Starfield PC Requirements Out Now – You’ll Need an SSD to Play

Following the Starfield Direct, Bethesda Game Studios has updated the Steam store page with the official PC system requirements for its upcoming sci-fi roleplaying game. The good news is that they aren’t that taxing compared to many recent releases. The storage size requirement (125GB) is relatively high but not unheard of. However, the catch is that a Solid Storage Drive is required.

Granted, most gamers will have bought one at this point, but this may be the first PC game to officially leave behind mechanical drives. Not even Forspoken, the only game that currently supports Microsoft’s DirectStorage API, requires an SSD. Whether that means Starfield requires DirectStorage or not is presently unclear, though I’ve inquired with Bethesda and will report back if there’s any clarification on the matter.

MINIMUM:
OS: Windows 10 version 2004 (10.0.19041.0)
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600x, Intel Core i7-6800K
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700, NVIDIA GeForce 1070 Ti
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 125 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD Required

RECOMMENDED:
OS: Windows 10/11 with updates
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel i5-10600K
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 125 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD Required

Of course, these Starfield requirements don’t come with any indication of the target resolution, frame rate, or graphics preset. A leak previously suggested that the game would support NVIDIA RTX technology, though Bethesda did not comment or deny that yet.

More details are likely forthcoming, given the proximity of the release date. On that note, Bethesda Game Studios has just opened Starfield pre-orders, and the information is a bit different from this week’s leak.

The Digital Premium Edition is actually priced at €99.99 instead of €109.99 as indicated by billbil-kun. It includes the following items:

• Shattered Space Story Expansion
• Up to five days of early access
• Constellation Skin Pack: Equinox Laser Rifle, Spacesuit, Helmet, and Boost Pack
• Access to Starfield Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack

The physical Premium Edition contains the following physical goods, which is why it’s €10 more expensive:

• SteelBook Display Case
• Constellation Patch

The Constellation Edition comes with all that and the following extra goodies:

• Starfield Chronomark Watch and Case
• Credit Stick with Laser-Etched Game Code

Every pre-order includes the Old Mars Skin Pack, which consists of a laser cutter, a deep mining helmet, and a deep mining pack.

For details on the Starfield Direct, a broadcast of nearly one hour that went deeply into every aspect of the gameplay mechanics, check out Nate’s article.