Returnal, Once a PS5-Exclusive, Lands on PC on This Date

Returnal is headed to PC next month, and with that, Sony has unveiled new features and system requirements for the upcoming port. Developer Housemarque and porter Climax Studios have partnered to bring the once PS5-exclusive roguelike to PC on February 15. Returnal on PC comes with support for Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR upscaling techniques, in addition to DualSense compatibility, ensuring haptic feedback when ripping through the haunting alien planets in the game. Returnal is now available to pre-order on Steam and the Epic Games Store at Rs. 3,999.

Returnal PC new features

Akin to past PlayStation–PC ports, Returnal boasts a slew of enhancements and customisable settings. To begin, the aforementioned Nvidia and AMD’s upscaling methods should allow players to dial up their framerate without making sacrifices in the resolution and/or visual quality. Being a third-person, bullet hell roguelike, Returnal is littered with tonnes of moving objects that could heavily stress your GPU — making this feature quite significant. Additionally, support for NIS (Nvidia Image Scaling) has also been added for players who desire better performance, but don’t have the hardware to support DLSS or FSR.

Returnal also derives ray-traced shadows from its original PS5 kin. However, in the PC version, co-developer Climax Studios has added support for ray-traced reflections as well. “This will make the contrast of a dark setting and neon bullets pop out even more than before,” the PlayStation blog notes. Returnal on PC will also enable unlocked framerates, support for ultra-wide monitors ranging between 21:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios, and performance metrics — FPS counter, a gauge for measuring GPU and CPU usage, and a latency tracker.

All of this comes packaged with Dolby Atmos Audio, which extends its auditory flair to plugged-in DualSense controllers. As expected, support for keyboard and mouse controls is included as well, with a wide range of customisation options to tailor your needs. Returnal PC will also feature an FOV (field-of-view) slider, which helps adjust how much of your surroundings can be seen on screen.

As for co-op mode, Housemarque has stressed that cross-play with players on the PS5 console is not supported.

Returnal PC system requirements

The PC system requirements list comes courtesy of PlayStation, with the common requirements being Windows 10 64-bit (version 1903) and at least 60GB of free storage space on an SSD.

Returnal ‘minimum’ PC requirements

• Processor (CPU): Intel Core i5-6400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
• Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Resolution: 1,280×720 pixels at 60fps, at Low settings

Returnal ‘medium’ PC requirements

• Processor (CPU): Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600
• Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Resolution: 1,920×1,080 pixels at 60fps, at Medium settings

Returnal ‘recommended’ PC requirements

• Processor (CPU): Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
• Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Resolution: 1,920×1,080 pixels at 60fps, at High settings

Returnal ‘epic’ PC requirements

• Processor (CPU): Intel Core i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
• Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
• RAM: 32GB DDR4
• Resolution: 4K at 60fps, at Epic settings

Returnal ‘ray tracing’ PC requirements

• Processor (CPU): Intel Core i9-11900K or AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
• Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT
• RAM: 32GB DDR4
• Resolution: 4K at 60fps, at Epic settings — upscaling options are recommended

Returnal PC pre-order price and bonuses

Pre-orders for the PC version of Returnal are now live, offering early access to some in-game items. The tools are otherwise obtainable through story progression, with the pre-order bonus simply giving players a headstart — akin to what you would expect from a New Game+ mode. The included items are an Electropylon Driver weapon, a Hollowseeker weapon, one Reflex Stimulant, one Pulsating Mass artefact, and one Adrenaline Booster. Additionally, linking your Steam account to PSN (PlayStation Network) unlocks two in-game outfits — a Prototype and a Tactical suit.

As stated above, Returnal costs Rs. 3,999 across Steam and Epic Games Store. There’s only one edition for this game, and it launches February 15 on PC.