Shenmue 3 system requirements confirmed

The latest Shenmue 3 Kickstarter update covers backer surveys, reward tiers, an approaching $7 million stretch goal courtesy of the Slacker Backer campaign, and some ruminations on plans for "AI Battling," a control system designed to make the game more accessible for players who aren't accustomed to fighting games or want "a full immersion battle experience."

But if you keep scrolling down, down, down, you will eventually come upon information of a more practical sort: The minimum system requirements.

PC building guides

Need a new PC for Shenmue 3? 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.

OS: Windows 7x64, Windows 8x64, Windows 10x64 (64-bit OS Required)
Processor: Intel Core i5-4460 (3.40 GHz) or better; Quad-core or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti or better (DirectX 11 card & VRAM 2GB Required)
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband internet connection
Storage: 100 GB available space
Sound card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

This is useful information, but also written in pencil. Ys Net warned that, because the game is in development, "system requirements may change without notice." It's a proviso that makes me wonder why they bothered posting the specs in the first place, especially since Shenmue 3 isn't exactly close to release. There's no release date at all, in fact, but in May the developers pushed it from the second half of this year to sometime (nothing more specific than that) in 2019.

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.