We've been learning a lot about Doom Eternal (opens in new tab) as it slowly but surely approaches release later this month. It can do 1000 fps (opens in new tab), if you can. (You can't.) It can cause extreme physical stress (opens in new tab). It will not have microtransactions or an in-game store (opens in new tab). It's metal (opens in new tab). Very metal (opens in new tab). And today, we learned exactly what sort of stuff we'll need to have installed in our PCs in order to play it.
In some cases, such as Valorant (opens in new tab), system requirements are pleasantly light; in others, it's the opposite. In the case of Doom Eternal, it is definitely the latter. Brace your wallets, because the minimum spec is far from minimal. On the other hand, if you're fortunate enough to be playing on serious iron, it's going to look good.
Here's what's what:
Minimum (1080p/60 fps/Low Quality Settings):
- OS: 64-bit Windows 7/64-Bit Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5 @ 3.3 GHz or better, or AMD Ryzen 3 @ 3.1 GHz or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 1050Ti (4GB), GTX 1060 (3GB), GTX 1650 (4GB), or AMD Radeon R9 280 (3GB), AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB) or RX 470 (4GB)
- Storage: 50 GB available space
Recommended (1440p/60 fps/High Quality Settings):
- OS: 64-bit Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i7-6700K or better, or AMD Ryzen 7 1800X or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB), RTX 2060 (6GB) or AMD Radeon RX Vega56 (8GB)
- Or: (1080p/ 60 FPS / High Quality Settings) Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB), Nvidia GeForce 970 (4GB), AMD RX 480 (8GB) Note : On GTX 970 only - set Texture Quality to Medium
- Storage: 50 GB available space
PC Ultra-Nightmare (2160p/60 fps/Ultra-Nightmare Settings) OR (1440p/120 fps/Ultra-Nightmare Settings):
- OS: 64-bit Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i9-9900K or better, or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or better
- Memory: 16GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (11GB)
- Storage: 50 GB hard drive space
Doom Eternal release date (opens in new tab): Everything we know
Doom Eternal review (opens in new tab): Our definitive verdict
Doom Eternal tips (opens in new tab): Weather the steep difficulty curve
Doom Eternal Slayer Keys (opens in new tab): Unlock the optional encounters
Doom Eternal Runes (opens in new tab): Give Doomguy the edge
Doom Eternal settings (opens in new tab): Kill in high-res glory
A 3.3Ghz Core i5 and GTX-970 GPU aren't exactly cutting edge, but it's still on the "up there" side of a minimum specification. That's not entirely unexpected, though: The minimum requirement for the 2016 Doom reboot (opens in new tab) was pretty steep for the time, too.
If you happened to purchase a physical edition of Doom Eternal, you may notice that these specs don't quite match up with what's on the box: Windows 8.1 support has been removed (most AMD drivers no longer support it), the "recommended" spec now calls for 8GB instead of 16GB, there's a more detailed breakdown of GPUs and CPUs at the minimum and recommended tiers, and the minimum-quality resolution has been upped from 720p to 1080p. The Ultra-Nightmare spec isn't listed on the box at all.
Such is the way of the physical world compared to the digital, but the important thing is that the recommended spec listed on the box will still work—and honestly, if you're still rocking Windows 8.1 you should probably do something about that before bothering with any more new games.
Doom Eternal comes out on March 20. Unlock times (which also include Doom 64 (opens in new tab)) are below:
- In AU/NZ/Asia, DOOM Eternal unlocks at 7:01AM Pacific Time on March 20 (12:01AM JST)
- In Europe and rest-of-world, DOOM Eternal unlocks at 4:01PM Pacific Time on March 20 (12:01AM GMT)
- In North and South America, DOOM Eternal unlocks at 9:01PM Pacific Time on March 20 (12:01AM EDT)
