Diablo 2: Resurrected system requirements are just a wee bit higher than the original

Diablo 2: Resurrected is out today, and if you're eager to descend into the hellish realm of Sanctuary but uncertain whether your PC has the muscle to support the experience, the system requirements are here to help you figure it out.

Of course, you're probably not worried about such a thing. Diablo 2: Resurrected is vastly upgraded but still a 20-year-old game at heart. In fact, because "the underlying game engine is the same," if you happen to have some old Diablo 2 saves lying around, you can manually import them into the Resurrected version and pick up where you left off in 2000. (Also, well done for keeping them around.)

Online characters, sadly, cannot be imported: "There are profound differences between the modern Battle.net of today and the platform we launched with Diablo 2 all those years ago," Blizzard said.

That engine compatibility doesn't mean that a 20-year-old PC will run this new-and-improved game, but the hardware requirements are fairly easy and breezy. If you've got a reasonably competent laptop at hand, you should be all set:

Operating System: Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i3-3250/AMD FX-4350
Video: Nvidia GTX 660/AMD Radeon HD 7850
Memory: 8GB RAM
Storage: 30GB
Internet: Broadband Internet connection
Resolution: 1280 x 720

Recommended Specifications:

Operating System: Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i5-9600k/AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Video: Nvidia GTX 1060/AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT
Memory: 16GB RAM
Storage: 30GB
Internet: Broadband Internet connection
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

And just for fun, here are the original system requirements, from way back in the glorious year 2000:

Operating System: Windows 2000, 95, 98, and NT
Processor: Intel Pentium 233 or equivalent
Video: DirectX compatible video card, 8MB Glide or Direct 3D compatible video card for optional 3D acceleration
Memory: 32MB RAM (64MB for 3D acceleration)
Storage: 650MB
Internet: 28.8Kbps or faster modem (required for online multiplayer only)
Resolution: 640x480, 800x600

My, how things change, eh?

Along with improved graphics, audio, and fully redone cutscenes, Diablo 2: Resurrected also features a range of new accessibility options including controller support (yes, even on PC), scalable fonts, colorblind modes, and other readability enhancements, an emote wheel, multi-channel volume controls, automatic gold pickup, "extensive" key binding options, and a bigger, shared stash, which as players of the original game can tell you is a pretty big deal. And if you decide you prefer the original, you can swap between the OG look and the new hotness, and back again, at will.

And how does it hold up? Fraser found that the reality didn't quite meet his nostalgic hopes: The atmosphere, aesthetic, and music are "still killer," but the decades-old mechanics have been left behind by newer, more refined games. But that may be part of what some players are after.

"I suspect hordes of former players are still going to love returning to Diablo 2. There are still people playing the classic version today," he wrote. "And I get it. Modern isometric ARPGs for the most part don't have an adversarial relationship with the player. There are plenty of challenges to be found, certainly, but Diablo 2 really wants to kill you, and that holds a certain appeal."

Diablo 2: Resurrected is out today on Battle.net. If you're just getting started and need a helping hand, be sure to have a look at our guide to all the game's classes, and how to build them out just right.

TOPICS

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.