need to know about the remastered package, including system requirements and how owners of the original, non-Steam BioShock can take advantage of the free upgrade offer.

Owners of BioShock, BioShock 2, and/or Minerva's Den on Steam will see the remastered versions of the respective games appear in their Steam library automatically. Those who purchased BioShock when it was new, however, either on disc or through Games for Windows Live, will have to take a few extra steps by providing your Steam profile information and proof of purchase of the original game to 2K Support. (More information on submitting a ticket is available here.) Once that's done and approved, the remastered version of the game will be added to your Steam library.

2K confirmed that some proof of purchase is required, either a scan of your original receipt or a purchase confirmation email if you bought it digitally. That's bound to be a stumbling block for some existing owners (including me), but a rep said that under these rather unusual circumstances, some kind of verification is necessary. The rep also clarified that both games will remain and be sold separately on Steam. [Correction: The report originally said that a single Steam SKU would include both the original and remastered versions of BioShock, but 2K has had a change of mind.]

Life is easier for owners of BioShock 2: Simply enter your Games for Windows Live key on Steam to add the game to your account, and the upgrade will be yours. (A detailed breakdown of the process can be had here.) BioShock Infinite isn't being remastered for the PC because it already supports 1080p resolutions.

And now, the remastered system requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 64-bit. Platform Update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Processor: Intel E6750 Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz / AMD Athlon X2 2.7 GHZ
Memory: 4 GB
Hard Drive: BioShock 25GB; BioShock 2 25GB; BioShock Infinite 20GB; Total for all three games 70GB
Video Card: DirectX11 Compatible, AMD Radeon HD 7770 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Device
Other Requirements: Software installations required including DirectX and Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 and 2012 Redistributable Package.

Recommended:

OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 64-bit. Platform Update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Processor: 3GHz Quad-Core Memory: 8 GB
Hard Drive: BioShock 25GB; BioShock 2 25GB; BioShock Infinite 30GB; Total for all three games 80GB
Video Card: 2GB ATI Radeon HD 7970, 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 or better
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Device

2K also clarified that BioShock: The Collection, and the free upgrades, will go live on Steam at 3 pm PT on September 15. The September 13 date we've quoted previously is for the North American release of the console versions.

PRODUCTS

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.